Examining a materialised form of school memory: layers of the National Historical Site recognition of Eötvös József College, Budapest

Purpose The aim of this paper is twofold. First, to examine how a “mystery” evolved around Eötvös College despite the constant public interest surrounding the institute. The second is to analyse the College’s representation in the press and its impact on the legacy of the institute between 1895 and 2024. Design/methodology/approach Research perspectives are analysed through a combination of document analysis of archival materials as well as sign-vehicle and semantic analysis of periodicals from the Arcanum journal and press database. Findings The analysis found that the “mystery” surrounding the College evolved as a result of the modification of its training programme following a major teacher training reform between 1921 and 1929, which also contributed to its eventual abolition. Although its representation varied across different periods, its presence in the press fostered remembrance and thus the historical examination of the institute. Its continuous visibility in various public spheres led to its recognition as a historical site in 2014. Originality/value The combined analysis of archival and press sources revealed a shift in the remembrance patterns of the institute, identifying the “National Historical Site” as a place of memory incorporating three layers of meaning. One of these layers is the silence which shrouded the College after the deprofessionalisation of its training in 1950.