Kenyeres István (szerk.): Urbs. Magyar Várostörténeti Évkönyv XVI. - Urbs 16. (Budapest, 2022)
Abstracts
Abstracts 471 Violetta Hídvégi Gábor Parragh (1822-1885), the Innovative Winemaker Gábor Parragh started wine production in the 1850s. He visited the wine-growing regions of our country to find suitable farmers. In the autumn of 1857, he opened his first wine agency and winery at 5 Lipót Street. For more than two decades, he ran a wine hall and restaurant in Pest, in the heart of the country. He was in contact with reliable farmers who guaranteed good quality. Initially offering wines from the Balaton region, including his own brand of Badacsonyi, the Sortiment included both white and red wines from the most important wine regions. In my presentation, I will use press reports to describe his wine halls that were housed in iconic places in the city. Kálmán Lisznyai (1821-1863) captured the special atmosphere of the Parragh inn in the early sixties in a poem. In 1865, he rented the popular beer hall addressed to Zrínyi, where he naturally also offered wine. Two years later, he had a new hall built for his activities in the Beleznay Garden, and after a while he moved his headquarters to the Komlókért. In addition to Gypsy music, Hungarian song groups performed in the wine halls. The educated man was an enthusiastic supporter of patriotic aspirations. The wine merchant succeeded also abroad. His wines from the Balaton region caused a sensation at the 1862 London World Exhibition. He also ran a wine business in Berlin, where he delivered not only wine but also grapes. His activities served both producers and consumers. He worked tirelessly for the efficiency of viticulture, the wine production and distribution. He published his ideas in journals and brochures. In March 1879 he proposed the creation of a department of viticulture and oenology within the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry and Trade. He called for the election of mountain councils and a correct wine trade. One of the best-known figures of his time, his work deserves to be remembered. Gergely Kovács Press Houses under the Tumi Monument The Role of Wine and Grapes in the Life of a Modem Industrial Town Today’s Tatabánya is not a town of historical significance in the traditional sense, it was created by the unification of four villages (Alsógalla, Felsőgalla, Bánhida, Tatabánya) in 1947, as the consequence of the rapid industrialisation of the Tatai basin, following the discovery of large quantities of coal resources at the end of the 19th century. Therefore, neither viticulture and wine production nor the income from wine distribution played as important a role as in other cities. At the same time, the press houses still
