Dobrossy István: Miskolc írásban és képekben 3. (Miskolc, 1996)
Angol nyelvű ismertető
native' is still present here just like in the previous volumes. The first chapter describes the honorary freemen of the city. It involves information about 42 Miskolc inhabitants both natives and those who just did something 'ever-lasting' for Miskolc within 110 years. During this period of time there were different social and political systems and the notion of the freeman was always changing. Between 1886-1927 there were 11, between 1973 - 1995 there were 31 people presented the freedom of the town. The second volume of the series covers the same period of time. The local events and works of art of the celebrations of the millennium of the Hungarian Conquest are described here. This is suitable for evoking the atmosphere of a really 'productive" period of the town. What was considered important by our ancestors one hundred years ago? Is there any message for us? If so, where can we find this message? The documentation of the celebrations of the millecentenary is only partly meant for the 'succeeding generations". Without reaching a conslusion it was only curiosity that made me draw a comparison between how our ancestors prepared for their celebrations, what was important for them, and how we are preparing for them. What can be important for today's city-dwellers, with what kind of pieces of art or how do they want the succeeding generations to understand their message? Does all that has happened or will happen in Miskolc in 1996 show features characteristic of the town? The further two chapters of the volume, (About pharmacists and pharmacies, doctors and hospitals), are in close connection with each other. At the same time certain parts of other chapters have a special topicality. The work of social-political forums, organizations has become important again. They want to help those affected by the impoverishment as a consequence of the 'splitting' of the society. What can the experiences of the past decades, those of the first half of this century tell us about it? The former, the 'dead' town i. e. the cemeteries are very important for the current town, for its history. With reference to the First and Second World Wars new questions are raised, new fields and results of research are mentioned. The cemeteries of the town are going to be described in a planned further volume of the series. The volume contains information confirmed also by archival research. Therefore a bibliography can be found at the end of the different chapters. We hope that it will inspire others to do some research into the history of the town. But if it just provides readers with new information or strengthens their ties to the town, it was worth working on the book. In this hope I recommend the book to everybody.
