Exhibition on the life of Cardinal József Mindszenty, Prince Primate, Archbishop of Esztergom

“I BROUGHT LOVE HERE, TOO”

The main aim and message of the exhibition is to portray the person of József Mindszenty, one of the most influential and iconic figures of 20th century Hungarian history and church history, whose sacrifice has been assessed in a variety of ways depending on the political context of the past decades. In the exhibition, we want to nuance this Mindszenty canon, which was more unsophisticated and abstract before and around the regime change. In addition to the multifaceted presentation of the historical role of the high priest, we also focus on the presentation of the MAN. Mindszenty is not just a representative of the last century – he can also speak to younger generations.

The life of József Mindszenty and his veneration are presented to visitors with the most modern and unique installation equipment and technical background. The exhibition is less object-oriented, it is rather experience-oriented; its aim is to provide visitors with the appropriate depth of information and to encourage further individual research and reading, regardless of age and education. As the exhibition is designed to appeal to several generations, some with partly different levels of sophistication and knowledge, the multimedia contents are adapted accordingly: they include both a younger, more dynamic body of knowledge and more in-depth, richly based units of information, including possible problem posing.

The persecution of the Church under communist dictatorship (1945–1990)

The main aim and message of the exhibition is to show how the Church-related victims of the era survived the ordeal, how they managed to cope with the well-constructed “fight” against them, and to show that they were human beings, different people, who had different attitudes towards the dictatorship’s anti-church prohibitions. The approach is an ecumenical kind of presentation, from a subjective point of view, as if reading the story from the diary of a surviving church person.

The structure of the exhibition progresses from an introductory objective transfer of knowledge to the presentation of less and less, more subjective stories that can be embraced, until the transfer of knowledge already effaces, leaving only “talkative” material memories, faces, and implied feelings. The introductory historical overview is followed by three rooms that recall the steps of well-constructed propaganda, observation, and then the setting up of show trials. The following three spaces already provide an intimate opening and retrospection, commemorating the victims and the confessions, experiencing a closed and hidden faith-based world lived in various forms of punishment. At the very end of the exhibition, visitors may experience the release and escape from darkness and confinement and come out with the victims’ grasp.

From brick to church – A selection of medieval monuments in Zala County

The main aim and message of the exhibition is to present the kilns preserving the memories of medieval brick burning, which were found during the archaeological excavations preceding the construction of the Mindszentyneum and which may have played an important role in the building history of Zalaegerszeg. The former Egerszeg castle, traces of which were also found by the archaeologists excavating here, somehow also played a role in the fate of the brick kilns visible at the site where they were actually found. An animated film, based on the findings of these objects of local historical significance, helps visitors to see the “future built on the past”. The golden age of the brick kilns in the exhibition can be linked to the constructions of the 14th and 15th centuries, while the palisade of the former Eger Castle, built in the Turkish period, also contributed to their oblivion when its bail and the moat cut through one of the kilns.

The exhibition also tells the story of other treasures, buildings, and exciting sites found in Zala County, mainly of religious relevance, which give visitors a glimpse into the world of the Middle Ages. The presentation of the monuments of monastic and chivalric orders in the county draws heavily on the results of archaeological research conducted in recent years, and aims to keep this timeliness by adding the latest findings to the material on display.

The exhibition aims to appeal to all ages, encouraging interactivity through the use of modern technology and tactile and scrollable elements in addition to traditional presentation methods.