Room 15 / Education, science and culture at the end of the century
This room introduces visitors to Hungarian cultural history and education in the 19th century, as well as relics of Hungarian masters of literature, theatre and music of the time. A special section focuses on the development of Hungarian education, press and Freemasonry in Hungary. In addition, the early pieces of Hungarian porcelain manufactories are of industrial-historical importance. The silverware on display feature the new style of Art Nouveau emerging at the end of the century.
Fun facts:
- The corset Queen Elizabeth was wearing was so tight that it took more than 15 minutes that the severe stab wound on her body was noticed after the assassination. Exhibited here is the very tight silk dress bodice she was wearing at the time of her assassination, shown prevented the wound from bleeding more profusely.
- As early as the late 19th century, the Herend factory was making porcelain objects decorated with photographic-quality painted portraits.
As a revival of an ancient custom, prominent artists and authors were often presented with silver laurel wreaths by their admirers in the 19th century. This one, with its sculpted laurel leaves and berries, was given to Ferenc Liszt on the occasion of a performance in Amsterdam, in April 1866.
Queen Elisabeth, the wife of Franz Joseph I, so dear to Hungarians, was on her way to a pleasure boat from the shores of Lake Geneva on September 10, 1898 when she was attacked by an Italian anarchist named Luigi Lucheni. After a minor alarm, she boarded the boat with her Hungarian lady-in-waiting, Count Irma Sztáray. However, she soon felt ill because of the stab wound near her heart, and her life could not be saved. The black silk dress bodice she was wearing on the day of the attack were donated to the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Museum, founded in 1907, from where it was transferred to the Hungarian National Museum.
