Kaján Imre (szerk.): Zalai Múzeum 21. Emlékkötet Mindszenty József tiszteletére. Muzeológiai tanulmányok Zala megyéről (Zalaegerszeg, 2013)
Muzeológiai tanulmányok - Kovács Zsuzsanna: Egy elfeledett, majd újra felfedezett vidék – 20. századi életmódváltozások a zalai falvakban
Egy elfeledett, majd egy újra felfedezett vidék — 20. századi életmódváltozások a zalai falvakban 261 A forgotten then rediscovered region - the 20th century changes of the lifestyle in the villages of Zala The author documented the changes of the lifestyle in the villages of Zala during the socialist era. One of the 20th century fundamental changes concerning the countryside, namely the change of the social class which transformed from a peasant society into a rural one can be described through the type of the so called „cube house”. The investigated houses built between 1960 and 1976 can be found in the settlements of Kávás, Gellénháza, Szentgyörgyvölgy, Nemesnép and Résznek. The rural population continued farming in their backyard small land during the decades of socialism after collectivization. Necessary buildings were also built on the area behind the „cube house” to maintain the farm. The goods produced in the land behind the house played an important role in the self- sufficiency of the families and in the country’s catering. The relationship of the population living there with the field was not lost even though they often did not work in the agricultural co-operative of the village, but in a nearby factory. The state supported commuting and access to variety of products and services with forced infrastructure development. The villages of Zala then successfully caught up to the national average, and the transformation from a peasant society into a rural society was completed, but the inhabitants of the villages remained in many ways attached to their former peasant lifestyle. This situation came to an end with the democratic transformation, because the artificially operating infrastructure deteriorated. The younger inhabitants of the settlements located far from towns migrated to cities or to nearby settlements with better transport facilities due to the shrinkage of the industry, the closure of agricultural co-operatives and the lack of jobs. Mostly the inactive age group due to retirement stayed in the villages. Disseminating new economic innovations would be required to retain rural population. The dying countryside can be revived with the help of the development funds from the European Union and detrimental long distances can be bypassed by using the World Wide Web. Translated by Lívia Simmer
