Chapter Twenty:
Czobor Charters
The Adventurous Journey of a Fragment of the Czobor Family Archive into a Public Collection
Written by Anton Avar – Viktória Kovács – György Rácz
On 8 May 2000, Dr. József Lugosi, director of the Military History Institute and Museum of the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, assigned to his colleagues an undated letter written by Mária Palushek (2 July 1945 – 10 April 2002). In the letter she wrote that:
“Last autumn we met in Niagara Falls as guests of Mrs. Ica Pozsonyi. When my neighbor, Magda Muller, asked whether I had any idea what she should do with her collection of Hungarian historical value, you came to mind as an expert who could give advice. Mrs. Muller’s husband, a collector of antiquities, purchased certain documents which, although I am not an expert, I immediately recognized as valuable, especially in the Hungarian context. Therefore I undertook to contact individuals—through you—who could give an opinion about these antiquities.”
At roughly the same time Lugosi probably also received a letter from Magda Muller, who informed the museum director about the objects and documents in her possession. In her letter she wrote:
“Dear Dr. Lugosi!
I own several Hungarian military historical objects that I would like to sell—since I am over ninety years old and my grandchildren are not interested in these Hungarian relics. There are three swords, two of which date from the 1848 War of Independence and the third is of Turkish origin. These swords belonged to Count Erdődy and Baron Szunyogh. One has an ivory and finely engraved gold hilt, the other a silver hilt. I attach photographs in which they can somewhat be seen. My husband bought them at an auction in Hlohovec in 1927–1928, where we lived. We brought them with us to Canada when we emigrated in 1939.
I also own and would like to sell a collection of 11 documents, written in Latin and dated, probably on parchment or pigskin. Their dates are: 1381, 1349, 1488, 1422, 1450, 1465, 1619. Names mentioned include Josephum Czobor de Rábaszentpéter and Sigismundus Forgách de Ghimes, Palatine of the Kingdom of Hungary and judge of the Cumans.
I managed to make a photocopy of one of the documents, which I attach here. Please determine its importance and inform me. The other documents are folded and sealed with wax hanging from cords, therefore they cannot be photocopied. If you are interested in purchasing my collection, please inform me.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Magda Muller
6079 Brookfield Avenue
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada L2G5R6”
The Muller Family
The author of the letter, Magda Muller (born Magda Herzog), was the daughter of Jakub and Lilly Herzog. She was born on 20 June 1910 in Hlohovec, Czechoslovakia, where her father was a respected physician.
Magda had an older sister, Julie. In 1928 she married Nándor Muller, originally from nearby Sereď. Nándor established a branch of his father’s wholesale grain business in Hlohovec and soon became one of the town’s leading businessmen.
Magda and Nándor had two children:
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Heinrich (Henry) – born 1930
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Alice – born 1932
During the 1930s the family lived comfortably. They were among the few families in the town who owned a car and frequently traveled to spas and holiday resorts throughout the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.
However, after the rise of the Slovak fascist movement and the creation of the independent Slovak state in March 1939, the situation of the Jewish population rapidly deteriorated. Members of the Hlinka Guard rounded up prominent Jewish men in Hlohovec—including Nándor—and beat them.
While recovering from a broken rib, Nándor arranged for the family to leave the country. He persuaded one of his brothers, Lajos, to emigrate with him, though their parents and other siblings felt unable to leave.
Originally Nándor planned to emigrate to Palestine and sent money through a courier to establish a cigarette factory there. The courier disappeared with the money.
Eventually the Mullers obtained Canadian visas after bribing a Canadian official to register them as farmers. At the time immigration rules required immigrants to settle in rural areas or engage in agricultural work.
In late August 1939, the two Muller families left Slovakia. They chartered a private plane from Bratislava to Vienna, then traveled by train and ship to London, and from there sailed to Canada in September.
They settled on a farm in Thorold, Ontario.
Many relatives did not survive the war:
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Nándor’s sister and parents perished.
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His older brother survived because his non-Jewish wife hid him behind a false wall in their home in Sereď.
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Magda’s parents and sister survived the war; her father had worked as a physician in the Sered concentration camp and later went into hiding with patients.
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In 1952, Magda’s parents emigrated to Canada.
According to her gravestone, Magda Muller died in 2009, while her son Henry Muller (1930–2017) died on 28 February 2017.
The Hungarian National Archives Become Involved
Copies of the letters eventually reached the Hungarian National Archives, although the exact date is unknown. At the time no formal registration or processing took place.
In 2009, during leadership changes in the medieval collection and the Family Archives Department, the documents resurfaced and the case was finally registered.
Photocopies of the charters were handed over in January 2009 to archivist Mária Unghváry Péntekné, who contacted Dr. Lugosi. Lugosi replied that he had no direct connection with the collection’s owner and had no further information.
The archives then wrote letters to both correspondents using the addresses given in the original correspondence—unaware that both women had since died. The archive expressed interest in purchasing the medieval documents.
In November 2010, Péntekné visited Toronto and asked the city archives for assistance. Archivist Manda Vranic contacted the Ontario Jewish Archives, which helped locate Henry Muller’s contact information. A circular letter was also sent requesting information about the collection.
The Hungarian House in Toronto was also contacted. In 2013, the archives again attempted to reach the heirs in English and French.
In 2014, a research project in Canada (under the Ithaka program) aimed to identify Hungarian-related archival materials in Canadian collections and private holdings.
During this project, archivist Eleonóra Kovács succeeded in meeting Henry Muller in Hamilton. Although he was not opposed to the idea, he made no commitment to selling the documents.
Eventually he sent a list and photographs of several charters in 2014. After identifying the documents, the archives made several purchase offers, but received no reply in 2015. It seemed the owner did not wish to sell them.
A New Attempt to Acquire the Documents
Unexpected progress occurred in late 2016, when the Houdini Museum in Budapest contacted archivist Eleonóra Kovács. The museum had been in contact with Henry Muller regarding original objects related to Harry Houdini.
Through escape artist David Merlini, attempts were made to persuade Muller to send the documents to Hungary. According to Merlini, Muller would sell the charters for about 100,000 Canadian dollars.
After a detailed valuation, the archives offered 22,000 CAD (about 5 million HUF).
The Hungarian National Cultural Fund granted the archives 5 million HUF to purchase the documents. However, after Henry Muller’s death in 2017, his son David Muller did not accept the offer.
Negotiations eventually resulted in a purchase price of 8 million HUF, which the family accepted. Plans were made to transport the documents to Hungary via the Mikes Kelemen Program, with the help of the Hungarian Consulate.
However, the archives could only raise 5 million HUF, not the agreed amount. When the seller was informed, he initially accepted the reduced price but later changed his mind and stopped responding.
In early 2018 it was learned that the documents had been sold to someone else.
The grant money had to be returned, and the Canadian documents disappeared from view.
Rediscovery in 2024
Years later, in 2024, a Hungarian collector offered nine medieval and two early modern documents from the Czobor family archive for sale.
Because the dates matched exactly those of the documents previously known from the Canadian collection—and the attribution to the Czobor archive could only have come from the earlier archival evaluation—the researchers knew these were the same documents.
Since the archives still lacked funds for acquisitions, external support was necessary.
Fortunately, by that time the Iratmentő Alapítvány (Document Rescue Foundation) had been established to preserve historical documents in private hands.
The foundation purchased the collection in 2025, for only slightly more than the previously negotiated price of 8 million HUF, and donated the documents to the Hungarian National Archives.
Lessons of the Story
The case demonstrates several important points:
- Many valuable historical documents were taken abroad by emigrants. While they valued them, later generations often do not recognize their importance.
- Public institutions have not always done enough to acquire such materials, sometimes because their significance was not fully recognized.
- The eventual recovery of the collection was the result of the persistence of several generations of archivists. One should never give up.
- Limited financial resources can prevent historically important documents from entering public collections.
The Czobor Charter Collection
The foundation ultimately purchased 10 of the 11 documents and donated them to the Hungarian National Archives. Digital images of the eleventh document were also provided.
The documents date from 1349 to 1621 and include charters issued by:
- cathedral chapters
- kings of Hungary
- high officials such as the Palatine