Throughout his life, Károly Hetényi Varga has searched for and collected the biographical information of clericals who suffered from persecution by the Nazis and communists. Thanks to his interest and devoted efforts, an impressive body of work has formed. Hetényi Varga didn’t study history at a university, however. He created a unique, specific research system, the results of which remain indispensable to us.

Location:
- Kismaros Szuttai dűlő, Hungary 2623
Topics:
- religious activism
Date of founding:
- 2002
Featured items:
- Károly Hetényi Varga. Those who persecuted for the Truth. Clerical Fates in the Shadow of the Swastika and Arrow Cross, 1985. Manuscript

Collection of Lénárd Ödön

The Collection of Lénárd Ödön is a combination of items which would usually be representative of collections on religious resistance under the socialist dictatorship. It is at the same time the outcome of manifest resistance against the dictatorship and a private collection of documents based on Lénárd’s personal research. The trajectory of the collection offers insights into the ways in which archives which had been private were institutionalized after 1989.

Location:
- Kismaros Szuttai dűlő, Hungary 2623
Topics:
- religious activism
- samizdat and tamizdat
Date of founding:
- 1998
Featured items:
- Undated Correspondence between Ödön Lénárd and Ernő Lénárd.

Collection of Ordass Lajos

This ad-hoc collection, located in two archives in Budapest, includes archival materials about Lajos Ordass, the bishop of the biggest evangelical church district in Hungary (1945-1948). The communist leaders stigmatized him as the “leader of the evangelical resistance.” After having spent years in prison, Ordass lived isolated from other church leaders, and his writings were prohibited. In this context, simply collecting his legacy constituted a form of opposition to the dictatorship.

Location:
- Budapest Bécsikapu tér 2-4, Hungary 1014
- Budapest Teve utca 3, Hungary 1139
Topics:
- religious activism
Date of founding:
- 1985
Featured items:
- Lajos Ordass. Little Mirror of Great Times, ca. 1977. Manuscript

Collection of documents of the Central Commitee of the Latvian Communist Party

Control of the cultural life in Latvia was one of functions of the Latvian Communist Party (LCP) Central Committee (CC). The collection of documents furnishes rich information about the formulation and implementation of LCP CC cultural policy, about ‘deviations’ from the official path committed by the cultural opposition, and about attempts to use Latvian culture for the political ends of the Soviet regime in 1940-1991.

Location:
- Rīga Kurzemes prospekts 5, Latvia LV-1067
Topics:
Date of founding:
- 1945
Featured items:
- Plenary Meeting of the Latvian Communist Party Central Committee on October 9-10, 1957: On Work with Intelligentsia. Stenographic account

Collection of religious dissent in the Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security

This collection contains documents about the Hungarian churches and their relationships to the communist political police. The material, preserved in the Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security, gives insights into forms of religious activism under state socialism and documents actions implemented by the state against ecclesiastical/religious groups.

Location:
- Budapest Eötvös utca 7, Hungary 1067
Topics:
- religious activism
Date of founding:
- 1945
Featured items:
- Agent 'Mátrai.' Dossier 'M', 1959-1977. Archival document