Városi Múzeum / Déri Múzeum

Description

The Városi Múzeum was created in the early 20th century thanks to the initiative of Arthur Löfkovits (1863-1935), a Hungarian Jewish jeweler based in Debrecen. He donated a large part of his collection to the city in 1902 with the aim of creating a museum accessible to the public. Although the museum was initially housed in the rooms of an educational institution, in 1905 Löfkovits purchased a new building to house the collection.

In 1920, Frigyes Déri (1852-1924), a very famous Austro-Hungarian businessman, donated his collection to the city of Debrecen. In gratitude to the magnate, it was decided to construct a new building to house the museum's collection under the name Déri Múzeum. The institution finally opened its doors in 1930, and in the 1940s, it returned some of Löfkovits' pieces to his daughter, Josefa Löfkovits.