Hungarian National Digital Archive • MaNDA database

Masterpieces from the golden age of banknote designing

Pengő and korona were regarded as real masterpieces with their special banknote designing solutions in artistic aspects. Beyond the meticulously elaborated patterns that reflect the sophisticated graphical-artistic culture of the period, their speciality is that their portraits show not only famous persons (like Sebestyén Tinódi Lantos) but also common people, for example Palóc girl from Bény Valéria Rudas, and Rózsi Tóth on the 5 pengő banknotes, or Lúcia Lendvay from Székesfehérvár, who posed on the 1 billion millpengő banknotes. Despite their anonymity, the persons of “money models” sometimes got into the focus of media and public interest.
International day of monks

A monk’s life is mysterious to us; withdrawing from the world, a life devoted to the Lord. Still, the demand for this life style appeared before the birth of Christianity, for recluse is the most ancient form of monasticism. In our selection, we commemorate both their community and members, who created abiding things in other walks of life as well.
Budapest anno

Development must go on! – as the phrase has it, but in practice we notice that it stops every now and then. The change – if it goes on its way – sometimes trends towards good, sometimes bad direction. It seems that it often stops completely without a state intervention. In case of certain changes, lucky circumstances (e.g. filling up of Rákos ditch) and sometimes misfortune play a role unfortunately (e.g. the disappearance of wines of Buda).
Star photos of actresses

For a long time, women were not allowed on stage; actually going to the theatre was not considered as a proper activity for women. Until the 17^th century, men used to play women’s roles as well. The audience could really refresh when they did not have to wait for the actor in the female role, because he had to shave first. Naturally, we know famous actresses from earlier times, but the truth is that they were not judged better than prostitutes were. Instead of praising their talents, the posterity thought it is more interesting to find out if they became concubines of a king or a lord.
Attraction and profanity of abstract art and its role in creating lifelike virtual reality

There have always been people who hated abstract imagery, condemned it profane, degenerate, chaotic or inexpressive – so did Hitler for example -, but abstract has had a great deal of fans as well. Beyond coloured playfulness and the appeal to novelty, the secret of its popularity is that depicting unearthly spaces and dimensions gives some artworks a spiritual power of expression. The abstract art provides opportunity to create eye-catching fractal patterns, which can be found in nature, in art or in virtual space.

Virtual exhibitions

Besides searching and browsing digitized cultural contents, visitors can view thematic virtual exhibitions from the records of MaNDA’s database, which are widened weekly. Our aim with the exhibitions is to introduce the cultural contents of the database in a new context, in a way that they would never be in the same virtual room otherwise, due to their spatial, legal or formal features. You can see our former exhibitions under this menu.

Partner institutes

Establishment of Europeana

During the period of the Swedish EU presidency in April 2001 in Lund, representatives of the then 15 Member States formulated their demand that a breakthrough in the field of cultural digitisation was necessary. One of their most important issues was that a cooperative forum should be created in order to put cultural digitisation in the European dimension and the accessibility and visibility of the European digital cultural heritage must be promoted.