The American Dream at the Hungarian National Museum

A new exhibition has opened at the Hungarian National Museum, entitled: Hungarians in the United States, 1776-2026. The temporary display is about Hungarians who tried their luck in the United States, or whose paths led them there over the course of the country's 250-year history. According to the description, the creators aimed to recount the history of Hungarians in America through numerous unique artifacts and personal mementos. “The exhibition opens with the legendary Ford Model T, which was developed thanks to the substantial contribution of Ford's Hungarian engineer József Galamb.

Also on display are mementos from overseas that used to belong to Albert Szent-Györgyi, Zsazsa Gábor, and Zita Szeleczky, and even the statesman, Lajos Kossuth (who once did a six-month-long diplomatic tour of the US)-each of them telling the story of the Hungarian presence in America through the lens of their personal journeys.”

At the official opening ceremony, Dr. Gábor Zsigmond, Director General of the Hungarian National Museum noted: “Starting with Colonel Mihály Kováts, who died a heroic death in the American War of Independence, through Lajos Kossuth’s journey to America, and all the way to the Hungarian refugees of 1956, the exhibition explores the question of what being free means and what it means to make sacrifices for that freedom.”

The exhibition will be open until 1 November.