Heroes, Kings, Saints – Images and documents from the history of Hungary

The new exhibition of the Hungarian National Gallery offers a special reading of the images from the history of Hungary. The visitors can review the fateful events and the most famous heroes of the Hungarian history through the lines of the two most popular Hungarian poems: the Hymn (the National Anthem), written by Ferenc Kölcsey, and the Appeal, written by Mihály Vörösmarty. In the rooms opening to the right the events of uncountable sacrifices – the peasants’ rising of 1514, the Turkish wars and the revolution of 1848-1849 – are at the highlight of the presentation. Continuing to the left the images of the peaceful and constructive eras of the nation can be seen. The Renaissance court of the king Matthias Corvinus, next to the images of his decapitated brother’s, Ladislaus Hunyadi’s shocking fate, and the heroes of the Reform Age, the 1830’s and 1840’s, bringing quick national development: poets, composers and the eminent representatives of aristocracy like Count István Széchenyi or Palatine Joseph.
Beside the images of history the exhibition is completed by some important documents of the Hungarian state. Next to the original documents of laws, conclusions of peace, constitutions, some great memories of the Hungarian cultural history – books, manuscripts, maps – are at exhibition.