National Széchényi Library (Budapest)

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The National Széchényi Library (Hungarian: Országos Széchényi Könyvtár) is the national library of Hungary. It was founded in 1802 by the highly patriotic Hungarian aristocrat, Count Ferenc Széchenyi. Széchényi traveled the world buying Hungarian books, which he assembled and donated to the nation. In the following year the public library was opened in Pest. Széchényi's example resulted in a nation-wide movement of book donations to the library.

In 1808 the National Assembly ("Diet") created the Hungarian National Museum to collect the historical, archaeological and natural relics of Hungary. The Museum was merged into the Library and for the last 200 years this is how it has existed, a national depository for written, printed and objective relics of the Hungarian past.

In 1846 the Hungarian National Museum moved into its new building and it wasn't until 1949 that the Library became its own separate entity again under the name National Széchényi Library. In 1985 the National Széchényi Library moved to its new home at the Buda Castle Palace.