Fabó Beáta - Gall, Anthony: I came from the East to a City of Great Palaces. Károly Kós, the early years 1907-1914 (Budapest, 2013)
Kós' First Steps as an Independent Architect
EPILOGUE During World War One, Kós received commissions to design the County Hospital of Sepsiszentgyörgy/Sfântu Gheorghe and several small school buildings in Transylvanian villages (never realised), as well as planning and overseeing the decorations for the coronation of the last king of Hungary in 1916. From 1917 he spent two years abroad, affiliated with the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Istanbul. During his stay there he studied Ancient Byzantine and Turkish architecture, and compiled a significant volume on the history of the city entitled Sztambul. After the war Kós settled permanently in Sztána/Stana, despite the fact that Transylvania was now part of Romania. It was his firm conviction that Transylvania was a multi-ethnic region with a unique cultural, artistic and historic heritage. In the difficult situation following the war Kós, now a father of four, joined several movements and organisations aiming to organise the Hungarians of Transylvania culturally as well as politically. His manifesto entitled Kiáltó Szó (A Cry) was published in 1921. In this period he worked with Kornél Viola as an architect and he also worked as a journalist (editor, columnist and graphic artist). Kós established a small printing workshop in Crow Castle, publishing booklets and almanacs illustrated with colour engravings in limited numbers, such as Erdély Kövei (The Stones of Transylvania, 1922) and a ballad about King Attila (Atila királról ének, new edition 1923). Amongst Kós' architectural designs prior to 1925, it is important to mention the Town Hall in Sepsiszentgyörgy/Sfántu Gheorghe (1919), the competition entry for the Greek Orthodox Basilica in Kolozsvár/Cluj, for which Kós received second prize (a similar design was later realised in miniature in Fejérd/Feiurdeni in 1928) and the Residence of Samu Csulak in Sepsiszentgyörgy/Sfäntu Gheorghe (1924). Kós also prepared designs for Workers' housing for the írisz Porcelain Factory in Kolozsvár/ Cluj and for a factory in Aranyosgyéres/Câmpia Turzii (circa. 1923). In 1924 Kós founded the Transylvanian Guild of Handicraft publishing works of Transylvanian authors and in 1931, jointly with Sándor Szolnay, founded the Miklós Barabás Guild, representing Transylvanian artists. He was a member of the editorial board of Erdélyi Helikon and was a member of the Helikon circle of writers. Writing became more and more significant within his oeuvre. In 1925 he published a novel, Varjú nemzetség, which was followed by a series of novels, plays and papers in architecture and ethnography, the most significant of which were A lakóház művészete (Art of the Home, 1928), Erdély (outline of a cultural history of Transylvania, 1929), Az országépítő (novel, 1934), Budai Nagy Antal (play, 1936), A székely népi építészet (paper in architecture, 1944), Falusi építészet (Village Architecture, 1946), and Mezőgazdasági építészet (Agricultural Architecture, reference, 1957). Significant activity occurred in conjunction with the Calvinist church (Kós was curator of the Kalotaszeg/Tara Cälatei Calvinist church). Kós performed pioneering work to turn attention to the preservation of architectural and artistic heritage within the church. He was involved in several restoration projects, the most important ones being the Calvinist Church of Bonchida/Bontida (1936), the Bánffy Castle (1936- 1937), the House where King Matthias was born in Kolozsvár/Cluj (1944) and the Calvinist Church ofSzék/Sic (1946). In the interwar period he designed several public buildings, only some of which were realised, such as the Calvinist Boarding School for Girls in Sepsiszentgyörgy/Sfäntu Gheorghe (1926, 1932), a Calvinist primary school in the same town (1929), and the Art Gallery in Kolozsvár/Cluj designed in 1930 (realised: 1943). Kós spent significant time researching and solving the problems of modernising the rural village environment. The architect published pattern designs for buildings in a modern but artistic style, relying on locally available materials. He established an experimental Agricultural School and Model Farm in Bábony/Bábiu (1936) to bring to life his vision of agricultural reform. At the same time he created a studio and farm on the hill above Crow Castle where he farmed the land and kept animals, especially horses. He spread his views on agriculture as a teacher at the High School of Agriculture in Kolozsvár/Cluj during the 1940's and 50's. At the end of World War Two he had to flee from Sztána/Stana and move to Kolozsvár/Cluj. Crow Castle, the farm, the land, as well as the model farm were all destroyed. Crow Castle was later refurbished, but Kós was never able to return to live there. 178
