New community space inaugurated in one of Hungary’s most beautiful libraries in Budapest

As part of the Book of Your Life project, a room designed according to student ideas was handed over with a book presentation and exhibition opening.

New community space in prestigious Budapest library

At the ceremonial opening on April 25th, Annamária Kulcsár Szabó, director general of the ELTE University Library, welcomed the guests. She emphasized that the room, formerly used as a lecture hall, is not the first community space in the library yet it is special because it was developed in collaboration with the future users.

László Borhy, rector of ELTE, spoke about the university’s strong emphasis on building multicultural relationships meeting the needs of students and supporting their mental well-being, the creation of this new space being one manifestation of that commitment.

Szilvia Szöllősi head of the University Strategy Office presented the Book of Your Life project, the inauguration of the room being its first milestone. “International students from more than 150 countries make up nearly ten percent of the university community, which is about 4000-5000 people,” she said.

Events planned in the new community space

“In the future, the space will be filled with life, hosting intercultural training sessions, student roundtable discussions, and art exhibitions, as well as events organized by the CHARM-EU Alliance in autumn.” (The Hungarian presentation can be downloaded here.)

As part of the library’s professional program, the facsimile edition of “Rusalka Dnyisztrovaja” (Dniester Mermaid) was presented. Responding to questions from Róbert Kiss Szemán, Director of ELTE’s Institute of Slavonic and Baltic Philology and Professor at the Institute, Viktória Lebovics, assistant professor and author of the accompanying study, explained that the almanac with an adventurous fate is the first publication born in the western Ukrainian region in the folk’s Ukrainian language.

Facsimile available

It was published in Buda in 1837 with the permission of the Hungarian censor at the Royal Hungarian University Press, after being banned by Viennese censorship based on the opinion of the ecclesiastical authorities in Lviv. It played a prominent role in the context of the linguistic and cultural rebirth of the Slavic people, holding significant cultural importance for Ukrainians. It also has its own museum in Lviv.

Approximately 100 copies of “Dniester Mermaid” are preserved in libraries and museums around the world, with only two copies of the first edition in Hungary: one in ELTE’s library and the other in the national library. The facsimile edition is an exact copy of the copy held in the University Library and Archives, produced in limited quantities and is not available for commercial sale.

The event concluded with the opening of James Clifford Viloria’s photo exhibition titled “Liminal Quarters,” showcasing the dormitory life of international students studying at ELTE followed by a reception.

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