History of the museum
The museum was founded by Wosinsky Mór, and the institute bears his name at present. After finishing his studies, Wosinsky acted in several settlements in comitatus Tolna (Tolna county) as a catholic priest. The township Lengyel was an important turning point of his life, because on the so-called “Turkish fortification” he has found traces of an app. 7000 years old Neolithic civilization, which is since then called by the technical literature on archeology as “lengyeli kultúra” (civilization in Lengyel). Main supporter of his researches was the local landlord, Count Sándor Apponyi.
During his several expeditions in Hungary and abroad, Wosinsky collected primarily archeological findings of such a great value and amount, that he could not manage the storage of them. This was the point, when he decided together with Apponyi to establish the museum of Tolnavármegye (comitatus or county of Tolna). The first exhibition opened in the year of the millennium, 1986, in some rooms of the newly built Gymnasium of Szekszárd. After a time, the school-rooms were gradually taken over to fulfill their original function, so the need for a separate museum came into spotlight. Wosinsky asked the well known, reputed architects, Fülöp Herzog and Albert Schickedanz – who had already made the planning works of such buildings, as the Museum of Fine Arts and the Hall of Arts (Műcsarnok) in Budapest – to plan the museum building. Thanks to Wosinsky’s hard working, the imposing museum-palace in neo-renaissance style opened it doors in 1902. An interesting fact is, that this was the first building in the county that was build specially for housing a museum.
At present, the institute awaits his visitors with four permanent exhibitions. The archeological exhibition on the ground floor gives an insight to the history of Tolna county from the prehistoric times to the early Árpád-age. A local historical exhibition with the title Pictures brought to life- a small town at the century-turn is located upstairs. Our visitors can take a symbolical walk along the east-western axis of the city, passing by sights, buildings and monuments of Szekszárd around the early 1900-s. The first floor also houses our new permanent exhibition. In the cellar-museum, you can find unique pieces of the archeology- and the weapon-collection. The latter can only be visited in pre-arranged groups.
The work of the archeologist, museum founder director, bibliophile learned priest is commemorated by a bronze bust by Farkas Pál sculptor, which is placed in front of the museum. The artwork is surrounded by large roman altar-stones, which were found in the water-course of the Danube, at the border of the township Bölcske, 50 km-s away from Szekszárd.
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