The ELTE University Library and Archives also paid tribute to Ferenc Toldy on the 220th anniversary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of his death at a commemoration organised by the National Heritage Institute on 10 December 2025.
Dr. Kulcsár Szabó Ernőné Gombos Annamária, Director General, representing our institution, bowed her head at Ferenc Toldy's tomb in the Fiumei Road Cemetery, thus paying tribute to the former director of the ELTE University Library. Ferenc Toldy played a leading role in the intellectual life of Hungary during the Reform Era, laying the foundations for the creation of a scholarly Hungarian literary history, a research library consisting of encyclopedias and dictionaries, and a periodical reading room. During his tenure as director, between 1843 and 1874, during the library's most turbulent period, he had to fight continuously for ownership of the library site, while political changes and scientific developments meant that the university, which was undergoing renewal, required a new type of library to accommodate the growing number of students and their changing needs. As a result of these struggles, the library palace on Ferenciek Square was built.
Gábor Móczár, Director General of the National Heritage Institute, gave a welcome speech at the event, and Prof. Dr. Gábor Kecskeméti, Director of the Institute of Literary Studies at the HUN-REN Humanities Research Center, also gave a speech. Photos of the event are available on the Facebook page of the National Heritage Institute. For more information about the work of Ferenc Toldy, please visit our website.
