Debreceni Református Kollégium Múzeuma

About the museum

The museum tradition of Debrecen is closely bound up with the teaching of the College, which has operated in a Protestant spirit since 1538, and with the travels abroad of its students. From the very beginning, the travelling students enriched the school’s book collection and teaching aids. In 1812 Sárvári Pál, a former teacher of Arany János, set up the first “physicai museum”, and in 1858 Kovács János opened the town’s first permanent museum exhibition in the building.

Between the two World Wars, Professor Csikesz Sándor proposed the establishment of a National Reformed Museum; this did not happen, but the first National Reformed Exhibition he initiated, held in 1934, was a great success, and its material passed into the College’s collection. The museum’s cause was revived only after 1964, and a permanent exhibition opened again in 1968.

The museum today operates on Kálvin tér, in the neoclassical main building behind the Nagytemplom (Great Church). The exhibition “Kálvinista Róma, Keresztyén Respublika, Magyar Genf” (Calvinist Rome, Christian Republic, Hungarian Geneva) shows why Debrecen became the centre of Hungarian Calvinism. Az ország iskolája (The School of the Nation), an exhibition on school history, supplemented by the Fazekas Mihály Memorial Room, was renewed in 1996 and in 2017. “Bölcsőtől a koporsóig” (From the Cradle to the Coffin) presents the borderlands of church art and folk art, with valuable communion vessels and embroideries; it includes the funeral shroud of Kölcsey Ferenc. On the second floor there are the Oratory, the frescoed staircase, the Csokonai Memorial Room and the Great Library.

Highlights

• “Kálvinista Róma, Keresztyén Respublika, Magyar Genf” exhibition
• Az ország iskolája (The School of the Nation) and the Fazekas Mihály Memorial Room
• “Bölcsőtől a koporsóig” (From the Cradle to the Coffin): church art with the funeral shroud of Kölcsey Ferenc
• National memorial site: Oratory, Csokonai Room and the Great Library

Permanent exhibitions

• Kálvinista Róma, Keresztyén Respublika, Magyar Genf – The exhibition shows why Debrecen became the most important centre of Hungarian Calvinism.
• Az ország iskolája – iskolatörténeti kiállítás – Presents the school history and public role of the College, founded in 1538, with the Fazekas Mihály Memorial Room.
• Bölcsőtől a koporsóig – egyházművészeti kiállítás – The church art of the Tiszántúl with communion vessels and embroideries from the 16th to 19th centuries, through the turning points of a person’s life in church ceremonies.

Founded

1745

Director

Gáborjáni Szabó Botond

Admission & discounts

Free admission: On the third Saturday of every month, families (up to 2 adults and 4 children) can visit the museum free of charge.

The prices include VAT and the tourist tax. Admission is free for holders of a teacher’s ID card and for Hungarians from Transcarpathia (Kárpátalja). SZÉP cards and vouchers are not accepted; payment is possible in cash or by bank card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Visitors with reduced mobility enter through the side entrance on Füvészkert utca after announcing their intention; the building is barrier-free and has a lift.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Family tickets are available, and families are admitted free on the third Saturday of every month.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the city centre, in the immediate vicinity of the Nagytemplom (Great Church).

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit