On November 16-17, 2018, we celebrated the 60th birthday of József Laszlovszky (or, as everyone knows him, Jóska), Professor at the Department of Medieval Studies and Director of the Cultural Heritage Studies Program. To reflect Jóska’s wide range of research interests, the celebrations also came in various forms: a conference was held in his honor at Eötvös Loránd University in the morning and at CEU in the afternoon. Both included keynote lectures and presentations from colleagues and friends of long standing from all over the world, followed by comments and stories told by the celebrandus in his inimitable style. The topics covered archaeology, cultural heritage, and medieval history, from cholera bacteria in the Ganges River through medieval sturgeon fishing to the secret of eternal youth. The papers of the conference have been published in an open-access, online Festschrift (Genius Loci) by the publishing house Archaeolingua. The volume came as a surprise gift for Jóska, which was unwrapped during the evening reception, after greetings from the Pro-Rector Zsolt Enyedi, colleagues and students.
The next day Jóska’s adventures continued with a field trip to the premises of the Laszlovszky family and to emblematic sites of his life and career, from the 18th century family house in the Buda Castle to the medieval glass workshop in Pomáz-Nagykovácsi. The group was guided by family members, and finished the celebrations with a wonderful meal at the Fülöp goat farm.
See the program of the conference attached.
