Far West, East Asia, Budapest – János Xántus 200

We are celebrating a birthday: that of János Xántus, born 200 years ago on 5 October 1825. Alongside other national institutions (such as the Hungarian Natural History Museum and the Budapest Zoo), the history of the Museum of Ethnography is closely connected to his life and remains part of our identity today. His major research expedition to East Asia laid the foundation for the museum’s collections of objects and photographs and led to the creation of the Ethnography Department at the Hungarian National Museum, to which he was appointed as first museum custodian. In this role, he was also responsible for the first acquisitions in Hungary in 1873.

We are marking this milestone anniversary by presenting recent research on the American period of his life, alongside curator-led tours in the Age of Exhibitions section of the collecion exhibition, which showcases numerous objects collected by Xántus.

Please note: All programmes and activities will be conducted in Hungarian.

Please note that photos and videos may be taken during the event, and some live footage may be streamed. For details on how the Museum of Ethnography manages personal data, please see our Data Management Policy.