A Veszprém Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 22. (Veszprém, 2002)

Mészáros Veronika: Család- és háztörténet egy Veszprém, Temető-hegyi régi német família tagjának emlékei alapján

FAMILY AND HOUSING HISTORY BASED ON THE RECOLLECTIONS OF A MEMBER OF AN OLD GERMAN FAMILY IN TEMETŐ-HEGY, VESZPRÉM This study presents the Veszprém section of the exhibition, "Housing history. On the track of Germans in the lands along the Danube," to be held in July 2002 by the Central Museum of Danube Swabians in Ulm. Details of my research relevant to this subject are reported here, based on the recollections of Mrs. Jánosné Debreczenyi, a member of an old German family from Temeto-hegy [Cemetery Hill]. The research is centred on Mrs. Jánosné Debreczenyi herself, as well as her Veszprém dwelling house. From the 17 hundreds, German families working in animal husbandry and agriculture settled in the Temeto-hegy district of the city of Veszprém. The unified nature of Temeto-hegy in terms of nationality disintegrated after World War II, and many young people from the German families moved to other districts of the city or to other settlements. Mrs. Jánosné Debreczenyi née Teréz Keller is a member of one of the German families of Hungary. Her ancestors settled in Veszprém county in the early 17 hundreds. Her parents, György Keller and Teréz Krammer, were married in 1928, then moved into number 8 Bakony Street in Temeto-hegy. Teréz Keller was bom here in 1929, followed by her siblings Erzsébet, Katalin and György. Anna Jung also lived with the family. They all have pleasant memories of this house and the years spent here. The political changes following the world war also altered the life of the Keller family. The resettlements of the 50s also affected the more distant relatives. As a result of the formation of co-operatives and the confiscation of property, the family, which had farmed in a traditional manner until that time, could no longer make a living in this way, and they were forced to take on work in a local factory. In the midst of the storms of histoiy, Teréz Keller married János Debreczenyi in 1949. For a few months, they lived in Bakony Street under rather strait circumstances, then they moved into rented accommodation in the neighbouring Szilvádi Street. Their son János was born here in 1950. They began building their new home in Szikra Street in 1952, and moved into it 1954. Then in 1956, their daughter Éva was born. The house originally had one room and a kitchen, and this was extended in 1962 with a further room and a bathroom. János Debreczenyi worked as a carpenter; he was a foreman. Mrs. Jánosné Debreczenyi worked continuously from 1958, then in a Veszprém factory from 1960 from where she retired in 1980. As a pensioner, she worked as a caretaker in the Veszprém Dezső Laczkó Museum. They educated their children: their son János learnt the architect's profession, and their daughter Éva political economics. Following his marriage, their son lived for three years with his parents, then moved out. He has two sons. Their daughter moved in with her husband, and has three children. They kept animals alongside the Szikra Street house: poultry and also pigs. They gave up keeping animals when János Debreczenyi fell ill. János Debreczenyi died of his sickness in 1982. Mrs. Jánosné Debreczenyi was left on her own, and since then has lived alone in the house. She is often visited by her children and grandchildren. In 1997, the outside of the house was completely renovated and transformed by Mrs. Jánosné Debreczenyi's son János Debreczenyi. Since the transformation, the house has borne the external features of the old German houses built in the 18 hundreds, indicating the emotional attachment of the Debreczenyi family to their German ancestry. 184