Presentation of Transport in Museum [antikvár]

PRESENTATION OF TRANSPORT IN MUSEUMS by Béla Czére My article consists of two parts. I should first like to outline the object of our museological work — transport, including telecommunications, in all its theor- etical and practical complexity. I should then like to share my ideas as to how transport problems should be presented in the modern museums. I As Professor Elfriede Rehbein justly pointed out1, the basic aim of tran- sport and communications is to overcome distance, to move from one place to another. When moving from one place to another, the traveller, goods or information cover the distance at a certain speed; this takes place over a period of time determined by these factors. Distance, speed and time are the funda- mental characteristics of motion; but these concepts take on quite a different meaning for the scientist studying the micro- and macrocosmos and another for man as a traveller. By this I do not mean that man's motion as a traveller is not governed by the laws of physics; I wish only to stress that man's motion in space is something more than just physical movement. The choice of route serving to overcome the distance, the transport networks — with their junc- tions and stations — which have developed from the different types of routes, these are not simply technical problems, but also those of sociology and econ- omy. They are problems concerning both domestic and international rela- tions, those of the development of civilization. On the other hand the over- coming of distance may also be impeded by geographical, economic and poli- tical, as well as physical obstacles. For many years, time was also considered to be such an impediment, but today — as far as connections on earth are concerned — this opinion is being abandoned following the tremendous expansion of the speed spectrum. It would seem that the time saved thanks to increasingly higher speeds is of greater importance to man than the economic expenditure, including the energy consumption and increased risks. Today, man and society have overcome the whole range of speeds physi- cally possible: from the 5 km/hour of a walking man, to 27,000 km/hour, i.e. the speed altogether possible in conditions on earth; the speed of space craft breaking away from the earth's gravity is naturally much higher. As regards the transmission of information, man has overcome the highest speed existing in nature — electromagnetic waves with a speed of 300,000 km/sec. We can