Agria 40. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2004)
Kiss Péter: Eger város „magyar Athén” elnevezésének története (1748–1944)
Péter Kiss The History of Eger as a "Hungarian Athens" (1748-1944) During the course of the 18 th century, from the episcopacy of István Telekessy (1699-1715) to that of Károly Eszterházy (1762-1799), the foundations of an educational system were laid which, with the help of subsequent additions, earned Eger the epithet of Hungarian Athens in the second half of the 19th century. The majority of the writers (also) writing on the subject of the Hungarian Athens in the local press, however, were not prepared to accept that Eger deserved such a title. It is a view which appears to be borne out by the evidence. The foundation of the seminary, the founding of a law faculty, the building of the Lyceum and the library with the intention that they should form part of a university, the setting up of the astronomical observatory, the establishing of the first medical school in Hungary, the foundation of the first printing press in Eger, the first art classes to be held in Hungary, the Barkóczy literary circle etc. all characterised life in Eger during the 18th century. In the following century, however, apart from the activities of Archbishop János László Pyrker, the town was unable to build on its earlier cultural progress. Instead of making developments and improvements, subsequent generations were able to do little more than consolidate their predecessors achievements. Nevertheless, the epithet Hungarian Athens only began to became associated with Eger during the second half of the 19 th century, while it only entered common usage in the final decade of the century. From the point of view of the validity of such a title the cultural history of the town suggests that it was the schools founded by the senior clergy during the course of the 18 th and 19 th centuries, and the resulting educational system which earned Eger, known in Latin as Agria, in German as Erlau, the designation Hungarian Athens. 312
