Dóka Klára: Szentendre története írásos emlékekben. (Pest Megyei Múzeumi Füzetek XIII. Szentendre, 1981)

In 1767 the town passed on to the proprietorship of the Hungarian Treasury, but her inhabitants did not become serves even at that time. In 1773 the Treasury made a contract with them on the basis of which the inhabitants were obliged to pay a yearly lease of 6000 Forints to the manor. The town administration was reorganized and the procedure of collecting the town's incomes was settled. The social structure of the population stabilised by the 1800s and in compliance with the given economic conditions, new settlers could be received only as labourers. The Hungarian national revolution of 1848 did not bring about significant changes in the town's life. The Serbians did not stand on the side of the fight for independence from the Habs'burgs, but they also did not render help to the Austrians like their related ethnic groups in the southern regions. From 1871 Szentendre obtained the status of a „corporate town", the magistrates of which controlled economic activity, health provisions, public security etc. In 1886 Szentendre entered into a contract with the Financial Directorate, the successor to the Treasury. By force of this contract the town could get rid of her debts to the former proprietor by paying a fixed sum. Also during the 19th century vine-growing was the main factor of economic life and the development of industry came to a halt. The burghers having grown rich had no ambitions to establish factories, vine-growing being less hazardous. The social stratum of industrial workers did not develop either, as the impoverished handicraftsmen, both masters and journeymen, looked for work rather in the vineyards than in the workshops of their rich fellows. The town got into a tragic situation caused by the Phylloxera, the dangerous vine-pest : the agriculture based on monocultural vinegrowing collapsed. In 1895 only 80 „hold"-s of planted vineyard existed in the town's district. The destroyed vineyards were turned into pastures, meadows and orchards. But tillage needed by far less manpower than viticulture. The income of the families living on agriculture diminished and the former vine-dressers became workless. The excess of manpower could find employment neither in industry, nor could they transmigrate to the surrounding localities, the vineyards having been destroyed in those regions, too. There was no choice for them but to seek employment in the factories of Öbuda, Buda and Pest that meant to attach themselves to the large city. These circumstances demanded a more developed infrastructure, the starting of the railway construction. The wealth of the town gained through vine-growing could not be attained by making use of the new opportunities. The two cen207