If we have already ascended Castle Hill on the Buda Castle Funicular, it is worth pausing for a moment within the walls of the Royal Palace.

The Széchényi family left its mark here as well: this is where we find the National Széchényi Library – the place where Hungary’s written culture and national memory came together.
The foundation of the library is linked to Count Ferenc Széchényi, a man who recognized that preserving the relics of the past is an act of service to the future.

At the end of the 18th century, Hungary was part of the Habsburg Empire.
The official language of administration and education was mostly Latin, later German, while the Hungarian language had little or only gradually increasing presence in public life.
During this period, more and more educated people began to understand the importance of preserving the Hungarian language and culture – and Ferenc Széchényi became one of the key figures of this intellectual awakening.

He believed that Hungarian-related books, manuscripts, maps, and works of art could only survive if they were placed under collective care.

In 1802, he sought permission from Emperor Francis I to donate his vast collection in Nagycenk for the benefit of the nation.
The Emperor approved his initiative, and within the same year the public collection was born — one of the first national museums on the continent, from which grew the Hungarian National Museum, and later, as an independent institution, the National Széchényi Library.
Founded in 1802, the museum was among the first of its kind in Europe; several sources describe it as the third national museum on the continent.

The imperial charter issued that same year clearly reveals the ideas that guided Széchényi.
It reads:

“…ad usum publicum, ad incrementum litterarum et scientiarum, in utilitatem publicam et ad gloriam gentis Hungaricae.”
(“…for public use, for the advancement of literature and science, for the common good, and for the glory of the Hungarian nation.”)

Ferenc Széchényi’s act went far beyond a nobleman’s donation.
He assumed public responsibility in an age when the institutional protection of Hungarian culture was far from self-evident.
His collection served not only as a library but also as a museum, laying the foundations for the organized development of Hungarian scholarly and cultural life.

The museum created by Ferenc Széchényi became one of the firmest cornerstones of Hungary’s intellectual heritage.
It is no coincidence that, according to tradition, Sándor Petőfi recited his National Song on the steps of the National Museum on March 15, 1848 – the day the revolution began.