Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Budapest University of Technology and Economics Archive is open to researchers on Mondays to Thursdays from 9:00 to 16:00 and on Fridays from 9:00 to 12:00.
The holdings of the Archives amount to nearly 1,500 linear meters of records dating from the time period 1846-2000. No documents relating to the predecessor institution of the Universoty, named Institutum Geometricum, have been preserved (except one engineering diploma). The archival material of this engineer training institute was held by the Budapest Science University until 1850, as the institute had been an integral part of this University. These documents were, however, destroyed, so researchers can only rely on secondary sources (on the material of the central feudal government authorities in the National Archives of Hungary). Our material has, however, been continuous from 1846, the year of the foundation of Joseph College of Technology, especially as far as the documents of the Director's and Rector's offices are concerned. The majority of the students' records have been preserved (register books, records of comprehensive, state and doctoral exams). The material of the Archives was damaged for the first time and the most seriously in the 2nd World War, when the documents of several faculties were destroyed (except student records). The documentary material of the University was next badly damaged during the great document selection campaign in the 1950s. The documents were again damaged, mainly mixed up, during the Hungarian revolution in 1956.
As a result of Decree No. 27 from 1969 and the Government’s Executive Order 130/1969, institutions were permitted to establish specialised archives for the preservation and management of their own archive material. The staff of the Central Library submitted a set of proposals, which were discussed at a meeting of the University’s Council on 10th March 1971 and the decision to establish an archive was made. As certain conditions necessary to receive the status of a specialised archives had not yet been met, the Archives was established as a section of the Central Library in 1972 and the professional organisation of the accumulated material began. The publication of an inventory of the Archives’ records prior to 1960 completed the process in 1975. The further collection of historically important records was prevented by a lack of space at the time but this obstacle was eliminated in 1984 by the opening of the Archives’ new premises. This created the ideal conditions for the work of the Archives to progress (the collection and organisation of records as well as the research and data service). On 1st January 1993, the Archive was finally given “specialised archive” status. It also participated in the foundation of the Budapest-Gödöllő Archives’ Association the same year, acting as one of its founding members. (The Association changed its name to the Hungarian University and College Archives’ Association in 1996 and then to the Hungarian University Higher Education Archives Association in 2001.) Construction work commenced in 2012 to refurbish the new premises of the Archives in the central building of the University. The Archives’ new office, research room and storeroom were inaugurated in festive circumstances on 13th March 2013.
Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem Levéltára