For Erzsébet Printz-Markó, this opportunity was not only professionally enriching but also the fulfillment of a personal dream. During a 2009 trip to Poland with her husband, she first strolled through the impressive halls of the Jagiellonian University's Collegium Maius. There, amidst the palpable history and knowledge, and the living embodiment of Polish-Hungarian friendship, she stood by the courtyard fountain and wished she could one day teach there. More than a decade later, that wish came true.

Fun fact: The Jagiellonian University in Kraków was founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great of Poland. After his death, the Hungarian King Louis the Great ascended the Polish throne. Although he did not support the university directly, his daughter, Queen Jadwiga — herself of Hungarian royal descent — played a key role in the university’s re-establishment in 1400 alongside her husband, King Władysław II Jagiełło. In the 15th century, Marcin Bylica of Olkusz worked at the university; he later became the court astrologer to King Matthias Corvinus and died in Buda in 1493. Around the same time, Copernicus was also studying at the university.

During the Reformation, the institution's influence waned, and the college for Hungarian students was closed. In the 18th century, under the influence of the Enlightenment, new departments and institutions were established. The university’s community actively participated in the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794, aimed against occupying Russian and Prussian forces — an event that echoed the contemporary Hungarian independence movements.

Since 1989, the university has hosted a Department of Hungarian Philology.

During the teaching week 2025 in Kraków, an unexpected but joyful encounter took place: in the courtyard of the university’s Collegium Maius, our colleagues happened upon a Hungarian group that included István Kovács — poet, literary translator, historian, and polonist — who served as Consul General of Hungary in Kraków between 1994–1995 and 1999–2003. Kovács is a devoted researcher of Hungarian–Polish relations, was named an Honorary Citizen of Kraków in 2003, and was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit in 2012.

Erzsébet Printz-Markó experienced the meeting as a small everyday miracle. Between 2007 and 2009, she served as the program coordinator of the Saint Kinga Open University series at the Apáczai Csere János Faculty of the University of West Hungary in Győr.

Fun fact: The Apáczai Csere János Faculty (which became part of Széchenyi István University following institutional integration in 2016) hosted the Saint Kinga Open University lecture series between 2007 and 2009 in cooperation with the Piłsudski Historical Society. One of the patrons of the series was Richárd Dr.  Korzenszky OSB, prior of the Benedictine Abbey in Tihany. The OpenUniversity’s thematic focus included various intersections of Polish–Hungarian history, culture, and tourism. Its primary mission was to promote cultural and scholarly dialogue between the two nations.

On February 10, 2009, István Kovács gave a highly inspiring lecture at the Saint Kinga Open University series, focusing on Polish history and Hungarian–Polish relations. This occasion marked the beginning of a brief but meaningful professional collaboration between him and Erzsébet Printz-Markó. Nearly two decades later, fate brought them together once again — in a deeply moving way — in the historic courtyard of the Jagiellonian University’s Collegium Maius in Kraków, near the fountain. They commemorated this joyful reunion and shared past with a photograph.

Fun fact: In recognition of her efforts to preserve and promote the traditional Hungarian–Polish friendship and cultural and historical heritage, the Polish Nationality Self-Government of the City of Győr awarded Erzsébet Printz-Markó the title of Honorary Polish in 2016.

During the stay in Krakow, the Night of Museums was also taking place, and our colleagues were able to learn about the technical details of the event. This was also a useful experience for our colleagues for the course "Tourism Event Management".

The CEEPUS scholarship programme provided an opportunity for our lecturers to experience the historical atmosphere of the Jagiellonian University and to contribute to the strengthening of Hungarian-Polish scientific and cultural relations.

 

 

 

Photo: Ferenc Szunyogh (graphic artist, St. Kinga Open University invitation card), Erzsébet Dr. Printz-Markó