Now On: Far From Mount Ararat Exhibition, Budapest History Museum
- 26 Aug 2013 9:00 AM
The Armenians have been present in the Carpathian Basin since the Middle Ages, but some hypotheses claim that the Hungarians had already had contacts with them even before the Conquest of Hungary. Their more substantial immigration took place in the second half of the 17th century, and further waves came in the 20th. In the Early Modern era, they strengthened Hungary's economy as a mediator minority, while they integrated rather quickly into Hungarian society.
This came as nothing new to the Armenians, whose separate groups had already settled in different areas of Europe, Asia, and Africa, from the early medieval times onwards. Whether choosing an Orthodox, Catholic, or Protestant region in Eastern Central Europe, they would fit in with ease.
The Armenians' excellence in trade and craftsmanship was supplemented by a significant wealth of manuscript and print culture. The first Armenian book was printed by Hakob Meghapart in Venice, 1512/13.
This exhibition, occasioned by the 500th anniversary of Armenian book printing, commemorates this, among other things, as the Armenian towns in the Carpathian Basin have preserved precious book collections, which have so far remained unknown even to the scientific community. But it is not only books but also valuable artworks that reveal the Armenian riches and artistic merit. Most of the items exhibited here have never yet been on display at any international event of like scale.
Open: until 15 september 2013
Source: Budapest History Museum
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