Contact


Address
H-1088 Budapest, Szentkirályi St. 51

E-Mail:
info@hoal.hu

Phone:
+36 1 522 2050

 

 

 

Contact


Address
H-1088 Budapest, Szentkirályi St. 51

E-Mail:
info@hoal.hu

Phone:
+36 1 522 2050

 

 

 

ABOUT US

The Hungarian National Assembly decreed to preserve the memory of Otto von Habsburg by adopting Act XCIX of 2016. Subsequently, a government resolution was issued to establish a foundation bearing the name of the former heir to the throne and Member of the European Parliament. The heritage, comprising more than 100 linear metres of documents, 11,000 books and 30,000 photographs, arrived in Hungary in autumn 2018; the primary task of the Foundation is to process, digitise and make this material accessible. At the same time, it has a responsibility to cultivate the intellectual legacy of its namesake. Along with publications and events reflecting on the writings of Otto von Habsburg, the Foundation’s activities focus on international diplomacy, European integration, Christian Democratic politics and Central European cooperation. During his lifetime, the last heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire worked hard to build up his network of contacts, stood his ground in the vicissitudes of history with integrity and often played a part in shaping events. Following his working method, we seek to carry out our tasks in cooperation with an extensive range of partners, seeking opportunities for meetings and open dialogue. Over the past five years, we have developed the operational structure. Our colleagues explore each part of the collection with great expertise and an interest in the larger historical context, making it available to the wider public.

LAURA
BALÁZS

LILI
BARANYAI

SZILVESZTER
DÉKÁNY

GERGELY
FEJÉRDY

ESZTER
GAÁLNÉ BARCS

ANETT
HAMMER-NACSA

LILI
HERCZEG

ESZTER
KARDONNÉ FÁBRY

BENCE
KOCSEV

PIROSKA
KOCSIS

ZITA
LŐRINCZ

ÁGNES
MARTONOSI

FERENC
NAGY

ZOLTÁN
ÓLMOSI

ÁGNES
PÁSZTOR

GERGELY
PRŐHLE

ISTVÁN GERGELY
SZŰTS

FERENC
VASBÁNYAI

BEÁTA
VITOS-MERZA

COLLEAGUES

Laura Balázs

Communication and events

Laura Balázs graduated from Babits Mihály High School in Budapest. Afterwards, she graduated from Eötvös Loránd University with a Bachelor's degree in communication and a Master's degree in filmmaking. She studied film, television and media studies in Madrid on an Erasmus scholarship. Her practical experience includes working in television, for an event management foundation and on film shoots. She also gained a diploma as a graphic designer; she has an interest in visual culture and design. At the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, she is responsible for Hungarian and English communication, organising events, managing press relations and the Foundation's online presence.

balazs.laura@hoal.hu

Lili Baranyai

Office manager

Lili Baranyai Office Manager of Otto von Habsburg Foundation. She received an Agricultural Engineering Degree specialised in horticulture from the Gyöngyös Faculty of Szent István University (1996). Following a year of gaining experience and language learning in Germany, she started to work for Stollwerck Édesipari Kft (Stollwerck Confectionary Ltd) (1997-1999) in Hungary as export operator and promoted the company at international professional exhibitions. Afterwards, she continued her career at Concorde Értékpapír Zrt. (Concorde Securities Private Limited Company). Her duties included settlement of shares and investment funds, negotiation of distribution contracts, preparation of monthly and quarterly reports, and supporting the development of IT systems. 15 years later she worked for Accorde Alapkezelő Zrt (Accorde Asset Management Private Limited Company) (2016-2019) approaching capital markets from a different angle. From here she arrived at the Otto von Habsburg Foundation.

baranyai.lili@hoal.hu

Szilveszter Dékány

Senior Collection Fellow

Szilveszter Dékány completed his primary and secondary studies in Eger, and pursued university studies at Eszterházy Károly College and Eötvös Loránd University with a history major. Between 2002 and 2016 he worked for the Hungarian National Archives, later called National Archives of Hungary, first at the Research Service, and later on at the Public Education Department as assistant archivist, archivist, and finally as head archivist. Between 2016 and 2019 he was the Communication and PR Team Lead of FŐKERT Nonprofit Zrt (Metropolitan Horticultural Closely-held Nonprofit Company Limited by Shares), and in 2018 earned an EMBA in digital marketing at Budapest Metropolitan University. His research area is visual propaganda and media history in the 20th century. At Otto von Habsburg Foundation he is responsible for the photo collection and the online platforms. He is married, with three children.

dekany.szilveszter@hoal.hu

Gergely Fejérdy

Deputy Scientific Director

Gergely Fejérdy (PhD), diplomatic historian, university teacher, foreign affairs analyst, former diplomat, research assistant at Otto von Habsburg Foundation. He completed his secondary education in Budapest, and pursued university studies in Budapest, Piliscsaba, Paris, Lyon, Leuven, and Fribourg in Switzerland, on the subjects of history, French language, international relations, European studies and theology. He received a degree in 2001 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Pázmány Péter Catholic University. In 2002, he gained a degree in European communication in Lyon, and he was awarded a PhD summa cum laude, in the history of modern international relations at Paris-Sorbonne University in 2009. He started his career at PPKE Institute of History and at the International Relations Department of Corvinus University of Budapest as assistant professor and lecturer. From 2010 he worked as senior associate of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (later called Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade), as a France and European Union expert. Between 2013 and 2016, he was lecturer of the Council of PPKE BTK School of History. Between 2015 and 2019 he worked as diplomat at the Embassy of Hungary in Paris. He is a member of several Hungarian and European professional research groups, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ (MTA’s) public body, and recipient of several French and Hungarian science awards. His publications are available in the Hungarian National Scientific Bibliography (MTMT) database. He is married, with three children.

fejerdy.gergely@hoal.hu

 

 

Eszter Gaálné Barcs

Senior Archivist

Eszter Gaálné Barcs graduated from the Szent Margit Secondary School in Budapest. Between 1988 and 1999, she worked as an assistant in the Map Department of the Institute and Museum of Military History. She earned her degrees in history and archival studies in 2004 at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University. From 2004 to 2021, she worked at the Pest County Archives of the Hungarian National Archives. She participated in the collecting, public education and archiving tasks and was the local project manager of the “Hetedíziglen” family history programme. From 2009 onwards, she worked as a lecturer at the Department of Auxiliary Sciences of History at Eötvös Loránd University. Within the framework of her research, she published mainly studies on church and legal history. Her publications are available in the MTMT database. As a member of the Foundation’s staff, she is involved in the organisation of the collection. She speaks German and French. She is married and the mother of two children.

barcs.eszter@hoal.hu

 

 

Anett Hammer-Nacsa

Archivist

Anett Hammer-Nacsa graduated from the English bilingual class of the Eötvös József High School in Tata. She pursued her university studies at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, majoring in history (with a specialization in the history and practice of cultural heritage) and graduated with a Master's degree in 2019. She also studied at the University of Salzburg on an Erasmus scholarship and did her internship at the Hungarian National Museum. Between 2015 and 2019, she worked at the Royal Palace of Gödöllő, where she presented the history of the castle and its inhabitants to Hungarian, German and English-speaking guests. After finishing her studies, she worked for a year at the Excavation Project Office of the Budapest History Museum. At the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, she is responsible for the organisation and maintenance of the archival holdings.

nacsa.anett@hoal.hu

 

 

Lili Herczeg

Event Coordinator

Lili Herczeg graduated from the Kölcsey Ferenc High School, then received her Bachelor's Degree in Hungarian Studies at ELTE, majoring in creative writing. During her university years, she worked as a producer for a commercial film production company, and after finishing her studies, she gained experience as a freelance production manager in various media genres: she worked on commercials, educational and campaign videos, international campaigns, and also had the opportunity to try her hand at television production. Since July 2022, she has been working as an events coordinator for our Foundation, drawing on her many years of experience in the field of organisation.

herczeg.lili@hoal.hu

ESZTER KARDONNÉ FÁBRY

Archivist

Eszter Kardonné Fábry completed her secondary education in Budapest, then studied art history, Hungarian language and literature at Eötvös Loránd University, where she obtained a degree in Humanities in 1987. After one year of additional pedagogical training, she also earned a teacher’s degree for secondary education. In her final year, in parallel with her university studies, she worked as a research assistant in the Old Master Paintings Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts. After graduating, she became a librarian at the National Széchényi Library. From the spring of 1988, she worked in the Old Master Paintings Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts as a museologist and then as a senior museologist. She has worked as a curator of early German and Dutch painting and has helped to plan and organize several exhibitions, including projects with foreign collections. She also gained international experience by coordinating the international and national loans of holdings from the collection, while also being responsible for the professional preparation and organisation of the restoration of the paintings. She was author of catalogue items for several exhibitions and performed editorial and proofreading activities. Due to her husband’s diplomatic service, she spent four years in Germany with her family. She is married, mother of three children, and grandmother. As the archivist of the Foundation, she is responsible for taking care of Otto von Habsburg’s writings and articles in foreign languages and for building the database from these sources.

fabry.eszter@hoal.hu

 

 

Bence Kocsev

Collection Fellow

Bence Kocsev attended the Grammar School of the Reformed College of Pápa and then studied history and sociology at Eötvös Loránd University, where he obtained his master’s degree in history in 2015. Simultaneously with his university studies, he was a member of the St. Ignatius Jesuit College of Advanced Studies. In 2016, he began his doctoral studies in Budapest and Leipzig. From 2016 to 2020, he worked as a research fellow at the Collaborative Research Centre 1199 at Leipzig University and at the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO). Within the framework of his research, he focused mainly on the economic and social history of the Cold War. Upon return, he worked at the Antall József Knowledge Centre as head of the Győr Office until the end of 2021. As a collection fellow of the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, he is responsible for the organisation and maintenance of the archival holdings as well as for the planning of events. He speaks English, German and Dutch.

kocsev.bence@hoal.hu

Piroska Kocsis

Collection Fellow

Piroska Kocsis graduated in Kaposvár. She earned a primary school teacher’s qualification at Zsámbék Catholic Teacher Training College, a secondary school education degree at Eötvös Loránd University Teacher Training College, and a degree in History for secondary education at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Debrecen. From 1978 she worked for the Hungarian National Archives (National Archives of Hungary) as head archivist and principal administrator. In the Archive she worked at the Department of pre-1945 Political Government Agencies, later at the Department of post-1945 Political Government Agencies, and at the Document Management Supervisory Department. He worked as assistant archivist and case assistant, in addition she organised and provided archivist and record manager training courses. She has published several studies and sources on 20th century Hungarian history and archival issues. Besides her public education activity, she participated in the organisation of exhibitions, publishing and editing catalogues; one of these was the exhibition on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Otto von Habsburg located in the National Archives of Hungary, related to the scientific conference of autumn 2012 that she organised with Zoltán Ólmosi. She is a member of the Association of Hungarian Archivists. In 1986 she received minister's praise, and in 2014 she won the Pro Archivo Regni award. At the Foundation she is responsible for building databases and organising the archives as part of an assignment contract. She is a mother of two children.

kocsis.piroska@hoal.hu

Zita Lőrincz

Collection Fellow

Zita Lőrincz graduated from the Piarist High School in Kecskemét. She obtained her bachelor's degree in History at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Pázmány Péter Catholic University. She completed her internship at the National Archives of Hungary. At the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, she is contributing to the organisation of the photo collection, the compilation of an archival catalogue and the preparation for digitisation as part of an assignment contract.

lorincz.zita@hoal.hu

Ágnes Martonosi

Financial Officer

Ágnes Martonosi is the economic operator of Otto von Habsburg Foundation. She completed her secondary education in Budapest, and she earned a CPA qualification and a degree in economics at the Faculty of Finance and Accountancy of the College of Finance and Accountancy. During her career she worked as chief financial officer for Fantázia Rt (Fantasy public limited company), and Meteor Rt (Meteor public limited company), and for GRIFF Kft (GRIFF Ltd) as executive director. Between 2003 and 2018 she worked in the public administration; she was the head of department and the economic leader of the Office for Hungarians beyond the Borders, and later she became the deputy head of the Financial and Salary Management Department at the Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of Hungary, and its successor the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, and the Economic Department of the Ministry of Human Capacities. She is a mother of two children.

martonosi.agnes@hoal.hu

 

 

Ferenc Nagy

Office Assistant

Ferenc Nagy studied in Budapest in the field of engineering. During his career he worked for companies specialized in information technology and transportation, and for 18 years he was an operational employee of the Federal Express Corporation delivery service. At the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, he is responsible for the day-to-day running of the office, as well as for mobilisation. He also contributes to the digitisation of the collection. He is married and the father of two children.

nagy.ferenc@hoal.hu

Zoltán Ólmosi

Collection Fellow

Zoltán Ólmosi graduated in Budapest, and received a degree in history, German studies and political science at Eötvös Loránd University. Subsequently, he worked as a high school teacher, next he was a research assistant in the Institute of Political History until 1995. He defended his thesis on the history of Petőfi Circle for a PhD in Humanities in 1991. After managing a family business, he taught in elementary school, and from 2003 he worked for the Hungarian National Archives (National Archives of Hungary) as archivist, head archivist and principal administrator. He worked at the Archives Safekeeping Department, in the organisational field as head of department, and as public education leader. He carried out editorial tasks for several historical and archival journals, he was the Editor in Chief of ArchívNet electronic resource journal until 2016. From 2012 to 2016 Vice President of the Association of Hungarian Archivists, currently member of the Board of Governors. He published several studies and source volumes, mainly in the field of post-1945 history. He organised archive exhibitions, he is author and editor of catalogues. On the occasion of the 100th birthday of Otto von Habsburg, related to the scientific conference of autumn 2012, the exhibition organised jointly with Piroska Kocsis was opened in the National Archives of Hungary. Zoltán Ólmosi and Piroska Kocsis prepared together the exhibition catalogue as well. At the Foundation he is responsible for building databases and organising the archives as part of an assignment contract. He is a father of two children.

olmosi.zoltan@hoal.hu

 

 

Ágnes Pásztor

Chief Financial Officer

Ágnes Pásztor is the finance manager of Otto von Habsburg Foundation. She completed her secondary education in Hatvan, and she earned a degree in administration management at the Faculty of Public Administration of Corvinus University of Budapest. In the course of her career she worked for the National Association of Hungarian Journalists, for the Hungarian General Directorate of Water Management, and for the Ministry of Environment and Water; subsequently, she worked for the Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of Hungary, and its successor the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, and she became deputy head of the Economic Department of the Ministry of Human Capacities. She is a mother of two children.

pasztor.agnes@hoal.hu

 

 

Gergely Prőhle

Director

Gergely Prőhle former ambassador, Director of Otto von Habsburg Foundation. He completed his secondary education in Budapest, and pursued university studies in Budapest, Jena, and Hamburg in German studies, Hungaristics and international relations; he received a degree in 1989 at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). During his career he worked for the ELTE Lectorate of Foreign Languages, led Friedrich Naumann Stiftung’s representation in Hungary, and became permanent undersecretary in charge of culture in 1998. From 2000 to 2005 he was Hungary’s ambassador to Berlin and later to Bern. Subsequently, he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in various positions, which he interrupted for four years: he worked for an international consultancy firm in the business sector. He was responsible for EU Bilateral Relations as Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, later Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Human Capacities, but his portfolio also included the V4 cooperation and the Central European Initiative. Prior to his current mandate he was the director-general of Petőfi Literary Museum in Budapest. From 2006 he has been Lay President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary, recipient of distinguished Hungarian, German, Italian and Polish state honours. He regularly publishes in journals and periodicals. He is a father of four children.

prohle.gergely@hoal.hu

 

István Gergely Szűts

Senior Archivist

István Gergely Szűts (PhD) graduated from high school in Miskolc and obtained his diploma in history from the University of Miskolc. From 2008 to 2020, he worked at the Veszprém County Archives of the Hungarian National Archives, where he dealt with collection, archival and public relations tasks. As part of these activities, he organised the records of the “Új Horizont” journal and the Herend Porcelain Manufactory. He also dealt with the scientific processing of these documents, resulting in his doctoral dissertation entitled “The History of the Herend Porcelain Manufactory in the First Half of the 20th Century”, which he defended with summa cum laude at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University. In addition to his archival work and as an active member of several research groups of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he conducts research both in Hungary and abroad (mainly in Austria and Germany). His research focuses on the economic and social history of the 20th century. He is married and the father of three children.

szuts.gergely@hoal.hu

 

Ferenc Vasbányai

Librarian

Ferenc Vasbányai completed his secondary education in Budapest. He earned a degree in library science, history, and Hungarian grammar and literature at Eötvös Loránd University. He led the European Documentation Centre at the Department of International Private Law of ELTE Faculty of Law for three years (1999-2002). Between 2002 and 2006 he taught Modern World History and 20th-century Hungarian History at ELTE Teacher Training College. As employee of National Széchényi Library, he carried out the analytical exploration of partial documents published in the field of humanities (2007-2019). He is responsible for the maintenance of Otto von Habsburg Foundation’s library stock. He is married, with two children.

vasbanyai.ferenc@hoal.hu

 

Beáta Vitos-Merza

Archivist

Beáta Vitos-Merza graduated from the Móricz Zsigmond Grammar School in Szentendre. She began her university studies at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, majoring in history (with a specialization on ancient history). In 2020, she obtained a Master’s degree in historical museology at Eötvös Loránd University. She completed her internship at the Géza Kresz Rescue Museum and the Semmelweis Museum of Medical History of the Hungarian National Museum, where she was involved in organising events and exhibitions as well as in collection tasks. At the latter museum, she worked as a volunteer for two years. She works as an archivist at the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, where she is responsible for organising and maintaining documents.

merza.beata@hoal.hu

 

COLLEAGUES

LAURA
BALÁZS

Communication and events

Laura Balázs graduated from Babits Mihály High School in Budapest. Afterwards, she graduated from Eötvös Loránd University with a Bachelor's degree in communication and a Master's degree in filmmaking. She studied film, television and media studies in Madrid on an Erasmus scholarship. Her practical experience includes working in television, for an event management foundation and on film shoots. She also gained a diploma as a graphic designer; she has an interest in visual culture and design. At the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, she is responsible for Hungarian and English communication, organising events, managing press relations and the Foundation's online presence.

balazs.laura@hoal.hu

LILI
BARANYAI

Office manager

Lili Baranyai Office Manager of Otto von Habsburg Foundation. She received an Agricultural Engineering Degree specialised in horticulture from the Gyöngyös Faculty of Szent István University (1996). Following a year of gaining experience and language learning in Germany, she started to work for Stollwerck Édesipari Kft (Stollwerck Confectionary Ltd) (1997-1999) in Hungary as export operator and promoted the company at international professional exhibitions. Afterwards, she continued her career at Concorde Értékpapír Zrt. (Concorde Securities Private Limited Company). Her duties included settlement of shares and investment funds, negotiation of distribution contracts, preparation of monthly and quarterly reports, and supporting the development of IT systems. 15 years later she worked for Accorde Alapkezelő Zrt (Accorde Asset Management Private Limited Company) (2016-2019) approaching capital markets from a different angle. From here she arrived at the Otto von Habsburg Foundation.

baranyai.lili@hoal.hu

SZILVESZTER
DÉKÁNY

Senior Collection Fellow

Szilveszter Dékány completed his primary and secondary studies in Eger, and pursued university studies at Eszterházy Károly College and Eötvös Loránd University with a history major. Between 2002 and 2016 he worked for the Hungarian National Archives, later called National Archives of Hungary, first at the Research Service, and later on at the Public Education Department as assistant archivist, archivist, and finally as head archivist. Between 2016 and 2019 he was the Communication and PR Team Lead of FŐKERT Nonprofit Zrt (Metropolitan Horticultural Closely-held Nonprofit Company Limited by Shares), and in 2018 earned an EMBA in digital marketing at Budapest Metropolitan University. His research area is visual propaganda and media history in the 20th century. At Otto von Habsburg Foundation he is responsible for the photo collection and the online platforms. He is married, with three children.

dekany.szilveszter@hoal.hu

GERGELY
FEJÉRDY

Deputy Scientific Director

Gergely Fejérdy (PhD), diplomatic historian, university teacher, foreign affairs analyst, former diplomat, research assistant at Otto von Habsburg Foundation. He completed his secondary education in Budapest, and pursued university studies in Budapest, Piliscsaba, Paris, Lyon, Leuven, and Fribourg in Switzerland, on the subjects of history, French language, international relations, European studies and theology. He received a degree in 2001 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Pázmány Péter Catholic University. In 2002, he gained a degree in European communication in Lyon, and he was awarded a PhD summa cum laude, in the history of modern international relations at Paris-Sorbonne University in 2009. He started his career at PPKE Institute of History and at the International Relations Department of Corvinus University of Budapest as assistant professor and lecturer. From 2010 he worked as senior associate of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (later called Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade), as a France and European Union expert. Between 2013 and 2016, he was lecturer of the Council of PPKE BTK School of History. Between 2015 and 2019 he worked as diplomat at the Embassy of Hungary in Paris. He is a member of several Hungarian and European professional research groups, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ (MTA’s) public body, and recipient of several French and Hungarian science awards. His publications are available in the Hungarian National Scientific Bibliography (MTMT) database. He is married, with three children.

fejerdy.gergely@hoal.hu

 

 

ESZTER
GAÁLNÉ BARCS

Senior Archivist

Eszter Gaálné Barcs graduated from the Szent Margit Secondary School in Budapest. Between 1988 and 1999, she worked as an assistant in the Map Department of the Institute and Museum of Military History. She earned her degrees in history and archival studies in 2004 at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University. From 2004 to 2021, she worked at the Pest County Archives of the Hungarian National Archives. She participated in the collecting, public education and archiving tasks and was the local project manager of the “Hetedíziglen” family history programme. From 2009 onwards, she worked as a lecturer at the Department of Auxiliary Sciences of History at Eötvös Loránd University. Within the framework of her research, she published mainly studies on church and legal history. Her publications are available in the MTMT database. As a member of the Foundation’s staff, she is involved in the organisation of the collection. She speaks German and French. She is married and the mother of two children.

barcs.eszter@hoal.hu

 

 

ANETT
HAMMER-NACSA

Archivist

Anett Hammer-Nacsa graduated from the English bilingual class of the Eötvös József High School in Tata. She pursued her university studies at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, majoring in history (with a specialization in the history and practice of cultural heritage) and graduated with a Master's degree in 2019. She also studied at the University of Salzburg on an Erasmus scholarship and did her internship at the Hungarian National Museum. Between 2015 and 2019, she worked at the Royal Palace of Gödöllő, where she presented the history of the castle and its inhabitants to Hungarian, German and English-speaking guests. After finishing her studies, she worked for a year at the Excavation Project Office of the Budapest History Museum. At the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, she is responsible for the organisation and maintenance of the archival holdings.

nacsa.anett@hoal.hu

 

 

LILI
HERCZEG

Event Coordinator

Lili Herczeg graduated from the Kölcsey Ferenc High School, then received her Bachelor's Degree in Hungarian Studies at ELTE, majoring in creative writing. During her university years, she worked as a producer for a commercial film production company, and after finishing her studies, she gained experience as a freelance production manager in various media genres: she worked on commercials, educational and campaign videos, international campaigns, and also had the opportunity to try her hand at television production. Since July 2022, she has been working as an events coordinator for our Foundation, drawing on her many years of experience in the field of organisation.

herczeg.lili@hoal.hu

ESZTER
KARDONNÉ FÁBRY

Archivist

Eszter Kardonné Fábry completed his secondary education in Budapest, then studied art history, Hungarian language and literature at Eötvös Loránd University, where she obtained a degree in Humanities in 1987. After one year of additional pedagogical training, she also earned a teacher’s degree for secondary education. In her final year, in parallel with her university studies, she worked as a research assistant in the Old Master Paintings Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts. After graduating, she became a librarian at the National Széchényi Library. From the spring of 1988, she worked in the Old Master Paintings Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts as a museologist and then as a senior museologist. She has worked as a curator of early German and Dutch painting and has helped to plan and organize several exhibitions, including projects with foreign collections. She also gained international experience by coordinating the international and national loans of holdings from the collection, while also being responsible for the professional preparation and organisation of the restoration of the paintings. She was author of catalogue items for several exhibitions and performed editorial and proofreading activities. Due to her husband’s diplomatic service, she spent four years in Germany with her family. She is married, mother of three children, and grandmother. As the archivist of the Foundation, she is responsible for taking care of Otto von Habsburg’s writings and articles in foreign languages and for building the database from these sources.

fabry.eszter@hoal.hu

BENCE
KOCSEV

Collection Fellow

Bence Kocsev attended the Grammar School of the Reformed College of Pápa and then studied history and sociology at Eötvös Loránd University, where he obtained his master’s degree in history in 2015. Simultaneously with his university studies, he was a member of the St. Ignatius Jesuit College of Advanced Studies. In 2016, he began his doctoral studies in Budapest and Leipzig. From 2016 to 2020, he worked as a research fellow at the Collaborative Research Centre 1199 at Leipzig University and at the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO). Within the framework of his research, he focused mainly on the economic and social history of the Cold War. Upon return, he worked at the Antall József Knowledge Centre as head of the Győr Office until the end of 2021. As a collection fellow of the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, he is responsible for the organisation and maintenance of the archival holdings as well as for the planning of events. He speaks English, German and Dutch.

kocsev.bence@hoal.hu

PIROSKA
KOCSIS

Collection Fellow

Piroska Kocsis graduated in Kaposvár. She earned a primary school teacher’s qualification at Zsámbék Catholic Teacher Training College, a secondary school education degree at Eötvös Loránd University Teacher Training College, and a degree in History for secondary education at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Debrecen. From 1978 she worked for the Hungarian National Archives (National Archives of Hungary) as head archivist and principal administrator. In the Archive she worked at the Department of pre-1945 Political Government Agencies, later at the Department of post-1945 Political Government Agencies, and at the Document Management Supervisory Department. He worked as assistant archivist and case assistant, in addition she organised and provided archivist and record manager training courses. She has published several studies and sources on 20th century Hungarian history and archival issues. Besides her public education activity, she participated in the organisation of exhibitions, publishing and editing catalogues; one of these was the exhibition on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Otto von Habsburg located in the National Archives of Hungary, related to the scientific conference of autumn 2012 that she organised with Zoltán Ólmosi. She is a member of the Association of Hungarian Archivists. In 1986 she received minister's praise, and in 2014 she won the Pro Archivo Regni award. At the Foundation she is responsible for building databases and organising the archives as part of an assignment contract. She is a mother of two children.

kocsis.piroska@hoal.hu

ZITA
LŐRINCZ

Collection Fellow

Zita Lőrincz graduated from the Piarist High School in Kecskemét. She obtained her bachelor's degree in History at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Pázmány Péter Catholic University. She completed her internship at the National Archives of Hungary. At the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, she is contributing to the organisation of the photo collection, the compilation of an archival catalogue and the preparation for digitisation as part of an assignment contract.

lorincz.zita@hoal.hu

ÁGNES
MARTONOSI

Financial Officer

Ágnes Martonosi is the economic operator of Otto von Habsburg Foundation. She completed her secondary education in Budapest, and she earned a CPA qualification and a degree in economics at the Faculty of Finance and Accountancy of the College of Finance and Accountancy. During her career she worked as chief financial officer for Fantázia Rt (Fantasy public limited company), and Meteor Rt (Meteor public limited company), and for GRIFF Kft (GRIFF Ltd) as executive director. Between 2003 and 2018 she worked in the public administration; she was the head of department and the economic leader of the Office for Hungarians beyond the Borders, and later she became the deputy head of the Financial and Salary Management Department at the Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of Hungary, and its successor the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, and the Economic Department of the Ministry of Human Capacities. She is a mother of two children.

martonosi.agnes@hoal.hu

 

 

FERENC
NAGY

Office Assistant

Ferenc Nagy studied in Budapest in the field of engineering. During his career he worked for companies specialized in information technology and transportation, and for 18 years he was an operational employee of the Federal Express Corporation delivery service. At the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, he is responsible for the day-to-day running of the office, as well as for mobilisation. He also contributes to the digitisation of the collection. He is married and the father of two children.

nagy.ferenc@hoal.hu

 

 

ZOLTÁN
ÓLMOSI

Collection Fellow

Zoltán Ólmosi graduated in Budapest, and received a degree in history, German studies and political science at Eötvös Loránd University. Subsequently, he worked as a high school teacher, next he was a research assistant in the Institute of Political History until 1995. He defended his thesis on the history of Petőfi Circle for a PhD in Humanities in 1991. After managing a family business, he taught in elementary school, and from 2003 he worked for the Hungarian National Archives (National Archives of Hungary) as archivist, head archivist and principal administrator. He worked at the Archives Safekeeping Department, in the organisational field as head of department, and as public education leader. He carried out editorial tasks for several historical and archival journals, he was the Editor in Chief of ArchívNet electronic resource journal until 2016. From 2012 to 2016 Vice President of the Association of Hungarian Archivists, currently member of the Board of Governors. He published several studies and source volumes, mainly in the field of post-1945 history. He organised archive exhibitions, he is author and editor of catalogues. On the occasion of the 100th birthday of Otto von Habsburg, related to the scientific conference of autumn 2012, the exhibition organised jointly with Piroska Kocsis was opened in the National Archives of Hungary. Zoltán Ólmosi and Piroska Kocsis prepared together the exhibition catalogue as well. At the Foundation he is responsible for building databases and organising the archives as part of an assignment contract. He is a father of two children.

olmosi.zoltan@hoal.hu

 

 

ÁGNES
PÁSZTOR

Chief Financial Officer

Ágnes Pásztor is the finance manager of Otto von Habsburg Foundation. She completed her secondary education in Hatvan, and she earned a degree in administration management at the Faculty of Public Administration of Corvinus University of Budapest. In the course of her career she worked for the National Association of Hungarian Journalists, for the Hungarian General Directorate of Water Management, and for the Ministry of Environment and Water; subsequently, she worked for the Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities of Hungary, and its successor the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, and she became deputy head of the Economic Department of the Ministry of Human Capacities. She is a mother of two children.

pasztor.agnes@hoal.hu

 

 

GERGELY
PRŐHLE

Director

Gergely Prőhle former ambassador, Director of Otto von Habsburg Foundation. He completed his secondary education in Budapest, and pursued university studies in Budapest, Jena, and Hamburg in German studies, Hungaristics and international relations; he received a degree in 1989 at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). During his career he worked for the ELTE Lectorate of Foreign Languages, led Friedrich Naumann Stiftung’s representation in Hungary, and became permanent undersecretary in charge of culture in 1998. From 2000 to 2005 he was Hungary’s ambassador to Berlin and later to Bern. Subsequently, he worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in various positions, which he interrupted for four years: he worked for an international consultancy firm in the business sector. He was responsible for EU Bilateral Relations as Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, later Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Human Capacities, but his portfolio also included the V4 cooperation and the Central European Initiative. Prior to his current mandate he was the director-general of Petőfi Literary Museum in Budapest. From 2006 he has been Lay President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary, recipient of distinguished Hungarian, German, Italian and Polish state honours. He regularly publishes in journals and periodicals. He is a father of four children.

prohle.gergely@hoal.hu

 

ISTVÁN GERGELY
SZŰTS

Senior Archivist

István Gergely Szűts (PhD) graduated from high school in Miskolc and obtained his diploma in history from the University of Miskolc. From 2008 to 2020, he worked at the Veszprém County Archives of the Hungarian National Archives, where he dealt with collection, archival and public relations tasks. As part of these activities, he organised the records of the “Új Horizont” journal and the Herend Porcelain Manufactory. He also dealt with the scientific processing of these documents, resulting in his doctoral dissertation entitled “The History of the Herend Porcelain Manufactory in the First Half of the 20th Century”, which he defended with summa cum laude at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University. In addition to his archival work and as an active member of several research groups of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he conducts research both in Hungary and abroad (mainly in Austria and Germany). His research focuses on the economic and social history of the 20th century. He is married and the father of three children.

szuts.gergely@hoal.hu

 

FERENC
VASBÁNYAI

Librarian

Ferenc Vasbányai completed his secondary education in Budapest. He earned a degree in library science, history, and Hungarian grammar and literature at Eötvös Loránd University. He led the European Documentation Centre at the Department of International Private Law of ELTE Faculty of Law for three years (1999-2002). Between 2002 and 2006 he taught Modern World History and 20th-century Hungarian History at ELTE Teacher Training College. As employee of National Széchényi Library, he carried out the analytical exploration of partial documents published in the field of humanities (2007-2019). He is responsible for the maintenance of Otto von Habsburg Foundation’s library stock. He is married, with two children.

vasbanyai.ferenc@hoal.hu

 

BEÁTA
VITOS-MERZA

Archivist

Beáta Vitos-Merza graduated from the Móricz Zsigmond Grammar School in Szentendre. She began her university studies at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University, majoring in history (with a specialization on ancient history). In 2020, she obtained a Master’s degree in historical museology at Eötvös Loránd University. She completed her internship at the Géza Kresz Rescue Museum and the Semmelweis Museum of Medical History of the Hungarian National Museum, where she was involved in organising events and exhibitions as well as in collection tasks. At the latter museum, she worked as a volunteer for two years. She works as an archivist at the Otto von Habsburg Foundation, where she is responsible for organising and maintaining documents.

merza.beata@hoal.hu