Two extremely valuable and rare documents have been loaned by the ELTE University Library and Archives to the temporary exhibition entitled Magic Power – Knowledge. Community. Academy, organised jointly by the Hungarian National Museum and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The exhibition was opened on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, with the aim of providing an insight into the history of the formation and development of Hungarian scientific thought.
The documents on display are of particular value. The author of the first volume is Carolus Clusius (1526–1609), one of the best-known humanists and botanists of the 16th century. The work featured in the exhibition, Rariorum aliquot stirpium per Hispanias observatarum historia, was published in Antwerp in 1576 by Christophe Plantin's famous printers. The lavishly illustrated volume describes the unique flora of the territories under the Spanish crown.
The other work on loan is a colligate volume containing two important scientific works. On display is the work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium by Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), in which the Polish astronomer explains his heliocentric world view. Although the roots of his theory can be found in ancient Greek philosophy, Copernicus' system had a revolutionary influence on the development of modern science. According to the inscription on the title page, the book was donated to Nicasius Ellebodius by Zakariás Mossóczy, and then passed to János Kecskés, who donated it to the Jesuit College of Bratislava in 1639. The exhibition is open until 26 October 2025 at the Hungarian National Museum.