Museum - Hungarian Museum for Science, Technology and Transport - Chemistry Museum

To represent the relics of chemistry and chemical industry is one of the hardest tasks of the technical museums. Most of the former instruments of the alchemists were distroyed. Scholars of scientific chemistry worked by using such abstract terms, which are very hard to represent in a museum. Even modern chemical industry is not so easy to display, since chemical processes involve such huge devices that can only be shown on photographs.

However, Hungarian chemistry and chemical industry deserve a museum, since we have always had such methods, techniques, schools and scholars (Nobel prize) that were outstanding in the whole world.

The Hungarian chemist Museum was founded by the Ministry of heavy industry. The museum received its operation licence in 1963. Its purpose is to explore the history of the chemical industry and protect, scientifically process and rexhibit its relics.

The museum is not only unique to our country, but is the only independent chemist museum of Mid-Europe. It was established on the site of a ruined castle in Várpalota. Várpalota has a central role in the Hungarian chemical industry and is easily accessible from Budapest.

The castle has been renovated by mostly the Ministry of heavy industry and the chemical industry enterprises. The town also supported these works by helping with the finances. At present farther renovation works are being carried out.In 1990 the castle was declared as part of the National Heritage.

The museum objective collection numbers over 9.000 pieces. Its industry historical documentation consists of 44.000 documents. The library has over 19.000 volumes. The mining industry historical collection reminds visitors of the 100 years-old coal mining industry of Várpalota.

The exhibitions of the museums began right beyond the entrance to the castle. The 20th century factories of the former Hungária Vegyimuvek are represented on the sides of the entrance corridor. At the end of the corridor there can be seen one of the oldest technical relics of the domestic chemical industry: a cast-iron potash-cooking basin. Few people know that the first manufactured product of the Hungarian chemical industry was the pot-ash (potassiumcarbonate), which was exported for foreign textile and glass industry.

Programmes

Museum ceramics class

further programmes

Permanent exhibitions

Chemical laboratory of the 1940-50'ies

On the second floor the visitor will find himself in the laboratoty of the 1950'-ies. We can see the table of famous chemistGéza Zemplén, a gas-jet heated drying wardrobe and a number of other original objects.

The history of chemistry teaching 1750-1950

Before the middle of the 18th century natural sciences had been instructed only as part of philosophy. The teachers of the protestant schools had studied in the western academes, and on returning home they began teach their students accordingly. Chemistry was taught as part of physics.

Hungarian chemistry (1919-1945)

The exhibition demonstrates the history of our chemical industry between the two world wars. The first part introduces those local and foreign scientists, whose work fundamentally determined the development of chemistry and chemical industry. It delineates the new conditions made after the disunion of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy and the plans of Hungary made for the chemical industry development.

Chemistry in the reform era

The exhibition gives a universal picture about the slow change to the modern developed and capitalized production methods. The reason for the slowness can be found in the lack of financies as well as the limitative affect of the conscious Austrian industrial policy.

further exhibitions