Múzeumi Füzetek Csongrád 1. (Csongrád, 1998.)

Erdélyi Péter: Csongrád város rövid históriája

PÉTER ERDÉLYI The short history of the town of Csongrád The settling Hungarians borrowed the Slavic name of the town. Cserni Grad, Black Castle was the name of the Bulgarian-Turkish earthwork made before the Hungarian conquest of that territory. A document made in 1075 proves that already Saint Stephen made this fortress to the seat of the county. Because of the crossing on the river Tisza Csongrád was mentioned as a great and prosperous market town in the 12

th century. After the town was destroyed by the Tartars in 1242 the county-seat was transferred to Szeged In 1542 the Turkish troops occupied the city which then became a centre of the district. The Turks bult a new fortress in Csongrád. The population of the town was around 1200. According to the assessment of taxes there was a flourishing agriculture. Csongrád, after the liberation from the Turks in 1686, became the agricultural town of the Károlyi counts. To the 19

th century the number of the inhabitants rose to 12000. Tobacco-growing, viniculture and milling industry were the most important parts of the local economy. A great number of soldiers from Csongrád helped the war of independence in 1848/49 (from Csongrád). Lajos Kossuth recruited soldiers in the autumn of 1848. In the last days of the war the Habsburg troops set Csongrád on fire. In the 19

th century 40 percent of the population lived and worked on farmsteads around the town. The controll of the river Tisza encouraged water-traffic. The economical growth was helped by the railways built in 1888. In the 20

th century Csongrád became urbanized. Public buildings and hotels were built and the population became approximately 28.000. Small and middle holders dominated the agriculture. 2-3000 person worked as navvy ('kubikos'). Local economy stagnated after the war. Industrialisation, the development of furniture, mechanical and textile industry started in the 1960s. Viniculture became an important element of agriculture. Parallel to the infrastructural changes tourism turned to be more and more important. However, the population is decreasing, the local government would like to preserve and enrich the value of the town, Csongrád.