The series of the programs of the Bethlen Memorial Year has been designed to introduce and present the historical role and activities of Gabriel Bethlen to a wider audience, inside and beyond our state borders, with an organised, coordinated and directed cooperation of different disciplines. 400 years ago, on 23 October, 1613, Gabriel Bethlen (1580–1629), the most significant Prince of Transylvania ascended the throne. (About Bethlen read more here.)

A preliminary conference was held in Miskolc organized in cooperation by the Miskolc University and the Debrecen University on May 2–3, 2013, in Miskolc, entitled The Image of Gabriel Bethlen. The main topic of this preparatory workshop for the programs of the memorial year was how and from what different elements the image of Bethlen was made up in history, literature and tradition. For the program see here.

The series of programs was opened on September 17, 2013, with a conference Gabriel Bethlen and his Age and with an exhibition organized in and by the Hungarian National Archives. Teréz Oborni and Géza Pálffy, senior research fellows of the Institute of History also gave lectures at the conference. The exhibition shows different documents of the age from various archives of the country and thus was realized in cooperation of the different institutions. For more information see here.