15^th anniversary of the foundation of Country House Museum Association

 

The Association of Hungarian Country House Museums held its annual general meeting in Szentendre at the Hungarian Open Air Museum on 7 April 2018. At the general meeting, the awards the Country House Museum of the Year and, for the second time, the Szablyár Péter Memorial Plaque were presented at a ceremony.

In 2018, the country house museum manager of the year became Balázsné Csáki, chairperson of the board of the Foundation ‘Bodrogköz Country House Museum’ in Cigánd, who gained great merits in turning the former Cigánd country house museum into a nationally recognised, ‘living’ building complex, called Bodrogközi Museum Croft.

The Szablyár Péter Memorial Plaque commemorates the founding executive president of the Country House Association and it is a professional recognition awarded every two years with which the Country House Association recognises the dedicated work for the cause of country house museums. The award has been presented for the second time, and this year it went to the director of the Petőfi Birthplace and Memorial Museum in Kiskőrös, Dr. Ilona Kispálné Lucza. Literary memorial houses are in many cases also country house museums. Such is the birthplace of Sándor Petőfi in Kiskőrös, and the Slovak Country House Museum also belongs to the institution, the development and nationwide reputation of which is due to the two-decade museum work of Dr. Ilona Kispálné Lucza.

The prizes were presented by president dr. Ibolya Bereczki, managing director Márta Hegedűsné Majnár and dr. Miklós Cseri, a founding member and director general of the Hungarian Open Air Museum.