Exhibition in Szeged explores 250 years of kindergarten history
A new exhibition at the Black House, part of the Móra Ferenc Museum in Szeged, looks back on more than two centuries of early childhood education in Hungary. The kindergarten history exhibit combines nostalgia for adults with hands-on activities for children, showcasing toys, furniture and teaching tools from past decades.
Visitors can see objects familiar to generations of Hungarians — such as foldable nursery beds, small aluminum dishes and dolls once used in kindergartens — while children can sit at miniature tables and try out vintage toys and games. The display reflects 250 years of kindergarten culture inspired by Teréz Brunszvik, a 19th-century Hungarian educator who founded the country’s first kindergartens and promoted training for early childhood teachers.
Hungary’s first kindergarten was opened in 1828 in Buda, following Brunszvik’s model, and the first one in Szeged was established nearby on Nádor Street, not far from the current exhibition site.
The exhibition was organized from the private collection of Ibolya Szeri, head of the Szeged and Surroundings Regional Circle of the Hungarian Association of Kindergarten Teachers. Szeri proposed the idea to the Móra Ferenc Museum, which co-curated the exhibition with museum educator Anikó Glässerné Nagyillés.
According to Glässerné Nagyillés, while the materials and styles of toys have changed over the decades, their purpose has remained the same — to nurture imagination and cooperation. One section of the exhibition has been designed for children to play and interact directly with the exhibits.
The display was opened with a performance by local kindergarteners and remarks by Erzsébet Györgyi, president of the Kiss Áron Magyar Játék Társaság (Kiss Áron Hungarian Society for Play Culture), who noted how the world of childhood has increasingly become part of museum collections.
The exhibition will remain open through the summer of 2026 and will close during Hungary’s annual Night of Museums program.
Photos: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
