Magyar News, 1993. szeptember-1994. augusztus (4. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1994-01-01 / 5. szám
Last year the town of Fairfield entered into a sister-city relationship with Tatabánya, Hungary. This decision was made in view that Hungarians are the largest ethnic community in the town of Fairfield, with about 12% of the population. The first Selectman, Mrs. Jacquelyn Durrell, her husband Richard and the Reverend Dr. Alexander Havadtoy visited Tatabánya in the Fall of 1992 and participated at the unveiling of the famous Turul monument We felt that it would be important to know something about the history and development of this Hungarian city. Tatabánya is situated about 35 miles West of Budapest on the main highway leading to Vienna, between the mountain ranges of the Dunántúl. The forests which are rich in game and the sheltered caves and fertile lands lying at the foot of the mountains made this place ideal for human habitations. The archeological excavations show that this place was inhabited already in the Old Stone Age. The remains of two prehistoric men were discovered here in 1962, indicating the existence of a prehistoric colony dating back about 400,000 years. In the middle period of the Paleolithic Age, at the time of the culture of the Neanderthal man, hunting groups settled on this territory. One of their most important places of existence is the Szelim-cave which is the most beautiful place of excursion in Tatabánya. This period leads us back about 150,000 years, when the Neanderthal man specialized in hunting for cave bears, woolbearing rhinoceroses, colossal deer, horses and mammoths as well, whose remains have been unearthed. The history of the colony continues in the Upper Paleolithic Age, which is already the era of Homo Sapiens and his direct ancestors living in the Ice Age. Large openair hunting camps located on river banks from this era were discovered lately. At the very end of the Ice Age, the territory was abandoned by the hunting groups and they were replaced by another people living in the Neolithic Age. This is also called the Polished Stone Age, a period named after the new technic of stone working, which meant a great change in the life of the European peoples. It was the beginning of land cultivation and animal husbandry. This culture had its greatest prosperity between 4,500-4,000 B.C. as the large numbers of pottery findings indicate. In the Copper Age land cultivation, largescale cattle-breeding and shepherding provided an easier subsistence. This can be observed mainly in the pottery made in the late Copper Age. This was followed by a new era, the Bronze Age, named by its large um cemeteries. Tatabánya became one of the centers of bronze industry and trade, and at the same time directed the life on the adjacent territories. The peoples mentioned so far are known to us by their way of life, traditions and the development of their handcrafts. After this period there are written sources left to us as well. On the basis of these sources we are familiar with the names of the people who settled here and with the important aspects of their history. The Fust people living on this territory known from written sources are of Celtic origin. The migration of Celts began from areas north of the Alps and reached Transdanubia in the 4th century B.C. They were the people who used the potter’s wheel for the fust time in the history of mankind. The usage of iron objects became general in all spheres of life in that era, the so-called Iron Age. Minting appeared in the Carpathian basin due to their activity. During the time of our Lord the late Celtic groups were conquered by the Roman Empire, extending her power as far as the Danube. The local population continued to live its own traditional life until they merged with the Roman civilization. Tatabánya became one of the important sections of the Roman military defense line. The Roman influence radically altered all spheres of life, such as housing, building construction and intellectual activities. The period starting with the fall of the Roman Empire till the Hungarian conquest, TATABÁNYA, SISTE Dr. Alexa is the era of the migration of peoples. Several German tribes among them the Goths threatened first the Roman cities. Then came the Longobards into Pannónia at the beginning of the 5th century. The short reign of the Longobards was followed by the appearance of the Avar tribes from 567. The 250-year-long Avar domination established a unified political power in the Carpathian basin. That era can be regarded as one of the most important ones in the history of Tatabánya. The Asian type of iron stirrup with long lugs was brought to the Carpathian basin by the Avars revolutionized die equestrian tactics throughout Europe. The Avar cemetery discovered in Tatabánya reveals the life and customs of a highly organized and beautiful people. Although the Avar Empire collapsed at the end of the 8th century, the Avar people themselves lived on this territory up to the Hungarian conquest. Since they were related to the Hungarians, probably speaking a similar language, they easily melted into the Hungarian tribes. According to old legends, which are not substantiated by historical findings, the Hungarian leader, Árpád, defeated the army of the Moravian king. Svatopluk, in Bánhida, which is Tatabánya today in 896, thus opening up Pannónia for Hungarian domination. This legend became so widely known that it its remembrance one of the millennium monuments, the Turul bird, was erected on the peak of Gerecse mountain, above Tatabánya, following the millennial celebrations of 1896. Tatabánya came into being through the merger of three ancient villages dating back to the conquest of Árpád. They were Bánhida, Kisgalla and Nagygalla, which later were called Alsógalla and Felsögalla. The views of the villages in the Middle The Town Hall Hospital Community Center page 4
