H. Szilasi Ágota - Várkonyi Péter - Bujdosné Pap Györgyi - Császi Irén (szerk.): Agria 51. (Az egri Dobó István Vármúzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2018)
Löffler Erzsébet: Az egriség. Egri identitás kérdése Bakó Ferenc kutatásaiban
Bakó Ferenc - Slakta Tibor 1996 Eger és környéke útikalauz. Grafotip Reklám és Kereskedelmi Kft., Eger. Dercsényi Dezső - Voit Pál 1969,1972,1978 Heves megye műemlékei I III. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest. Király Júlia 2007 Az Eger Vára Barátainak Köre egyesület története. In: Az Egri Vár Híradója 39. Eger Vára Barátainak Köre, Eger 3-38. Kovács Béla (szerk.) 1972 Múzeumi kiállítóhelyek Heves megyében. Heves Megyei Múzeumi Szervezet, Eger. Erzsébet Löffler EGER ROOTS THE SENSE OF BELONGING TO EGER IN FERENC BAKÓ’S RESEARCH It is well known that every citizen of our town is proud to belong here, whether they were born in Eger or moved here at a later stage in their lives. Even those who had left the town and have been living elsewhere for decades, even abroad, are proud of their roots. Commissioned by the Eger Patriots’ Association, Ferenc Bakó wrote a study entitled Egriség (Egri öntudat a múltban és ma) (Belonging to Eger - Eger Identity in the Past and the Present) which was published by the Association in 1994 in the form of a booklet. This heightened sense of local identity has several contributing factors, the most important of which is the sense of pride in the heroic and successful victory over the sieging Ottomans in 1552. This feeling became even more intense after the publication of Géza Gárdonyi’s novel entitled Egri Csillagok (Eclipse of the Crescent Moon), in which the writers depiction of the heroism, courage, perseverance and determination of the castles defenders (among them the women of Eger) was even more exaggerated. There are several other reasons for Eger’s “fame”: its thousand-year history, the name “Hungary’s Athens” which refers to the town’s cultural life, the Eger wines, its medicinal waters and the built environment, ft is no surprise that everyone from Eger is deservedly proud of their local identity. In his abovementioned study Ferenc Bakó is trying the find answers as to who can be considered a true patriot of Eger and how did the town’s population emerge and develop during the past millennium. Viticulture was established in and around Eger by Walloon and Italian settlers during the first centuries of the bishoprics. The Ottoman rule led to a certain degree of decline. After expelling the occupiers around 300 Turkish families stayed behind in the town. Later the population grew with German and Hungarian craftsmen, Serbian and Greek merchants and from the 19th century with Jewish middle- class people: craftsmen, tradesmen and intellectuals. Based on this it seems that the citizens of this town cannot be identified by their ethnicity or origins. Belonging to Eger means much more; we represent a higher value. But who is a “true Eger patriot” then? Everyone, who contributed to the town’s values in any way. Ferenc Bakó was one ot them. Although he was not born in Eger and his surname was changed to sound more Hungarian, he was a truly genuine local, whose work not only enhanced the town’s reputation, but the significance ofhis scientific achievements goes beyond the borders of the town and even the country. He was a true local. 154
