A Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Levéltár évkönyve 10. 1983 (Debrecen, 1983)

Tanulmányok - Radics Kálmán: Művelődési viszonyok Hajdúnánáson (1945-1956)

események a kulturális életben is súlyos, hosszú távon érződő károkat okoztak; az eszmei tisztázásra, a fejlődés irányába ható változásokra csak 1957-től, a konszolidációval párhuzamosan kerülhetett sor.

Cultural Conditions at Hajdúnánás

Additional details to the history of the extramural cultural activities, 1945—1956

by Kálmán Radies

The urbanization of Hajdúnánás started after the granting of a charter to the

town at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The town had a branch of the

Debrecen Reformed College. In the first period the church,the schools and the family palyed an important role in general education. „Secular” education became more intensive from the nineteenth century onwards. From 1840 onwards reading circles, clubs and choral sociaties were formed, and the functioning of the press, publications of local newspapers, then the film, the radio, and more recently the television provided cultural opportunities for those whowanted them.

The paper analyses the first period of the building of socialism, and the extracurricular education of hardly more then ten years. Until the establishment of the

proletarian dictatorship the free education based on coalition was characteristic of the country, and of Hajdúnánás as well. The period can be characterized by the "Winter Nights” programmes organized by the Szabad Föld, singing competitions, exhibitions, special courses, the organizing of the people’s college but, at the same time, by the gradual decline of the reading circles. The centennial celebration in 1948, for expamle had of large-scale preparation and comprised of mixed programmes. After the formation of the councils administration became centralized, cultural activities were concentrated mainly in the cultural centre, then later the activities were extended to the factories and workshops.

As far as musical education is concerned,school choirs, the Industrial Choral Society, and the Town Choir were of primary importance. The paper presents the indexes of lectures and special courses for the general public. The early „great hall” programmes of the house of culture had, already in the examined period, begun to be replaced by the functioning of professional circles and artistic groups uhich encouraged more activities. The library was established in 1950 and by 1956 it had nearly 5000 books and 1000 readers. Although the town does not have a museum of its own, it gave a rich ethnographic collection to the Déri Museum and the Hajdúság Museum.

The cinemas — Uránia and Bocskai — provided possibilities for popular entertainment, and in 1954 an open-air cinema was built.

Те local newspapers were printed by the local press until 1952, the year of their cessation.

Sport was carried on through the activities of various clubs (EDOSZ „Kinizsi SK”, ’’Petőfi SK”, ’’Traktor Sportegyesület”, „Bástya Sportkör”).

To sum up, it can be said that the extramural cultural activities in period under discussion were subjected to the political atmosphere, and the results and mistakes can be largely attributed to this fact. During the coalition period cultural activities were colourful but interspersed with retrograde elements. The formation of the coundils brought centralization and a more organized cultural activity but, at the same time, a quantitative attitude and agitation for culture. The events of 1956 caused a break in the cultural activities as in the other walks of life. A more dialectical approach and consolidation could begin only from 1957.

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