"The foundation stones of our first university remind us that the building work should continue on both a intellectual and spiritual level, forging Hungarians into a community of people who hold their heads high, are proud of their thousand-year culture and history and who look towards the future with realistic hopes", Parliamentary State Secretary András Doncsev from the Ministry for Human Resources said on Tuesday at the inauguration of the Medieval University building in the southwest Hungarian city of Pécs.

The University of Pécs was founded in 1367 and destroyed in 1664 by Hungarian troops during a campaign against the Ottoman Empire which controlled the town at the time. In 1978, archaeologists found remains of the building adjacent to the city walls, over which the current protective building and museum was recently erected. Mayor of Pécs Zsolt Páva also spoke at the inauguration of the building.

Mr. Doncsev said that Hungary had gone through two types of era during the course of its history. "There were times when the country had leaders of firm conviction and unfaltering ideals. These were times for building. To build means to grow, to add, to develop, to enrich, to create and bring to life. Universities, concert halls, central squares, schools and swimming pools. In contrast, there were also times when the country’s leaders just drifted with the events, making ad-hoc decisions without any long-term goals or principles. At such times it was the fortune or misfortune of random events which determined the fate of the country. In these times, accumulated assets were simply squandered. In times like those, people don’t believe in tradition, in reason, in community or in themselves", he added.

"Destruction can always be wanton, instinctual and done in the name of aimless progress, but building can only be accomplished in a conscious, disciplined and planned manner in accordance with values and to a suitable scale, as has been the case during the past few years. We wish to continue this work in future", Mr. Doncsev said.

(Ministry of Human Resources)