Tegularium / Brick Collection

The collection of stamped and sealed bricks in the basement of Dubniczay Palace shows the millennia-old history of the clay-based building material made in moulds, from the Roman period through the Middle Ages to the second half of the 20th century. The rich collection includes masonry bricks, moulded bricks and special roof and ridge tiles from the Carpathian Basin collection, with different markings. The exhibition presents the exciting and multifaceted story of brick making not only from an industrial history perspective, but also with a strong emphasis on the use of this simple and now commonplace building material through the ages and eras of human culture, art and civilisation. The reorganised exhibition now presents this extremely rich material in a new concept, including a number of new acquisitions.

The collection was established in 1977, first as part of the Transdanubian Construction History Collection, which after the systemic change continued to operate as a foundation under the name of Hungarian Construction Museum. Its founder was József Fodor, an agricultural engineer and teacher, who recognised the importance of the marks and markings on burnt bricks and roof tiles and managed the museum for many years. Gy. Klára Lovassy continued the work of the founder; it is from her that the Latin-sounding name Tegularium derives. The collection has found a permanent home in the basement of the Dubniczay Palace, which was renovated in 2006, and the House of Arts Veszprém is dedicated to carrying on the legacy of József Fodor.