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Tivadar Hüttl, Rector Magnificus of the Academic Year 1939/40 of the Tisza István University
Views:363Tivadar Hüttl, Professor of Surgery the Rector Magnificus of the Hungarian Royal István Tisza University of Debrecen during the Academic Year 1939/40. Tivadar Hüttl – whose father was the owner of a successful porcelain factory – graduated as a doctor of medicine from the University of Arts and Sciences of Budapest, and worked there at the I. Surgery Clinic besides Professor Tibor Verebély. In 1921, he was entrusted with the management of the Surgery Clinic in Debrecen, and one year later, he became a director-professor. In his clinic, he organized sections of otorhinolaryngology, stomatology, urology, traumatology, orthopaedics, etc., which later became independent clinics. He established an important scientific school; his students came to him from all over the world. In the academic year of 1939-1940, he was the rector of the István Tisza University of Arts and Sciences of Debrecen, and the representative of the university in the Upper House of the Hungarian Parliament. In 1944, he stayed in Budapest because of the war, and after his return, he was deprived of the position of professor on indignant causes in a show trial. From 1951 to his death in 1955, he was the head physician of the National Institute of Oncology in Budapest.
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NEWLY DISCOVERED LEGAL AND POLITICAL DISPUTATIONS AND DISSERTATIONS OF LAW STUDENTS FROM HUNGARY IN THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD
137-153Views:210. From the second half of the 19th century, Hungarian cultural and book historians have been collecting information about prints that were published in foreign printing houses in the early modern period (16th-18th centuries) and have Hungarian connections. A significant part of the bibliography of publications written by Hungarian authors and published abroad in foreign languages are school papers and thesis booklets published in print by Hungarian students during their studies abroad in connection with an oral debate. Unfortunately, the publication of the data collected on thesis booklets stalled at the end of the 20th century and there is no easily accessible database of these publications available today. However, the surge in the number of publications on early modern disputation in recent years and the inclusion of theses in various academic research has made disputation research an important branch of the history of universities, education and science. This is why it is important that the publication of these Hungarica data should continue. The following list contains legal and political disputations from foreign universities of the 16th and 18th centuries, which have been discovered during decades of research and which are not included in the volume III of Régi Magyar Könyvtár and its supplementary volumes, and thus may be new to those who are interested in the period.
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THE MEASURES TAKEN BY THE REFORMED COLLEGE IN DEBRECEN DURING THE CHOLERA EPIDEMICS OF 1831 AND 1866
57-70Views:246In Debrecen, the cholera epidemic of 1831 caused great devastation, killing almost 7.5% of the population. The cure for the epidemic was not yet known, so preventive measures (closures, quarantine) were taken to stop the spread of it. Already the news of the disease caused anxiety among professors, who sought to get the latest news from the city. For a long time, they resisted closing the school, but when the epidemic began to take its toll in the city at the end of July, they were forced to act. Many of the students had left the school early, but those who remained were looked after by the professors. As the epidemic situation worsened, the city even considered converting the college into a hospital, but this was eventually abandoned following protests from the professors and the college's curator. School order was finally restored only in the late autumn. The start of the school year was only briefly postponed during the local epidemic of 1866.
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INSTITUTIONAL BOOM IN SOCIALIST HIGHER EDUCATION, OR A COLLEGE IN EVERY TOWN?
128-145Views:84The Hungarian Historical Society and its South-Transdanubian Group organised a conference, titled ’Chapters from the history of education in Hungary’ in Mohács, Hungary, between 13 and 15 August 2025. It was at this conference that a lecture was given on the foundation of colleges that reviewed the evolution and transformation of the institutional network until 1990, with some references to subsequent reorganisations.
No such lecture can provide a complete picture, consequently, it mainly focused on the major junctions relying on bibliographic data. Although the principal topic was the evolution of the college network, the changes affecting universities also had to be mentioned since, during the transformation, integration and foundation attempts, such universities gathered up the colleges eventually often transforming them into university faculties. The first part of the three-part study reviews the fundamental changes until Act III of 1961 on the education system of the Hungarian People’s Republic was enacted; the second part examines the motivations behind the quantitative growth of the institutional network, while the third part showcases the changes in West-Transdanubia through the expansion of the higher education institutions (university, teacher training college) in Pécs, with a particular focus on Zala County, where it was impossible to establish an independent higher education institution.
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IMRE FORRÓ’S STUDIES IN UTRECHT IN THE 1930S.
67-91Views:265The Stipendium Bernardinum in Utrecht, founded in 1761, played an important role in the history of Hungarian students’ university studies in the Netherlands in the 20th century. Many Hungarian theologians have been awarded scholarships. Imre Forró was admitted to Utrecht after completing his theological studies in Debrecen. He spent first three years in Utrecht, and then applied for and won another year of scholarship from the scholarship committee to continue his research. The present paper examines several aspects of Forró’s student years: his studies, his student life at the time, and the research work he began in the 1930s, and the history of the Hungarian peregrination to Franeker. Each life story is unique, yet the studies and daily lives of the students abroad share many similarities.
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RELIEF IN MEMORIAM OF PROFESSOR ZOLTÁN ZÁBORSZKY, FOUNDER OF THE TRAUMATOLOGY DEPARTMENT IN DEBRECEN.
160-164Views:211A bronze relief was unveiled in the corridor of the Department of Traumatology of the University of Debrecen in memory of Zoltán Záborszky (1927-2020), the founder of the department. Zoltán Záborszky MD was the Head of the Department from 1987 to 1993, but after his retirement he remained active until 2016 as Professor Emeritus. His consistent medical activity, enthusiastic teaching, precision, and benevolent rigor were respected by all. The relief depicting the smiling face of Professor Záborszky was based on donations of the staff of the institute and the Foundations supporting the work of the Department.
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Béla Tankó. Ed. Márta Virágos
Views:252Béla Tankó was the founder of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Debrecen. the editor Marta Viragos gives a full picture of the professional and the private life of the professor.
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The HUNGARIAN AND TRANSYLVANIAN PUPILS OF THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE FRANCKESCHE STIFTUNGEN IN HALLE
Views:219Halle’s appeal in the 18th century was due not only to its university, but also to the institutions of the Francke Foundations. The so-called “orphanage” was originally intended to take care of children, but it was successively expanded into schools at different levels. Two inventions made Halle attractive: the free canteen and the fact that orphanage schools employed university students as teachers and provided training for them. The orphanage thus had access to a large and cheap teaching staff, and the informants gained experience as well as being able to finance their university studies. It was therefore a place where talent and diligence could flourish. These social and pedagogical measures contributed greatly to the rise of the University of Halle. When the institutional system was fully developed and the written evaluation of informants became systematic, informative files were also produced on people who later played a decisive role in the history of schooling in Hungary and Transylvania.
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PUBLICATIONS OF LECTURERS IN HUMANITIES IN THE DEBRECENI SZEMLE
138-150Views:270The István Tisza Scholarly Society published the journal of high academic quality that had nineteen issues between 1927 and 1944. The authors of the articles were mainly lecturers at the University of Debrecen, teachers at secondary schools, professional writers, intellectuals working in the countryside, nationally renowned scholars and writers. Most of the lecturers in humanities examined in my doctoral thesis regularly published in the columns of Debreceni Szemle, one of the most significant forums of the city’s academic life. The journal was edited by two university professors, János Hankiss and Rezső Milleker. Every second issue covered a social or natural scientific theme. In the beginning, it was published ten times a year, later twelve times, then again ten times or even less frequently during the Second World War, until it was discontinued in 1944, and it was not started again until many years later. The journal was published with the support of the city of Debrecen, but its themes were not limited to regional ones, even though it considered that its primary task. In addition, it was run by the University of Debrecen and the István Tisza Scholarly Society in a relatively high number of copies. From 1932 until its termination, it functioned as the official review of the Society.
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LIFE AND WORK OF CLINICAL PROFESSOR SÁNDOR ÁRVAY, DEAN ENDOWED WITH RECTOR’S RIGHTS (1954−1955), CURATIVE-PREVENTIVE (CLINICAL) VICE-RECTOR (1965−1971) OF THE DEBRECEN MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
3-20Views:234Sándor Árvay (1903-1997) was professor and head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of the Medical University of Debrecen for 22 years. Three years after his appointment, he performed the duties of a dean of the university with the rights of a rector. Ten years later, as clinical vice rector, he managed the curative and preventive tasks of the university for six years. As a university student, he studied in Debrecen, Budapest, Vienna and Basel. During his clinical internship in Debrecen, he learned the theoretical foundations of experimental medicine at the Institute of Physiology in Basel. After his professional examination, he experienced the practical duties of healing patients as a chief physician in Szikszó, Máramarossziget, and Gyula. Armed with his extensive theoretical and practical experience, he was appointed head of obstetrics. He has developed his clinic into one of the national centers of the profession, and through his extensive national and foreign connections, into an internationally renowned institute. Thanks to his work, 5 department heads, 9 university professors, and 21 head physicians have emerged from his institute, the Árvay school. He was awarded prestigious state and social awards for his outstanding public activities in the leadership of the university and in social organizations. After his retirement, he selflessly helped his colleagues for another 17 years with wise advices and useful observations. His human qualities, modesty, puritanism, broad knowledge and wisdom are exemplary and are respected by all of us. We take great care of his exceptionally rich spiritual legacy, and preserve his memory with respect and grace.
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The STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NAGYSZOMBAT IN THE LIGHT OF MORE CONTEMPORARY SOURCES
146-181Views:250. The University of Nagyszombat, established in 1635, is Hungary's first, continously operating university. It's successors are the Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest and the Pázmány Péter Catholic University. A significant part of the university's archival resources were destroyed in a fire at the Hungarian National Archives during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Therefore it is extremely difficult to compile a list of the students who studied at the first Hungarian university. Recently, in Esztergom, new, previously unknown sources emerged about the students of the university. In this article we summarise the findings that can be drawn from the new documents regarding the students that studied at the Faculty of Arts and Theology of the University. The article analyses the university's geographical area, the evolution of the number of students and the social stratification of the student population and nationality, the proportion of foreign and national students.
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COMMON MEMORIES ABOUT THE GREAT PROFESSOR-INDIVIDUALITIES OF AGRICULTURAL HIGHER EDUCATION OF DEBRECEN AND MAGYARÓVÁR.
229-243Views:297In the history of domestic vocational education in agriculture, the year 2018 has recorded itself onto the pages of history’s golden book with two significant anniversaries. Mosonmagyarovar celebrated the bicentenary of its birth and Debrecen celebrated its existence of a century and a half. These two higher education institutions were called to life by different reasons. While Ovar opened its gates to a private initiative, in Debrecen the local farmer society was the driving force with the binding precondition to which was connected tightly to have the mother tongue education accepted by the Viennese court. The time proved afterwards that the education in Hungarian language did not go to the detriment of expertise at none of the institutions. It must be acknowledged that in the field of vocational training, Magyarovar was the one which gave the first large faculty of teachers but soon Debrecen outgrew itself to the acropolis of vocational training too. The Ministry of Agriculture solved the incidental differences of standards by switching teachers. Owing to this, some professor-individualities had the chance to teach at both places. In our compilation – as a sample – we selected a few meaningful personalities with great authority who are claimed to have by both university faculties.
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JÁNOS BARTA PROFESSOR OF LITERATURE, RECTOR OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR 1957 OF LAJOS KOSSUTH UNIVERSITY
3-17Views:87Barta János was born in 1901 in a farming family. He completed his university studies in Budapest. During his time at Eötvös College his biggest inspiration was János Horváth the prominent literature scholar. In 1923 he graduated with a teacher degree in Hungarian and German, then between 1925-27 he was the student of Collegicum Hungaricum in Berlin. After his return to Hungary he started to publish books and studies on 19th century writers such as Imre Madách and József Katona. In 1950 he became professor at József Eötvös University, Budapest and from 1951 at the Lajos Kossuth University of Debrecen. In January of 1957 he was appointed rector of the Lajos Kossuth University. During his time as rector he focused on protecting the university's autonomy and the reestablishment of departments of western languages. After only six month in the rector position the Hungarian Government removed him from the role and appointed a new rector without any consultation with the University Senate.
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UNIVERSITY PUBLISHERS TODAY AND YESTERDAY
154-186Views:352The regime change brought about significant changes in the field of book publishing, particularly in the publishing of textbooks and lecture notes. However, even from the 1990s, it is still not easy to find readily available statistical data on the emerging university publishers, their activities, and operations. The work in this direction at domestic universities is far from uniform, both in terms of organization and economic structure, as well as the completed task groups. In this study, I present the environment influencing the currently operating university publishing workshops and publishers, and begin to take stock of them, while also providing a detailed introduction to the Debrecen University Press.
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History of the Reformed Law Academy of Kecskemét 1845-1949
143-146Views:223Book review of the monographe about the history of the Refermed Law Academy of Kecskemét
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JÁNOS BARTA'S REMINISCENCE OF COLLEGICUM HUNGARICUM OF BERLIN AND ITS FIRST DIRECTOR, RÓBERT GRAGGER
131-136Views:173Barta János's reminiscence of the Collegicum Hungaricum of Berlin and its first director, Róbert Gragger
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LAJOS SZODORAY PROFESSOR OF DERMATOLOGY AND DEAN OF THE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF DEBRECEN IN 1952-1953
3-24Views:279In the 1952-1953 academic year, Professor Lajos Szodoray managed the independent Medical University of Debrecen as a dean with rectoral powers, then in 1954-1955 he was the academic vice-dean of the University, while between 1961-1964 he was the academic deputy rector. In his young years, he purposefully prepared himself for the task that fate had indeed chosen for him to organize one of the country's leading Dermatology Department, and to develop the necessary conditions of the excellent clinical patient care based on broad theoretical foundations in the institute, as well as the high-level teaching and research work. Lajos Szodoray is the founding figure of the Hungarian dermatology, an internationally renowned scientist, a colourful, warm-hearted individual. He is credited with the first detection and communication of numerous dermatological diseases in Hungary, and had extraordinary merits in the field of textbook writing. Fate gifted Lajos Szodoray with a long creative life for the benefit of Hungarian medicine, matchless work ethic, dynamism, unrelenting diligence, and perseverance throughout his life. In addition to his several decades of activity as a department head and teacher, he completed his professional life by holding leading positions at the University.
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DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF DEBRECEN
146-179Views:86At the end of the 20th century, information technology initiated revolutionary changes. The first inter-university networks, established by American universities, rapidly transformed the internet into a global system, soon reaching Europe and countries behind the Iron Curtain. In Hungary, higher education institutions were the first to recognize the opportunities presented by this new technology, and in the early 1990s, they commenced the development of internationally competitive networks. At that time, Debrecen was home to several independent universities and colleges, which set the objective of creating a unified IT infrastructure. This development was facilitated by state funding and the lifting of the Eastern technology embargo, which enabled the adoption of advanced Western network devices and protocols. By the autumn of 1994, a city-wide optical fiber backbone network had been completed, providing high-speed data transmission between campuses using FDDI technology. The implemented system integrated 12 kilometers of optical cable, more than twenty connected buildings, and over one thousand computers, offering a bandwidth of 100 Mbit/s—ten times the capacity of contemporary Ethernet networks. Initially, the network provided essential services such as internet access, email, and shared printing, while also laying the groundwork for future integrated systems, including academic and administrative records. The city network, named UDNet, thus represented not only a significant technological innovation but also established a stable foundation for the long-term development of information technology at the University of Debrecen.
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PORTRAIT OF DEZSŐ SZABÓ, PROFESSOR OF HISTORY
38-53Views:205Dezső Szabó was professor of history at the University of Debrecen for 35 years from 1924 to 1959. He graduated from the University of Budapest with a degree in History and Latin. It was at the instigation of his patron, Henrik Marczali, that he began his research on the Hungarian assemblies of the pre-Mohács period. He also wrote his doctoral dissertation on this topic. Thanks to his excellent academic achievements, he graduated from the university with a royal gold ring of honour (sub auspiciis regis). He taught for many years in secondary schools and in 1912 became a privatdocent at the Budapest University of Science. In February 1924, Governor Miklós Horthy appointed him full professor of medieval and modern (universal) history at the University of Debrecen. At that time, his research was already focused on the Urbarium of Maria Theresa. In 1931 he was elected a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He published relatively little and concentrated his activities on secondary school teacher training. He was the dean of the Faculty of Humanities for four academic years. He made an invaluable contribution to the reorganisation of university education in 1944. Despite this, he was repeatedly persecuted under the new regime and was only able to retain his chair thanks to the intervention of his influential students. He retired at the age of 77. The second and third volumes of his work, A magyarországi úrbérrendezés története Mária Terézia korában, which is considered the major work of his life, are still awaiting publication.
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ISTVAN CSŰRY, EPOCH-MAKING DIRECTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY AND NATIONAL LIBRARY OF DEBRECEN (1921-1980)
106-132Views:557István Csűry was one of the most educated people in Hungarian library affairs, with an extensive professional experience, sensitivity towards problems, and also an initiating worker with an unprecedented receptivity to new endeavors. István Csűry’s first and only workplace was the University Library of Debrecen, where after about a decade of working as a librarian, served as director from 1956 until his death, and elevated the institution to a second national library. The study reflects on the library areas where István Csűry has achieved essentially new results.
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Trianon and the Hungarian Higher Education Tome I. Ed. Gábor Újváry
Views:313In the fall of 1918 there were 23 state universities in Hungary. After three month 10 among them were disannexed.
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THE SITUATION OF THE TEOLOGICAL FACULTY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BUDAPEST IN THE 18-20th CENTURY
Views:229In this study the authors aim is to present the discussions and changes in the history of the Catholic Theological Faculty between 1635 and 1950.
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DEBRECEN UNIVERSITY'S MAIN BUILDING CELEBRATES ITS 90th ANNIVERSARY
267-272Views:195Nevertheless professors and students had to wait for several years to finally occupy the main building of the Hungarian Royal University of Debrecen (founded in 1912), nevertheless it commenced operating in 1914. 90 years ago, following the construction and the inauguration ceremony, the 1932/33 academic year was the first to begin in the Main Building.
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GYULA PETRÁNYI PROFESSOR OF INTERNAL MEDICINE AND DEAN OF THE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF DEBRECEN IN 1953-1954
3-22Views:277In the academic year 1953/54, Professor Gyula Petrányi headed the Debrecen Medical University, which became independent in 1951, as Dean with the power of a rector, and then served as Vice-Rector of the Clinical Faculty of the University from 1971-74. He came to the University of Debrecen in 1950 at the young age of 38, when he was entrusted with the establishment and organization of the II. Department of Internal Medicine. Initially, the clinic was located in Bem Square within the Municipal Hospital, then moved to the clinical premises in July 1951. From 1967 to 1974 he was director of the I. Department of Internal Medicine. Until 1983, he was head of the Internal Medicine Clinic II at Semmelweis Medical University and, at the same time director of the National Institute of Internal Medicine. During his 24 years in Debrecen, he drew on his previous international experience to establish a new clinic that was up to date. He laid the foundations for an integrated approach to internal medicine and sub-disciplinary specialization. His repeatedly published textbooks on internal medicine have underpinned the knowledge and professional work of generations of medical doctors. He is credited with the establishment of the Immunology Laboratory, the Isotope Laboratory, the Intensive Care Unit of the Department of Internal Medicine, the Endoscopy Laboratory, the Dialysis Centre, and the foundation of the Central Clinical Chemistry Laboratory. In his scientific activity, he focused on immunology, which was a pioneering field at the time, and as an academician, he laid the clinical foundations for this field in Hungary. His university leadership was characterized by systemic and quality elevation of teaching, clinical and research activities. As dean and clinical deputy rector, he played a significant role in the Medical University of Debrecen serving as an example for other Hungarian medical universities.
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The PAPAL RECOGNITION OF THE THE FOUNDING OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NAGYSZOMBAT (TRNAVA) IN 1635
89-125Views:238It is a cornerstone of Hungarian historiography that the foundation of the University of Nagyszombat in 1635 was merely approved by the Emperor. Pope Urban VIII refused to confirm it because of the lack of a medical and legal faculty. The present study establishes that, from the side of the Apostolic See and thus also from the side of canon law, recognition was granted by prior authorization to the foundation of the University of Nagyszombat (Trnava) by Archbishop Peter Pázmány in 1635. It turns out that the failure to obtain immediate papal confirmation of the foundation of the university on 12 May 1635 was due to the objections of the leadership of the Jesuit order. It proves that the Roman Curia's failure to solemnly confirm the founding of the Pázmány was not in fact due to the two-faculty nature of the institution, but rather to its Jesuit character. The reasons for this can be found in the more effective lobbying of the medieval universities and the mendicant orders, and the gradual decline of the Society of Jesus. Despite the subsequent confirmation by the Holy See, and the failure to grant university privileges in the form of a bull, the foundation of the university in 1635 may have been carried out with papal approval because Pázmány received a - preliminary - authorisation to found a university from Orban VIII in May 1632, during his imperial embassy to Rome.
