Throughout its history, Pesti Vigado – and the building called Redoute, which formerly stood at the same place as Vigado is situated today – has functioned as a beloved venue for holdingsocial events. It is, after all, no wonder that the splendour of these magnificent buildings enraptured thousands of visitors and truly captivated their hearts.

For that very reason, capturing images of the events organised in this uniquely beautiful building became increasingly important for those participating in these events. This is quite understandable: how can a young lady forget where she attended her first ball, or how can a couple forget the place where they first met? In addition to the myriads of stories recounted to family members, friends and acquaintances, objects (even if they are less numerous in number than such personal narratives) also embody memories of unforgettable evenings spent in Pesti Vigado.

In the light of this, in our call issued in spring, we asked visitors to send us photos and images they associate with Pesti Vigado: we were curious to see what memories our visitors have of Pesti Vigado and its past. Apart from pictures, visitors also contributed with special objects to our exhibition. The majority of such objects are linked with balls organised in Pesti Vigado and this prompted us to showcase an exhibition portraying Pesti Vigado as a venue for balls. The personal stories behind the exhibits go to show that the most important goal of those having commissioned the construction of Redoute, which preceded Pesti Vigado at its current place, has come true: thanks to the magnificent building of Redoute originally located in the town of Pest, and then by virtue of Pesti Vigado, Hungary could finally boast of befitting venues for balls in a building that has been housing the most important and most exciting events ever since.

In an attempt to provide an even fuller picture of Pesti Vigado and its past, in addition to the objects received from visitors, this exhibition displays further objects evoking sweet memories. Visitors to this exhibition can see objects that were used during ball evenings in the 19 century, they can also gain insight into th what preparation preceded attending balls in the first decades of the 20 century, and they can also find out how the th participants of the Catholic Ball of 1935 dressed. Visitors can also read contemporary press articles about the Catholic Ball, can familiarise themselves with the qualities necessary for a good marriage and can learn about contemporary fashion trends for balls. Through posters printed towards the end of the 19 century, visitors can even find more detailed information th about the programmes of such balls.

Let us note here that Pesti Vigado's current staff finds it important to keep showcasing exhibitions that present the Pesti

Vigado's past. Showcased on the 6th  floor, the exhibits of the permanent exhibition entitled “Timeline of Pesti Vigado”, which presents the history of both Pesti Vigado's building and the former building called Redoute, originate from collections held by different institutions, while the exhibits of the temporary exhibition “Fragments from Pesti Vigado's Past” were offered for showcasing by Pesti Vigado's visitors. We believe that the two exhibitions fully complement each other and help our visitors in exploring Redoute's and Pesti Vigado's rich past. The temporary exhibition “Fragments from Pesti Vigadó's Past” was realised as a follow-up to Pesti Vigado's 6th floor based permanent exhibition entitled the “Timeline of Pesti Vigadó”.

The exhibition could be visited: 29.10.2018–06.01.2019.