The commemorative conference marking the 150th anniversary of the library building concluded successfully at the ELTE University Library and Archives.

As the opening event of the anniversary celebration, Rector Dr. Lénárd Darázs and Chancellor Dr. Gyula Scheuer, representing Eötvös Loránd University, as well as Zsolt Sári, State Secretary for Public Collections and Heritage Protection from the Ministry of Social Relations and Culture, delivered welcoming remarks.

Dr. Lénárd Darázs, Rector of Eötvös Loránd University, welcomed the audience of 140 people gathered for the anniversary event, recalling the ceremonial inauguration of the Library Palace in 1876, at which Károly Than, then rector of the university, and Ágoston Trefort, Minister of Religion and Public Education, also delivered speeches. He highlighted the university’s progressive role in Hungarian higher education, culture, teacher training, and public education, emphasising that the University Library building symbolises ELTE’s historical, cultural, scientific, and educational roles alike. In his welcoming remarks, Dr. Gyula Scheuer, Chancellor of Eötvös Loránd University, highlighted not only the cultural and digital heritage but also the efficient work of the staff working within the library’s walls. Dr. Zsolt Sári, State Secretary for Public Collections and Heritage Protection, speaking at the home of the country’s first – and for centuries, only – state university library, in Hungary’s first palace designed and built specifically for library purposes, explained that the state’s current role is primarily to provide a fitting framework for the university’s operations.

In her opening address, Director General Dr. kulcsár Szabó Ernőné Gombos Annamária, noted that the mission of the University Library – which is celebrating its 465th anniversary this year – as the first state-funded public library was defined by Maria Theresa in 1777 as ensuring open access to the university’s body of knowledge, and to fulfill the initial functions of a national library.

The iconic palace that houses the institution – and symbolizes every aspect of the scholarship embodied by the university – was completed in 1876 based on the architectural plans of Antal Szkalniczky (1836–1878), and for nearly 120 years, it has faced significant challenges in accommodating the ever-expanding scholarly collection and the dynamic growth in the number of university students. Today, in the age of digitisation and artificial intelligence, the building’s primary purpose is to provide students with a complex learning environment – a need clearly demonstrated by the fact that more people are using the same space today than ever before.

In his lecture, Research Professor Dr. József Sisa paid tribute to Antal Szkalniczky’s life’s work and design philosophy, focusing on the library building as a work of art. Art historian Dániel Kovács presented the 20th-century transformations of the library building, illustrating them with examples from the same period, while architects Miklós Péterffy and Bálint Dőry outlined their conceptual plan for the expansion of the University Library building, featuring new community and learning spaces that are open and freely connected to public spaces – spaces that offer an elegant, contemporary, and creative solution to the space constraints that have existed for 120 years, while also evoking and paying homage to the building’s original design.

The interactive installation, which was officially unveiled at the conference, offers some interesting facts related to the building’s history and the life that takes place within it.

As a key player in open scientific infrastructure and research support, the institution continues to provide an open space for in-depth learning, while also serving community-building goals; which is why – in response to student needs – the BoYL community space, created as part of the international student inclusion project, was renovated, and two new rooms were opened, expanding the space available to the university community by an additional 30 seats. Dávid Zubreczki delivered a welcoming speech at the ceremonial opening of the new community spaces. A photo exhibition by Márta Csikós entitled “Heritage and Presence – People and Memory in a 150-Year-Old Space,” which focused on the staff members who ensure the building and library’s daily operations through their work, was opened by Gábor Lakos, a photojournalist for HVG.

The ELTE–NFI FILMIO University Film Club aims to pay tribute, through the programme organised on the occasion of Researchers’ Night, to László Krasznahorkai, who was awarded an honorary doctorate from ELTE in September 2026, and to film director Béla Tarr, who passed away this year. This was the film they worked on together for the first time, and for which they co-wrote the screenplay. This brought Tarr his first international recognition.

Date: 25 September 2026, 7:00 p.m.

Venue: ELTE University Square Campus, Emilia Weiss Hall (1053 Budapest, Egyetem tér 1–3, ground floor)

Director – Béla Tarr

Screenwriter – Béla Tarr, László Krasznahorkai

Cinematographer – Gábor Medvigy

Editor – Ágnes Hranitzky

Composer – Mihály Víg

Stars: Miklós Székely B., Hédi Temessy, Vali Kerekes, Gyula Pauer, György Cserhalmi, Péter Breznyik Berg.

Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkO01nO5tVU

Our guests during the post-screening discussion are:

András Bálint Kovács – film aesthete, university professor
Tibor Gintli – literary historian, university professor
Katinka Tóth –law and literature researcher, assistant professor

Due to limited seating, we ask for advance registration on the Researchers' Night website: https://app.kutatokejszakaja.hu/esemenyek/elte-allam-es-jogtudomanyi-kar/krasznahorkai-laszlo-eletmuve-tarr-bela-filmjein-keresztul-karhozat-r-tarr-bela-1987

ELTE–NFI Filmklub Facebook

The ELTE–NFI FILMIO University Film Club’s series of screenings and discussions continues. We welcome students from all ELTE faculties.

Ruben Brandt is a psychiatrist who leads a private clinic specialising in criminals with obsessive-compulsive disorders. The goal of his unique art therapy is to enable his patients to possess the objects of their fears. Meanwhile, since his father’s death, Ruben himself has been in need of treatment, as he is tormented by recurring nightmares in which figures from famous paintings haunt him. Ruben’s patients want to help their adored doctor using his own method of treatment, so they steal original works of art for Ruben from top museums around the world. Of course, hot on the heels of the thieves – aside from the authorities – are Mike Kowalski, a private investigator from Washington, and the underworld, who are both eager to pocket the reward offered by the art insurers for information leading to their capture.

Date: 23 September 2026, 6:00 p.m.

Venue: ELTE University Square Campus, Emilia Weiss Hall (1053 Budapest, Egyetem tér 1–3, ground floor)

Our guests during the post-screening discussion is Zsolt Baumgartner, animator and animation director, who worked as a storyboarder, layout artist, and animator in the film.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6IP1wAUARY&t=2s

Due to limited seating, please register in advance at https://www.ajk.elte.hu/ruben-brandt-a-gyujto.

The organisers welcome any correspondence regarding the film club at eltenfi.filmklub@elte.hu.

ELTE–NFI Film Club Facebook page

Artwork of the Month – Commemorative Plaque for Academician Dr. József Fülöp

The commemorative plaque, located on Calvary Hill in Tata and in the adjacent Geologist’s Garden, honors the memory of Academician Dr. József Fülöp (1927–1994), an academician and university professor who was a leading figure in Hungarian earth sciences and the popularization of geology, as well as the founder and long-time director of the Geologist’s Garden. The plaque, commissioned by Eötvös Loránd University, was erected in 1999.

The commemorative plaque, made of polished Jurassic-era red limestone, is secured by four metal fasteners to a monolith of red limestone—also from the Jurassic period and characteristic of the area—whose uneven surface reflects a temporal horizon, thereby symbolizing the connection between the past and the present. The text of the dedication, visible in the center, honors József Fülöp as an “outstanding figure in Hungarian geological research” and as the founder of the Geologists’ Garden on Kálvária Hill.

At the top of the commemorative plaque, an ammonite fossil—not part of the rock itself—protrudes from the plaque. The fossil is not merely a decorative element but also a well-known symbol of the earth sciences, symbolically referring to József Fülöp’s scientific legacy and his connection to our geological heritage.

József Fülöp (1927–1994), who would later become a state-awarded geologist, university professor, Doctor of Earth Sciences, and full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, enrolled in the geography and economics teacher training program at Pázmány Péter University in 1946. However, his interests soon turned toward the earth sciences. Beginning in 1948, he worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Geology, and in 1952 he completed his studies by earning a degree in geology, at which time he also began teaching as an assistant professor. From that point on, with only a few brief interruptions, his life became intertwined with the history of our university.

He held numerous positions throughout his career. At a very young age, from 1954 to 1956, he served as a geologist and specialist advisor in the Industry Department of the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers. From the latter year onward, he served as deputy director of the Hungarian State Geological Institute, and from 1958 to 1969 as its director; he then served as president of the Central Geological Office from 1968 to 1984. From there, his career path led him to the position of rector at ELTE, a post he held for two terms, until 1990.

He was appointed as a university professor in 1970. In 1967, he was elected a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and in 1976, a full member. Among other achievements, he is credited with establishing the Hungarian Rectors’ Conference, as well as founding the Research Group of the Department of Geology at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the journal Acta Geologica Hungarica.

His monographs, which are still regarded as seminal works today, bear witness to his wide-ranging professional and scholarly activities, and his contributions to geological conservation can confidently be considered groundbreaking. Based on the geological and paleontological treasures he uncovered there, Kálvária Hill in Tata was designated a protected area of national significance in 1958 at his recommendation, and a portion of Mogyorós Hill in Sümeg was designated in 1976. Another outstanding achievement was the establishment of a high-quality educational center in Sümeg, located near the latter site, which served as the home base for a joint summer field course attended by geology and geophysics students from three Hungarian universities.

The Tata Geologist’s Garden (full name: ELTE Tata Geologist’s Garden – Nature Reserve and Open-Air Geological Museum Collection) opened its doors to the public in 1976 and will thus celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026. The commemorative plaque honors the memory of an outstanding geologist and university professor, and also serves as a tangible reminder of an important era in Hungarian geological research, public education, and heritage preservation. The plaque is a central feature of every major celebration. It was also ceremonially honored with wreaths by future generations on the 50th anniversary of the area’s designation as a nature reserve, and this year, on September 11, 2026—the 50th anniversary of its public opening—the university administration, prominent figures from the city of Tata, representatives of scientific organizations, and representatives of the relevant ministry will be present for the most important part of the commemoration.

Text: Dr. Felkerné Kóthay Klára

Photo: István Szente