The memorial plaque of the Hungarian Geological Society in Videfalva

In the vibrant social atmosphere of the first half of the 19th century, the development and specialization of natural sciences also received new impetus. The Traveling Meetings of Hungarian Doctors and Naturalists became a regular forum for scientific life from 1840. At the 1847 meeting in Sopron, András Zipser Keresztély, a natural history teacher from Bánya Biszterce, proposed the formation of a geological and mining association, saying that “we can only achieve public welfare if we know and make our own the advantages of the country, the fertility of its land and the treasures that lie in its counties and hamlets”. To implement the enthusiastically supported proposal, the preparatory committee met on the third day of 1848 in the castle of the Kubinyi brothers in Videfalva, Nógrád County: Ágoston Kubinyi (1799-1873), director of the Hungarian National Museum, his brother Ferenc Kubinyi (1796-1874), politician of the Reform era, naturalist, art collector, András Zipser, mining engineer József Marschan and mining lawyer János Pettko, teacher at the Mining Academy in Bánya Selmec. The world's third geological society was born in the small village near Losonc. The Hungarian Geological Society could only begin its practical operation after the revolution and the war of independence, which has been continuous since then. ; In order to perpetuate the fact of its foundation and the memory of the founders, it was decided to place a memorial plaque in Videfalva in 1993, which took place at the beginning of March 1994. Dr. Tibor Kecskeméti, President of the Geological Society of Magyarhoni and Deputy Director General of the Hungarian Museum of Natural History, unveiled the commemorative plaque in the courtyard of the Kubinyi and later Asbóth Castle, which has been a Roman Catholic missionary home (House of the Word of God) since the change of regime, in the presence of Hungarian and Slovak geologists, interested parties, and 50 participants from Budapest, Debrecen, Szeged, Salgótarján, Bratislava, and Losonc. “Let this commemorative plaque proclaim the pioneering initiative of the founders, their Europeanness, their efforts to develop geology, and the recognition of their scientific operations and achievements,” he said in his ceremonial speech. The President of the Slovak Geological Society of Bratislava, Dr. Ondrej Samuel, greeted the gathering in Hungarian as well and praised the significance of the jubilee in the history of science. Dr. András Dudich, the then president of the Federation of European Geological Societies, also gave a speech in Hungarian and Slovak. All three speakers emphasized the timeliness and importance of Slovak-Hungarian scientific cooperation. Dr. József Hála, a scientific associate of the Geological Institute, took the lion's share in the preparation of the event, and József Hahn and István Böszörményi from Losonc provided assistance in the implementation. ; The black marble memorial plaque is located to the right of the courtyard entrance of the Kubinyi Castle. ; Related events, celebrations: occasional commemorations of the Hungarian and Slovak geological societies, wreath-laying ceremonies.