Magyar Hírek, 1988 (41. évfolyam, 1-22. szám)
1988-06-24 / 12. szám
In our previous issue Lake Balaton and its environs were presented in words and pictures with the intention of offering useful ideas to those who will visit Hungary in the weeks or months to come and would like to familiarise themselves with the gentle prospect provided by this great fresh water expanse. One of the articles is about the water-mill of Örvényes just behind the Tihany peninsula, on the hilly northern shore. The old mill mentioned already in a document dated 1211, is powered by the Pécsely burn on its way to the lake. It was restored by János Molnár, the scion of an ancient family of millers. He put it in working order again and I remember meeting him about twenty years ago at the mill, to which people take their grain from long distances, because it is generally believed that stone ground flour is better and tastes better than that produced by modern machines. János Molnár has died since then but the mill is run by his widow, who is happy to show it to visitors together with the colourful and interesting folk-art collection established by János Molnár. Another article is on a wind-mill that still operates in the hamlet of Tés in the Bakony hills. The present owner, József Helt, comes from a long line of millowners, a family which passed the mill on from father to son. Provided the wind was favourable he used to grind about four hundredweights of flour a day. Although it is still in working order the mill is now rather a tourist attraction. There is another extraordinary spectacle, there, the fantastic rockorgan on the northern side of Mount Szent György, evidence of long ceased volcanic activity. Baroque press-houses dot the vineyards covering the hill; there is a Baroque chapel as well built in 1775 by the Tóti—Lengyel family. Dr Ferenc Zákonyi, the octagenarian polymath of the Balaton district, talked about a notable feature in Balatonfüredi the Hindu holy grove started with the painting in 1926, of a lime tree, by Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel-prize winner Indian poet and painter, after he recovered from a heart complaint at Balatonfüred. In later years four Indian prime ministers—including Indira Gandhiplanted trees at the lake-side esplanade, where Tagore's statue stands, a present of the Indian government to Hungary. Hindus look on the place as their own sacred grove and many of them come to pluck a leaf from Tagore's tree. Protection of the environment Professor Bruno Straub, the biologist and Chairman of the Environment Protection Committee of Parliament issued a statement about the preservation of the purity of the water and the environment of Lake Balaton. He mentioned that stockbreeding stations were removed from the vicinity of the lake, efforts were made to preserve the natural character of the coastal zone and a ban was imposed on further building. A 22 km2 natural protection system was established at Kis-Balaton, which filters and settles the silt of River Zala, which flows into the lake. Sándor Rosta, general secretary of the Balaton Executive Committee pointed out that an unmatchedly rich water fauna and flora has developed in the protected zone of Kis-Balaton. Even the tufted herons have returned. By 1992 the protected zone will be enlarged by a further 45 km2. Water samples are taken regularly at 40 points of the lake—said Sándor Rosta—and these show that the water in the eastern basin of the lake is now faultless, at the resorts of the northern shore it is good, and in the Keszthely bay it is satisfactory. A scientific conference on the lakes of the world will be held this September at Keszthely with the participation of limnologists and hydrologists from nearly one-hundred countries. Since the Balaton district offers not only rest, sun, water-sports but also great opportunities for eating and drinking pleasures, I ventured to Church in Baroque style of Mount of Szentqyörqy give an account of this subject in a short article, which recalled mainly the taste of Lake Balaton fish; among them the succulent white fogas which is tastiest when it is served grilled redish-brown, with head and tail curling up. One must, naturally, drink the wine of Lake Balaton. Excellent white wines are produced there from grapes grown on soils covering ancient volcanoes, such as the elegant Badacsonyi Kéknyelű, a wine of fine bouquet, or the Szürkebarát, or the Badacsony Riesling. There are some fiery, full-bodies red wines too, such as the Tihany Zweigelt or the Tihany Pinot Noir. If you take my advice, however, you will not overlook the local wines. Wherever you travel in the Balaton area you will find it worthwile to taste them. The best places to taste them are the cellars of the vine dressers—or sitting in front of a cellar up on the slope of a hill covered in vines. The Szépmíves Céh of Erdély István Nemeskürty wrote an article in commemoration of the Erdélyi Szépmíves Céh, the literary workshop of Hungarian intellectual life that flourished between the two world wars and of Helikon, its journal. It marks the sixtieth anniversary of the first issue of that paper. Károly Kós, Ernő Ligeti, József Nyirö, Árpád Pál and István Zágoni signed the appeal for funds to establish the Erdélyi Szépmíves Céh. which was published on the 20th of March in the Kolozsvár newspaper, Keleti Újság. Baron János Kemény, invited Hungarian writers of Transylvania to regular meetings at his chateau at Marosvécs. The writers’ association—the Erdélyi Szépmíves Céh— continued to regularly publish books right up to 1944. It played a leading part in Hungarian literature in Transylvania. They began publishing Helikon. their journal, in 1928, with Count Miklós Bánffy as editor. The Céh cultivated friendly literary connections with Rumanian and German-speaking writers and poets, in Rumania, organized literary evenings in Bucharest and welcomed Rumanian writers as well at the Marosvécs meetings. Helikon as well as the Szépmíves Céh also held meetings in Budapest. In a single year (1934) Transylvanian writer and poets held meetings in 15 towns in Hungary. The imperishable importance of the zeal of Count Miklós Bánffy and his circle was evidenced by the great number of outstanding writers and poets Transylvania gave to Hungary. Linen-bound volumes of the Erdélyi Szépmíves Céh, bearing the red-andblue coat of arms are still the pride of the bookshelves of many a family. In those days the publications of the Céh were freely accessible not only in Transylvania but also across the border. Associations, clubs, circles István Javorniczky, in an article in the present issue, writes about a hopeful new trend in Hungary: the growing number of associations, clubs and circles founded by various groups to serve a great variety of activities and purposes. This development started during the early eighties—and did not meet with the unanimous enthusiasm of officialdom. Vague pretexts sufficed in some cases to deny permission, as in the case of some people in Dunapataj village, where permission to found a local club was denied because the founders wished to use the arms of the village which was declared “an infringement” by an official of the local council. Though present regulations give too much scope to such bureaucratic caprice, as a consequence of an irresistable groundswell a great number of associations, clubs, circles have been founded recently and continue to exist. When an initiative to found a National Ecological Association was rejected by officialdom, the Association came into being nonetheless under the aegis of the Patriotic People’s Front. The inhabitants of Mecseknádasd, a village in southern Hungary, founded an ecological association to thwart a projected burial ground of nuclear waste in the proximity of their village, debating societies came into being such as the Széchenyi Casino or the Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Association, which are keeping topical questions on their agenda. Public discussions are being organized on subjects like the slowing down of the reform, the impoverishment of certain sections of the population, greater democracy, openness, etc. The Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Association— which bears the name of a prominent member of the anti-fascist resistance during the Second World War—is playing a considerable part in helping Hungarian refugees from Transylvania, in conjunction with the Hungarian Red Cross. At present 5395 associations are registered in the country. After the enactment of a new—more liberal —law on associations during the autumn session of Parliament, their number and the scope of their activity may well grow essentially. ZOLTÁN HALÁSZ 29
