The Móra Ferenc Museum is a museum in Szeged, Hungary, at the intersection of the bank of the riverTisza and the Downtown Bridge. In addition to its seasonal exhibitions, research is conducted within the walls of the cultural palace in the fields of archaeology, ethnography, history, and natural science. The museum was founded in 1883, and the neoclassical building was opened in 1896. The institute was renamed in the honor of its former Director, Móra Ferenc in 1950. The creations of Victor Vasarely and Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka have already been shown between the walls of the Móra Ferenc Museum, and in 2012, an exhibition featuring works by Mihály Munkácsy became the museum's then most successful seasonal exhibition, exceeded in 2014 by the exhibition titled “Pharaohs’ Egypt” that attracted more than 114,000 visitors by year’s end.
Collections of the museum
The Móra Ferenc Memorial Room represents the former Director as one of the more outstanding figures of national literature, as well as an archeologist and researcher. In addition to his personal items and furniture, visitors can see special photos in the exhibition room upstairs. The exhibition of natural sciences, titled “We only have one Earth,” presents us with Earth’s history from its beginning to the modern age. Visitors can simulate travelling millions of years into the past with the help of installations, several millions of years old fossils, and a 3D animation of a cave bear. The ethnological exhibition is titled “The Famous Town of Szeged”. Its featured topics are Tisza-related activities, its best-known craft of making slippers and knives, bullrush weaving, the peculiarities of folk architecture. The folk life of the Szeged-area is illustrated using interactive, audiovisual equipment, in addition to the photo and audio material on various screens. The mora ferenc museum's spectacle of gold collection is also open to the public and presents an approximately 10 kg of unique and highly valuable treasure. In the unconventionally lit room, visitors can view one of the biggest and more significant gold treasures of the Huns, the gold artefacts of Nagyszéksos, which were excavated by Ferenc Mora. The collection also features valuable red gold, memorial coins and particular household objects, such as the golden pen of Istvan Tomorkény or a tie pin bearing Lajos Kossuth's engraved portrait.
Further Exhibition premises
Fekete-ház ''(6720 Szeged, Somogyi u. 13.)''
The Fekete ház is situated at the heart of the city center and it is only a one minute walk away from Dóm Square. The ground floor and first floor of the reputable building are places of valuable seasonal exhibitions. The upstairs rooms give home to a furniture collection replicating the interior of an upper class family’s home: visitors are provided with a glimpse into the civilian housing culture of Szeged. The exhibition features two salons, a beautiful girl’s room and a tower room providing a view of Szeged the beauty of which is unmatched by any vantage point in the city. A permanent pharmacy history exhibition is also open to the public. Its main attraction is the equipment of the last remaining 19th century pharmacy in the Great Hungarian Plain.
Kass Gallery ''(6720 Szeged, Vár u. 7.)''
The gallery was dedicated to provide a glimpse into the various artistic phases of Kass János, who was one of Szeged’s most exceptional artists and a recipient of several prestigious state awards. In addition to the more outstanding works of János Kass, the gallery opened up to seasonal contemporary exhibitions and still is a supporting location of major temporary exhibitions.
Varga Mátyás Theatre History Collection and Exhibition Hall'' (6720 Szeged, Bécsi krt. 11/A)''
The three-story building and its nearly 300 m2 exhibition space puts the works of Varga Mártyás on display, through which visitors are acquainted with a huge portion of Hungarian Theatre History. During the summer months the garden is a place of public talks and programs in connection with the local theatric scene and the Open-Air Festival of Szeged.
Castle and Stone Store'' (6720 Szeged, Stefánia sétány 15.)''
The Castle Museum is a place for organized events and seasonal exhibitions. The museum’s building is a remnant of the former castle of Szeged: it is an impressing architectural monument from the Baroque Period. The stone store is a collection of the most important architectural finds from the history of Szeged. Visitors of the stone store can acquaint themselves with architectural treasures from the Roman, Árpád, Medieval, Baroque and Renaissance Periods, thus roaming through two thousand years of architecture in one place.
