The chronicle of Eger Tobacco Factory

The factory-under construction

In 1893 negotiations were taken up again with regard to setting up a factory in Eger. “Prime Minister Sándor Wekerle, having studied authentic reports from the Royal Hungarian Finance Minister, made a promise, once more, to definitely include the costs of building a tobacco factory in Eger in next year’s budget,” the weekly Eger wrote on 25 April 1893. The same paper reported in June that “city authorities have begun recruiting women for workers in the Eger Tobacco Factory. Over 600 women have applied so far. Recruiting is not over, however; anyone interested may still apply at the city authorities.” The Royal Hungarian Tobacco Excise Office sent Finance Secretary of State Béla Graenzenstein to Eger in early January 1894 to discuss with city aldermen were the new factory should be built. They also agreed that the women would be trained in the Crown Hotel. They visited the proposed sites for the factory. In March rooms at the Crown Hotel were converted to accommodate the training sessions. Four large rooms were rebuilt as classrooms, and a few suites to accommodate the experts leading the course. István Rónai Tobacco Excise Officer moved into one of them and put immense energy into organizing the teaching of cigar-producing skills. He assessed the manpower situation, appointed workers and leaders and, using tobacco leaves brought from Szeged, cigar production commenced in the rooms of the hotel. Cigars were, then, manufactured in Eger in a temporary residence, with the help of temporarily posted trainers, in a rather temporary fashion. The door, however, was open, and the city gradually set foot in the narrow gap.

Strung tobacco leaves