20 December 2013 – The Philippine Embassy in Budapest, Hungary donated books on the Philippines to the Metropolitan Ervin Szabo Library as part of its activities on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Hungary on December 16. The books, which were provided by the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), the National Historical Institute (NHI), and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), feature Philippine history, culture, arts and literature.
Foremost among these books are the facsimiles of the original manuscript of the books Noli Me Tangere (1886) and El Filibusterismo (1891) written by Dr. Jose P. Rizal. El Filibusterismo’s translation into Hungarian by Eva was also included. There were also books for children that will be included in the collection of the Children’s Library.
Dr. Peter Fodor, the Director General, and Mr. Peter Dippold, Manager of the Central Library, welcomed the Philippine Ambassador to Hungary Eleanor L. Jaucian, Consul General Patricia V. Barrera, Vice-Consul Gilbert L. Segarra, Ms. Mia A. Gaspar and Ms. Brigitta Szilagyi to the Library. A simple hand-over ceremony of the books followed in the main library.
The Director General also gave a tour of the library, voted as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. Built by Count Frigyes Wenckheim (1842 – 1912), a well-known Hungarian aristocrat at the end of the 19th century, it was once a Neo-Baroque palace. This library also boasts of having the largest library network which houses Budapest’s biggest public collection of books with a capacity of 1,100,000 volumes.
It is hoped that these books will create greater awareness among Hungarians and enable them to gain some insights on the Philippines and the Filipino people. END
