Strongholds of Industrial Education
The Establishment of Bánki
The Central Industrial School and the Technological Industrial Museum successfully fulfilled their roles in their new home: the museum’s expanding collection became an integral part of education, and the teachers of the industrial school took part in the museum’s activities. Renowned instructors—including Dániel Arany, Aladár Edvi Illés, Jenő Egerváry, Ödön Faragó, Géza Jalsoviczky, Ödön Lencz, Gusztáv Klemp, and Lajos Petrik—contributed greatly to the development of Hungary’s mechanical industry. From the 1891/92 academic year, the institution officially operated under the name Royal Hungarian State Industrial School, and later, following curriculum and organizational changes, it began issuing diplomas under the name Royal Hungarian State Higher Industrial School.
In the years after the turn of the century, due to the institution’s success, the number of applicants, admitted students, and graduates increased rapidly. According to the report for the 30th academic year, 1,532 students had earned qualifications. As the number of students grew, several departments needed to be separated and relocated.
The Act XIII of 1938 established a new type of industrial secondary school. After the devastating destruction of World War II, the Industrial Museum was merged with several experimental and material testing institutions. As the legal successor of the Royal Hungarian Institute of Technology and Material Testing, the Commercial Quality Control Institute was created. The Industrial Museum’s library, which survived the war, went through several changes and has been operating since 2001 as part of the BME OMIKK.
The newly formed types of secondary schools established during the war only partially fulfilled the expectations placed upon them. Changes in economic policy were reflected in frequent changes in the school’s name and nature. On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, celebrated on 19 December 1954, the institution was named after Donát Bánki, one of Hungary’s greatest mechanical engineers. Following various types of industrial high schools and technical schools, the government decree no. 12/1962 (V.5) established the Higher Technical School. Later, the Presidential Council decree no. 25 of 1969 ordered the establishment of the Bánki Donát Technical College of Mechanical Engineering.
The Founding of Kandó
The building of the Royal Hungarian State Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Secondary School, designed by Gyula Pártos in 1900 for 100 students, became overcrowded by the mid-1930s. Expansion began in 1914 and continued during 1936–1938, when a new wing was added to the front on Tavaszmező Street.
In the 1941/42 academic year, a new Secondary School of Electrical Engineering opened within the institution by decree of the Minister of Religion and Public Education. Simultaneously, the school adopted the name of Kálmán Kandó and became the Royal Hungarian State Kandó Kálmán Secondary School of Electrical Engineering. The building of the dissolved Zrínyi Miklós Grammar School, designed by Alfréd Wellisch, was given to the Kandó Kálmán Industrial High School. Between 1948 and 1955, the school’s name and training structure changed almost annually due to the lack of a consistent ministry concept.
Training at the higher technical level began in the evening on 1 September 1962 and in the daytime on 1 September 1963. Thus, alongside the Kandó Kálmán Telecommunications and Instrumentation Technical School at Tavaszmező Street 15–17, new higher technical schools were established: at Nagyszombat Street 19 for electrical machine engineering and at Üteg Street 15 for electrical energy engineering. The Presidential Council decree of 4 March 1969 created the Kandó Kálmán Technical College of Electrical Engineering.
Bánki Donát Technical College of Mechanical Engineering
The 1969 decree of the Presidential Council defined the college’s mission as training professionals capable of preparing technical production processes in mechanical engineering, designing production workflows, designing and producing basic manufacturing tools, managing and organizing production-assembly plants, programming and supervising production, and operating equipment used in auxiliary services. A simultaneous government decision regulated its administration and duration of training.
At its founding, the college operated through seven departments for teaching and research. From 30 June 1987, these were reorganized into four vertical institutes: Manufacturing Technology, Mechanical and System Technology, Informatics and Management, and Social Sciences and Teacher Training.
With growing prestige both in Hungary and abroad, the college expanded its educational profile to match market demands. In 1991, the term “mechanical” was removed from its name, and it continued as the Bánki Donát Technical College. In 1994/95, it was one of the first institutions accredited by the Hungarian Accreditation Committee. Its main focus areas were college-level mechanical engineering, technical management, and IT engineering training—especially those supported by strong informatics foundations—and technical teacher education connected to all specializations.
The Bánki College became an affiliated member of the Budapest Polytechnic, a cooperative network of technical colleges. It participated in two interdisciplinary engineering programs: one in safety technology, and another integrated mechanical-electrical engineering program conducted in English, based on British traditions.
Kandó Kálmán Technical College of Electrical Engineering
The 1969 decree of the Presidential Council of the Hungarian People’s Republic defined the mission of the Kandó College as training professionals capable of managing tasks in telecommunications equipment and device manufacturing, instrumentation and automation equipment and component manufacturing, electrical machinery and device production and maintenance, and regulated drive and control equipment operation and upkeep.
The Weak Current Faculty developed from the Higher Technical School of Telecommunications and Instrumentation located at Tavaszmező Street 15–17, which became the college’s central campus. The Strong Current Faculty evolved from the Higher Technical School of Electrical Machines at Nagyszombat Street 19. Government resolution 1035/1970 (VIII. 7.) merged the telecommunications department of the Székesfehérvár Higher Technical School into the Weak Current Faculty. By 1971, it trained IT and computer manufacturing professionals as a remote unit, in line with local industrial needs.
At the time of its founding, the college offered specializations in telecommunications, instrumentation and automation, component production, and computing technology on the Weak Current Faculty; and electrical machines, automation, and energy systems on the Strong Current Faculty. In the 1971/72 academic year, technical teacher training was introduced and made available to all departments. A unified curriculum structure was introduced in 1973.
Originally, the college operated with a faculty-department system. In 1979, this was replaced with institutes formed from pairs of departments, ending the faculty-based organization. In 1991, it was renamed Kandó Kálmán Technical College to reflect its broader educational profile. Several institutes were renamed in 1992, creating a stable organizational structure that lasted until 1999.
In 1987, Kandó received approval to launch a technical informatics program. The teacher training curriculum was expanded to allow informatics students to pursue teacher training. Following the 1980 development phase, the electrical engineering curriculum was divided into numerous specializations: telecommunications, instrumentation and automation, microelectronics, component and device technology, computing tools, organizational IT applications, electrical machines and devices, strong current automation, and electrical energy systems. Teacher training remained integrated across all these areas.
In 1991, the newly founded Institute of Social Sciences launched a postgraduate entrepreneurial management program. Based on its success, the college received permission in 1993 to offer a technical management program. That same year, it also introduced training in safety engineering, jointly offered through the Budapest Polytechnic by Bánki Donát, Bolyai János Military, Kandó Kálmán, Light Industry, and Ybl Miklós Technical Colleges.
In 1993, a six-semester integrated mechanical-electrical engineering program began in cooperation with Nottingham Trent University (UK). The training was conducted in English, and graduates received a joint diploma from KKMF and BDMF, as well as a BEng degree from Nottingham Trent.
Based on curricula introduced in 1996, students could specialize in automation, electronic devices, telecommunications, instrumentation automation, computing, energy systems, technical-economic-informatics, informatics, and technical management. From autumn 1997, cooperative training became available for students who had completed six semesters in full-time study. Participants spent four days a week working on engineering tasks at a company and one day at the college in a 150-hour training program.
Light Industry Technical College
Established by Act No. 16 of 1972 and resolution 1035/1972 (VIII. 27.) on transitional measures related to the restructuring of the Higher Technical School of Light Industry, the college began operations in its new form.
According to its founding charter, the duration of study was three years full-time and four years in evening or correspondence programs. Graduates who passed their state exams received a diploma as production engineers with their specialization indicated. Initial training was offered in leather processing (shoe and leather garment industry), printing (printing and prepress), paper industry (production and processing), clothing industry (production planning and modeling, technology), and textile technology (spinning, weaving, knitting, and crocheting sectors)
From November 1972, the college operated in its new campus on Doberdó Street, Budapest. Due to budget limitations, the new building was constructed smaller than planned, but additional investments in 1977 expanded it by 1,038 m². Labs for leather, textile, and paper industries were also established at that time.
Early curricula were based on those of the former technical school. From 1977, changes focused on strengthening foundational education and aligning with a two-tier education system. The 1987 curriculum modernization aimed to emphasize the technologist character of training. From 1995, quality management materials were introduced into textile training, and the first undergraduate quality assurance specialization in Hungary was launched at this institution.
In 1995, the elite athlete program was launched and received recognition from leaders in the sports movement. From the 1996/97 academic year, it was extended to the management program. In 1997/98, 170 elite athletes applied and were admitted. These students represented the college at the Olympics, world and European championships, and university-level world championships, bringing acclaim to the institution.
Educational tasks were carried out within departments. Basic engineering subjects taught in the Mechanical Engineering Department formed the foundation for specialized curricula developed by departments such as Clothing Industry, Textile Technology, Printing, and Packaging and Paper Technology.
