Hungarian Collector returns Khmer Artefacts to Cambodia after Years of Negotiations

In a statement issued on 20 November, the ministry said the agreement is the result of years of negotiations and persistent efforts to recover Cambodian cultural heritage that was lost during decades of civil war.

Zelnik, a Hungarian national and founder of the Hungarian Southeast Asian Institute, had spent decades collecting artefacts from across Asia, including Cambodia. Since the early 2000s, he supported archaeological and scientific work at Angkor and Koh Ker, funding research, LiDAR surveys and historical studies that contributed to Cambodia’s successful nomination of Koh Ker as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The ministry said Zelnik has now agreed to return all Khmer artefacts in his possession. Among the major items being repatriated are 183 pieces of Khmer silk (Kei textile samples), considered valuable references for Cambodia’s national textile museum collection, along with dozens of pre-historic and ancient objects, including coins, beads, ornaments and metal, stone and ceramic artefacts. Many of these items were believed to have been illegally taken from Cambodia during the civil war.

The collection also includes significant pieces from the pre-Angkorian and Angkorian periods, adding further historical value to the return.

The Ministry of Culture expressed “deep gratitude and high appreciation” for the decision of Zelnik, now in his seventies, noting that he had previously repatriated a number of Khmer objects and had contributed to archaeological research and publications related to Khmer heritage, inscriptions and modern arts.

Culture Minister Phoeurng Sackona said that Cambodia’s ongoing peace and political stability, built on the government’s win-win policy, have created the conditions necessary for the country to reclaim lost cultural treasures.

She also praised the ministry’s working group and Bradley J. Gordon of Edenbridge Asia, whose active research and negotiations helped facilitate the return.