National Széchényi Library [antikvár]

THROUGHOUT EUROPE THE CREATION OF NATION STATES LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF INSTITUTIONS GIVEN THE FUNCTION OF COLLECTING, PRESERVING AND PASSING ON THE WRITTEN AND PRINTED CREATIONS OF THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE AND CULTURE. IN HUNGARY IT WAS COUNT FERENC SZÉCHÉNYI (1754-1820) WHO IN THE LATE 18 CENTURY SOUGHT OUT HUNGÁRIÁN BOOKS IN HUNGARY AND ABROAD, BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER INTO A SINGLE COLLECTION AND DONATED IT TO THE NATION IN* 1802. IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR A PUBLIC LIBRARY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL OPENED IN PEST.