Ferenc Széchényi

Ferenc Széchenyi [ fɛrɛnʦ se ː ʧe ː ɲi ] ( Count Franz Széchenyi born April 29, 1754 Fertőszéplak, Hungary, † December 13, 1820 in Vienna) was a Hungarian aristocrat, politician and the founder of the Hungarian National Library and the Hungarian National Museum.

Life

Ferenc Széchenyi was a member of the Hungarian magnate Széchenyi family. He attended the Theresianische Knight Academy in Vienna and joined the civil service. Emperor Joseph appointed him in 1783 as deputy Franz Esterházy as Ban of Croatia. In 1777 he married Julianna Festetics. The couple had six children, including István Széchenyi, who became a major business and government reformer.

He served as Lord Lieutenant of several counties. Because of the abolition of feudal rights by Emperor Joseph II in 1785 he retired from political life back. He founded with his brother György Festetics the Georgicon, the first agricultural research station of Hungary on one of his estates in Keszthely at Lake Balaton, and had a long time abroad.

Only by Emperor Francis II took over Szechenyi 1798 again important tasks as chief officer of the Hungarian Empire and as a senior team of county Vas. He worked as a royal commissioner in the regulation of the rivers Drava and Mura. In 1810 he moved all the way to Vienna, in 1814 he moved into a house in the highway, where he led a literary salon. This is also known as Hofbauerkreis salon was romantic and religiously oriented.

Széchenyi was minded enlightening and at the same time a typical representative of the emerging Hungarian patriotism and nationalism. He donated his collection in 1802, his library, cards, coins and collection of engravings establishing the National Library and the National Museum (which were until 1949 separated). He has published at his own expense the first printed catalog of the library.

Writings

• Catalogus Bibliothecae Hungaricae. Sopron, 1799 és index plague in 1800.
• Supplementum I-II és Index in 1807.
• Catalogus Manuscriptum I-III Sopron 1814 /15 campaign.
• Catalogus nummorum Hungariae ac Transylvaniae institu nat. Széchenyiani II-III, az appendix Szel.

Appreciation

Since 2000, the annual Széchenyi Ferenc Prize is awarded to employees of public collections.