Only a month and a half are left of the centenary year of the Central Bank of Hungary, but the six-month financial game that was launched for the anniversary is already over. Do you know the answers to the most exciting questions?

The MNB 100 national quiz competition is over. Almost 4000 secondary school and university students had the chance to test their knowledge in the online competition. The questions of the quiz, which lasted for half a year, were mainly related to the 100-year history of the central bank, with economic and financial questions. To prepare for the questions, all competitors could visit the temporary exhibition about the central bank at the Money Museum, which is going to be open to the public until December 2024.

Beyond the world of numbers

The exhibition entitled Financial Century - 100 Years of the Magyar Nemzeti Bank highlights the significant moments of 100 years of the central bank. Object relics, archival footage, numismatic treasures, copies of hyperinflationary banknotes scattered on the streets, and never-issued commemorative coin designs are on display. We will get a glimpse of the crime thriller-like adventure of the Gold Train, heroes will come to life, historical moments will be witnessed and, last but not least, we will meet famous employees of the Bank who have achieved success not in the world of numbers but in sport or literature. Such multi-faceted bank employees include the writer Gyula Illyés, the fencer Aladár Gerevich and the fencer and marksman Tibor Berczelly.

Rebirth

It is also worth visiting the permanent exhibition "The Path of Money" in the Money Museum, which also commemorates the early days of the Bank, including the work of Sándor Popovics, the first Governor of the central bank. You can also visit the President's Office and admire a contemporary bank branch, as well as a model of the headquarters on Szabadság (Liberty) square. The building will soon be unveiled to the people of Budapest in all its glory, as the renovation of the Szabadság square headquarters will be completed in the near future. The building has never undergone a complete technical renovation, only maintenance work, so a comprehensive, all-encompassing monument reconstruction began in October 2021. As part of this, the building was restored to its original splendour, restoring the architectural and artistic damage to the building and thus making it a modern, energy-efficient office building. The end result will be as thorough and impressive as the reconstruction of the Postal Palace, home to the Money Museum and the MNB Monetary Surveillance Centre.