The Madách collection came to the museum through the Lutheran bishop József Szabó, who worked as a pastor in Győr from 1939 to 1947. He was then transferred to Komárom and then to Balassagyarmat, where Madách previously worked as a lawyer. It was there that he began collecting objects and documents related to the playwright, which he brought with him to Győr in 1973, when he moved back to the city. He took care of the collection, which he donated to the museum, until his death in 1986.
The most valuable treasures of the collection are the first editions of Imre Madách's works, including the author's first book of poems, the Lute-Flowers, published in only 40 copies and are now only four copies. The tragedy has been translated into many languages of the world, and can be considered a real world drama, which can be mentioned together with Dante's Divine Comedy, Milton's Paradise Lost or Goethe's Faust. Almost all of the translations of the work - like a significant part of the literature related to Madách, as well as the correspondence of József Szabó - can be found in the museum.
Renowned visual artists, such as in addition to the decorative editions illustrated by Mihály Zichy, you can also find illustrations made in the 1950s by the Kossuth and Munkácsy award-winning artist János Kass (1927–2010). In the mid-1970s, the satirical weekly Ludas Matyi started a series with updated caricatures from Madách's drama. 89 caricatures of Anna Vasvári (1923–1990), Munkácsy Prize-winning graphic artist and illustrator, appeared in the newspaper. Of the original drawings, colored with felt-tip pens and in some cases with watercolors, 65 pieces were included in the museum's collection as a gift from the artist. Among the works of art made by the author, the statue of Pál Pátzay stands out.
Among the documents of the theater performances of Tragedy, we also find theater posters, photographs, and set designs. The sheet music for the processing in musical works and the records of the 1939 recording are also considered special.
