Greetings from the Governor

When we talk about money, most people picture banknotes and coins, even though money is more than these paper or metal objects, and much more than a simple currency. It is a mechanism that keeps society moving, a constantly stretched spring that pushes the economy towards development, an all-encompassing cultural phenomenon and, above all, a system of trust that connects people. So money is value not only materially but also socially and culturally.

I believe that the knowledge of money, the awareness associated with the use and circulation of the currency, is a skill that contributes to the improvement of living conditions in itself, and which must be available to all segments of society. Economy is a transparent and understandable, logical system, and we all operate this system together. It is therefore in our common interest to become more aware, more efficient and better informed in the world of finance, as this will make not only ourselves but our entire society more productive.

One of the most important aspirations of the Magyar Nemzeti Bank is to contribute to the success of this complex learning process, and to stimulate the evolution and development of the Hungarian financial culture with its own means. We have to see that money is a rather complex phenomenon that has countless manifestations, from the very abstract, spiritual form to the cash that can be physically held in hand. At the same time, I believe that, if we want to take possession of something, we need to understand its innermost, deepest meaning, so we also need to dig deep to learn the concept of money.

To this end, we established the Money Museum in the renovated building of the former Post Palace in Széll Kálmán tér, whose mission is to break down the taboos about money and the operation of the economy, and thus raise public thinking about money to a higher level, and put it into a different perspective. We have created the most innovative central bank experience space in Europe, in which visitors, with the help of interactive, 21st century tools, can familiarise themselves with the domestic and international economic processes through the museum experience.

I encourage our visitors to discover this special exhibition space and use the knowledge gained here to their advantage—as individual results will eventually unite in the success of the entire economy.