This collection is a valuable source of knowledge about a religious and philosophical doctrine of great cultural influence. The Christian Esoteric School of the so-called Universal White Brotherhood, created by Petar Danov / Beinsa Douno in 1922, was registered as a religious community after the establishment of Communist rule in 1948. In practice, however, the Brotherhood, referred to by the socialist state as “the Danovists’ Sect", led a semi-legal existence: their properties were seized and so-called "reactionary literature by author P. Danov" was confiscated, members of the Brotherhood and supporters were subjected to persecution, sentenced in prison and forced labour camps. State Security agents also infiltrated the spiritual community and a number of publications were published to rebut the "antiscientific and reactionary nature of Danovism". Despite these harsh conditions, followers of Petar Danov / Beinsa Douno managed to preserve their movement. This collection, which covers a wide period from the end of the 19th century through the present day, documents the activities of Petar Danov and his followers. Additionally, the collection demonstrates the increased interest and importance of the spiritual movement after the political events of 1989.
The documents of the Cultural Forum and Counter-Forum of Budapest in late 1985 reflected on the major changes which had just begun at the time in East-West relations, politics, and diplomacy, together with the challenging concept of cultural freedom as a basic part of human rights. For the official Forum, some 850 participants were accredited to Budapest, thus the city was home for six weeks to a legion of diplomats and experts. However, instead of the protocol-like program of the official Forum, the real novelty which caught the attention of the world, the samizdat press, the Western public, and dissidents from the East (not to mention the Hungarian secret police, who were busier than ever) was an open dispute among writers and intellectuals from both East and West that was held at a poet’s flat and then at a film director’s apartment, and which lasted three days. The rich and versatile sub-collection contains many exciting documents which are of potential interest both to Hungarian and international visitors.
