Pálné Veres – The Founder of the First Hungarian Women’s School – Budapest, Múzeum körút/Zöldfa utca

Fact of the Hungarian figure „Terezia Brunszvik and the First Hungarian Kindergarten”

Part of the „The emancipation of women” topic

Pálné Veres, a progressive educator and women’s rights advocate in 19th-century Hungary, played a pivotal role in the fight for women’s education. Born into a noble family known for its social sensibility, Veres moved to Vanyarc with her husband after their marriage in 1839. The couple had a daughter, Szilárda, whose education became a primary concern for Pálné Veres. To provide the best possible education for their daughter, the family relocated to Pest, where they could access top educators.

A turning point in Veres’ activism came in 1864 when the renowned Hungarian writer Imre Madách gave a speech at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, arguing for the „immaturity” of the female brain. In response, Veres published a strong rebuttal advocating for the equal education of men and women. This public stand marked the beginning of her lifelong commitment to women’s rights. In 1867, Veres organized a meeting for women to discuss the future of women’s education, culminating in the founding of the National Association for Women’s Education in 1868, alongside other noblewomen.

The most significant achievement of her efforts came in 1869 when she founded the first secondary school for girls in Hungary, located on Múzeum körút in Budapest. This institution was revolutionary in that it offered the same curriculum as boys’ schools, including subjects such as history, mathematics, and foreign languages. Veres’ vision was to equip girls with the same intellectual and practical skills that boys received, challenging the deeply entrenched gender norms of the time.

Veres’ school was a milestone in the history of women’s emancipation in Hungary, marking the beginning of formal education for girls that went beyond basic literacy. Her work reflected broader trends in Central Europe, where women in countries like Poland and the Czech lands were also advocating for equal educational opportunities. These movements were interconnected, and women like Veres, along with contemporaries such as Františka Plamínková in the Czech lands, laid the groundwork for the broader feminist movements that would emerge in the 20th century.

Veres’ advocacy for women’s education and her establishment of the first Hungarian girls’ school represented a monumental step toward the emancipation of women in Hungary. Her efforts helped pave the way for future educational reforms and the eventual recognition of women’s rights in the professional and public spheres. Today, Pálné Veres is remembered as one of the key figures in the early Hungarian feminist movement, whose legacy continues to inspire advocates for gender equality across Central Europe.