Târgu-Mures is the hometown of the two famous mathematicians, father and son, Frakas and János Bolyai, where they were known, but unacknowledged personalities.
Their surviving personal items can be seen in the Bolyai Memorial Museum that originally was set up in one of the chambers at the Library of the Calvinist College from Targu-Mures.
Part of these personal items has been brought to the College in 1887 by Gergely Bolyai (János’ brother) in a small chest still on display in the Museum. Then during the summer 1911, when the two Bolyai have been reburied more personal relics have been found and the exhumation committee decided that Farkas’ skull and the remains of János’ skull shall be recovered, and later on these bones were put on display in a special tabernacle donated by professor of medicine Dr. József Czakó.
In 1913 some paintings depicting Farkas Bolyai have also been discovered, while towards 1925 the idea of setting up a memorial museum for the two mathematicians was taking shape. This plan was carried out on 7th November 1937.
After World War II., as a result of the nationalisation process, both the Library of the Calvinist College and the Bolyai Memorial Museum became state owned. In 1955 the two institutions have been moved to the building of the Teleki Library. A few years later, following restoration work on the same building, the Museum is moved to the ground floor of the Teleki Library where it is found today as well. Since then the exhibition was reorganised several times, besides the personal items and other objects saved from the Bolyai’s house, the showcases also present copies of their manuscripts.
Today the Bolyai Museum is one of the most visited sites of our town.
