The University opens its Doors - Main building

On September 27, 2023, we visited the main building of the University in the framework of our series "The University opens its Doors". Under the excellent leadership of Gergely Gosztonyi, associate professor of ÁJK. During the walk, we visited the Faculty Council Hall, the Pázmány Hall, Faculty Library, Aula Magna and the Rector's Cabinet.

Those who registered for the walk gathered in front of the building, at the Pázmány statue, where Denise Gerda Petz, an employee of the Alumni Center, greeted them, and then the walk around the building began, led by Gergely Gosztonyi. Those present were first introduced to the early history of ELTE in the entrance hall. We heard an interesting presentation about the period of the university's foundation: In 1635, Péter Pázmány founded the legal predecessor of today's ELTE in Nagyszombat. At that time, the university consisted of a liberal arts and a theological faculty, it was also entitled to grant academic degrees, and was supplemented with a law faculty very early on in 1667. In the 18th century, the university increasingly came under state control, and in 1769, its fourth medical faculty was established - thus becoming a fully structured classical university. The hall of the building was repainted last summer, and the relief prints, which were hidden with lime during socialist times, symbolizing the 4 faculties at the time of construction, appeared on the arches again.

After that, we continued our walk in the Faculty Council Hall, where we got to know that the meetings of the university and faculty leaders also take place here: there are portrait paintings on the walls, which mainly depict persons connected to the faculty of law. From there, we continued our journey to the Pázmány Hall, where we could see a painting by Géza Wágner, which depicts the University Square as it was when the tram used to run through it.

After visiting the Pázmány Hall, we continued our journey to the library, where the librarian Dániel Takács told us about the history of the library, and then we listened to a humorous anecdote in classroom No. I. After that, we visited the Aula Magna, ELTE's ceremonial hall. The hall was renovated in 1935, for the 300th anniversary of its founding. It contains paintings of the University's 3 most defining figures - Péter Pázmány, Mária Terézia and Loránd Eötvös - as well as busts of several famous university professors. Doctorate inaugurations and diploma distributions are usually held in the hall.

Our last location was very special: in the rooms of the rector's office, we saw the paintings of the rectors of the University (since 1950, all rectors have been here). These were made for the 375th anniversary celebrations: everyone – the families of those who have already passed away – could choose the style in which they would like to have the portrait made. The University's original badges of honor are also kept here: they are also owned by the Hungarian National Museum, and were given to ELTE in 2016 for display. These - the so-called rector's pedum, humanities faculty pedum and law faculty pedum - they were made in the 17th century as the work of Augsburg goldsmith Johannes (Hans) Lencker. The first university flag was displayed here, as well as the silver set, which was made in 1935 from part of the compensation received for the University's properties in present day Slovakia.

The two-hour, highly successful walk was attended by people of all ages and from all faculties of our university. We thank Dr. Gergely Gosztonyi for his great guidance, Dániel Takács for the lecture in the library, the staff of the Dean's Office and the Rector's Cabinet of ELTE ÁJK, as well as the faculty's caretakers for making the visit possible.