Magyar Posta is beginning the release of a new series of regular postage stamps which aims to present landmarks of Hungarian cultural history. Eötvös Loránd University is 375 years old Eötvös Loránd University is Hungary’s oldest, longest continuously operating and largest university. It was founded in 1635 by the Archbishop of Esztergom, Cardinal Péter Pázmány, in the town of Nagyszombat (today Trnava in Slovakia), and its management was entrusted to the Jesuits. At first Philosophy and Theology were taught, and the study of Law was introduced in 1667. The university was entitled to award academic degrees. Its Faculty of Medicine was founded in 1769. In 1777 it was moved from Nagyszombat, first to Buda and then to Pest in 1784. Until 1844 the language of instruction was Latin. After the Compromise of 1867, intensive development started: new educational and clinical buildings, the University Library, and the central building were constructed, the number of departments grew and the University became Hungary’s most important academic centre. In 1921 the name the Royal Hungarian Pázmány Péter University was adopted. After 1945 evening classes began. In 1949 the Faculty of Science became an independent entity from the Faculty of Humanities, and then in 1950 the Faculty of Roman Catholic Religious Studies separated. The Faculty of Medicine became a university in its own right in early 1951. The university adopted a new name in 1950, the Eötvös Loránd University. Source: http://www.elte.hu/egyetemrol The subject of the jubilee stamp is a detail of the tympanum of the building of the University’s Faculty of Humanities, and in the foreground the rector’s paedum, the sceptre symbolising the unity of the university, is shown. The first day cover features the coats of arms of the University and the jubilee logo, a portrait of Loránd Eötvös and, as background printing, the building of the Faculty of Humanities. The main motif of the special postmark is the number referring to the anniversary, familiar from the logo. Centenary of the Elisabeth look-out tower on János Hill The Elisabeth look-out tower, built between 1908-10, stands on Budapest’s highest point, on top of János Hill, offering a spectacular 360° panorama not only of the capital but also of the surrounding countryside and villages. When visibility is good, hilltops 77km away can be seen. The neo-Romanesque tower is 23.5 metres high and has a circular shape with terraces. A spiral staircase with 101 steps leads to the top. The tower was designed by Pál Kluzinger and Frigyes Schulek, and built partly from public subscription. It was ceremonially opened on 8 September 1910. The surrounding terrace was created in 1931. János Hill was already a popular destination for outings for people living in the capital in the 19th century. In 1882 Queen Elisabeth of Hungary visited the top of János Hill and the tower was named in honour of her. At first the tower served not only tourists rambling in the woods but also functioned as a meteorological station for a long time. The building, which deteriorated with the passage of time, was renovated between 2001 and 2005. Source: www.vendegvaro.hu, www.gyermekvasut.hu n the foreground of the stamp marking the centenary of the Elisabeth look-out tower on János Hill the building itself is shown, and in the background the surrounding area from the period it was built can be seen. On the first day cover there is a bust of Queen Elisabeth (Alajos Stróbl, 1908), whose name the tower bears, the commemorative plaque on the tower and the repeated background motif of the stamp. The special postmark is a stylised drawing of the tower.
