Ferenc Nádasdy Museum

The officers’ corps of the Nádasdy Hussar regiment donated the Museum in Sárvár memorabilia which were preserved in Austria after World War II as a private collection in the year 1983 within the frame of a contract. The objects of art not only include the memories of the Hungarian royal Ferenc Nádasdy Hussar regiment, but also the equipment of the canteen of fellow regiments, like the forks of the Radetzky-Hussars with nametags, as well as the painting of Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, the former owner of the 11th Royal Hussar regiment. The memorabilia of the Nádasdy Hussar regiment include cutlery from the officers’ canteen, various commemorative trophies and paintings depicting the owners of the regiment.

A year later the museum gained possession of memorabilia from fellow regiments, Hussar uniforms and sports trophies reflecting remarkable achievements of sportsmanship. Thus the Hussar collection nurtures memorabilia of the material of the Royal Hungarian 4th Hadik Hussar regiment, the Franz Joseph I - Jász-Kun Hussar regiment and the Árpád Chieftain Hussar regiment. The objects of fine arts include watercolours of Ákos Garay, oil paintings of Antal Megyesi Schwarz, the portraits of Hussar Colonels, riders, along with Hussars participating in the American War of Independence made by Ilona and Sándor Bodó. The sabre collection of Lajos Sárvári, including pieces which accompany the development of the Hussar weapon from the 17th century, is a separate unit of the collection.

The inventory of the Ferenc Nádasdy Museum includes the Hussar memorabilia becoming richer and richer every year. The online database relies on this inventory and the descriptions of the objects of art. Next to each description the material, the dimensions, the technique, time and the name of creators are indicated. The museum assigned certain objects to categories helping the discovery of cohesions. All data to be read on the left side of the meu work as links and the objects of art are linked according to the given criteria.

The expansion of the Hussar collection of the Ferenc Nádasdy Museum required a separate inventory 1989. The Museum kept the photos from 1983 on the list of the objects of art. The continuous arrival of personal documents made the creation of a document collection necessary. The Museum did not differentiate between the accepted and at the same time registered documents. Therefore, apart from original documents the collection also features copies. This process was necessary because there are no institutions in the museum, or in any archives, which would be responsible for safeguarding Hussar memorabilia separately. Had the Ferenc Nádasdy Museum not accepted various documents, it might have happened that those documents had landed in private collections with no, or limited access.

In accordance with the original intentions of the Museum the full range of documents was processed. The Hussar history collection of documents contains memorabilia of various content. Photos, commissions, notifications of award, military maps and reproductions help recall the life of a Hussar. These documents present the link between Hussars and their comrades, as well as between Hussars and their regiments. Photos showing heavy fights on the frontlines are of key importance. Documents related to persons highlight all that soldiers wanted to preserve during their careers. While objects give insights into the history of a regiment, individual documents are milestones of personal histories.

The data of scanned documents include the material, dimension, technique, time and the name of the maker, i.e. the issuer. The museum assigned the documents to categories making the orientation and discovery of cohesions easy. All data on the left side are links and by clicking on them, all documents and objects of art are grouped according to that given aspect.