Balassi Institute

logo

The Balassi Institute (Hungarian Balassi-Intézet ) is a Hungarian cultural institute dedicated to promoting the Hungarian language and culture. The institute was named after the Hungarian poet Bálint Balassa (1554–1594), who is considered the creator of Hungarian love poetry . The Balassi Institute is headquartered in Budapest .

The main tasks of the institute are to support Hungarian speakers abroad, for example the Hungarian minorities in the surrounding countries. The institute offers advanced training for Hungarian teachers and provides teaching materials. In addition, the institute conducts the state-recognized Hungarian language exams. To promote Hungarian in the country, the institute awards grants for Hungarian language courses.

The institute promotes Hungarology (Hungary research) abroad by networking the Hungarian centers, which are mostly at universities. The institute publishes in its own publication media and maintains its own library. It also supports the establishment of Hungarian-related libraries abroad. The institute organizes conferences, cultural events and exhibitions on the Hungarian language and culture.

history

former logo of the Bálint Balassi Institute

The institute was founded on January 1st, 2002 with headquarters in Budapest . The aim was to create a national cultural institute like the Goethe-Institut or the British Council . The institute emerged from the Hungarian Language Institute, which had existed for almost 50 years, and the International Hungarological Center founded in 1989.