Jenő Cholnoky in his obituary published in the journal of the
Hungarian Geographic Society called Ármin Vámbéry the representative of a bygone
era. He classified him with the great travelers of the 19th century, who “did
not have enough geographic knowledge to give a well-founded geographic
description of the regions visited by him, but what he brought home at
that time, was such a huge material, which one cannot bring home any more from
any modern exploration.”
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The age of Vámbéry was the period of the birth of modern geographic science, and
of the foundation of scientific societies that made possible the exchange of
ideas. The geographic society of Paris was founded in 1821, that of Berlin in
1828, and that of London in 1830. In the heyday of scientific discoveries these
organizations supported and advocated the expeditions launched for the better
understanding of the Earth, and had a great part in the popularization of the
geographic knowledge.
The Hungarian Geographic Society was founded in 1872 on the initiative and with
the leadership of János Hunfalvy, head of the first university department of
geography founded just two years earlier, and it had 10 founding members (Ármin
Vámbéry, Antal Berecz, Albert Bieltz, Pál Gönczy, Frigyes Reitz, József Szabó,
Kálmán Szily, Ágoston Tóth, János Xantus and Mór Déchy).
Vámbéry, from 1872 to 1888 Deputy President of the society, took a very active part in the work. In many cases he read the yearly account instead of the President of the society, he read lectures, and regularly published in the journal of the society, the Földrajzi Közlemények, published since 1873. In 1889 he was elected President of the society, but in 1890 he resiged, with reference to his other activities.


In 1902 Béla Erődi, the President of the Hungarian Geographic Society greeted the great old man of Hungarian travelers on his 70th birthday. In 1911 an advertisement appeared in the Földrajzi Közlemények, which called attention at the nearing 80th birthday, announcing that the scientific associations will officially greet Vámbéry, and will give over to him a memorial plaque created by Jenő F. Körmendy.

On his death in 1913 condolence letters and telegrams were sent to the society from all the parts of the world. There was no geographic society that did not express their compassion over the death of the great traveler and Oriental scholar.
In 1932, on his 100th birthday the Hungarian Geographic Society solemnly remembered their former world famous president in the Officers’ Casino.
Articles by and about Ármin Vámbéry in the Földrajzi Közlemények:
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