Körmöczi Katalin szerk.: Historical Exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum 3 - From the End of the Turkish Wars to the Millennium - The history of Hungary in the 18th and 19th centuries (Budapest, 2001)

ROOM 10. Hungary in the 18th Century (Gábor Németh)

of the peasantry. Tessedik, a Lutheran pastor and teacher, founded an agricultural school and model farm at Szarvas to encourage intensive farming and to broaden agricultural knowledge among the peasants. He played a part in organizing the Georgikon agricultural college at Keszthely. His work analyzing the situation of the peasantry and his plan for a market-garden at Nagyszentmiklós (Sinnicolau Mare) recall Tessedik's work. The formula of the socage settlement introduced by Maria Theresia recalls to the royal measures. The Socage Patent issued on January 23, 1767 regulated serf burdens throughout the country. The guide to it was printed in the languages of the nationalities, too. The so-called Peasant Baroque cabinet, representing the folk version of Baroque art, is a good indication of the circumstances of the better-off market-town peasantry engaged in agricultural commodity production, and of the lesser nobility which, to all in intents and purposes, lived on an identical level. On the shelves of the cabinet, which is made from soft wood, there are late Habans faiance dishes made by potters in Upper Hungary. LIFE IN THE ROYAL FREE TOWNS AND THE MINING TOWNS The life of the burghers continued to be lived within the traditional frameworks of the royalfree towns and mining towns. The burghers, who were for the most part of German origin, were engaged primarily in trade and industry. Moderate progress was discernible on the level of urbanization. The economic policy and the tariff system of the Habsburgs discriminated against Hungarian commerce and industry, and assigned to the country the role of market and agricultural supplier, in accordance with its level of economic development. The importance of cattle, wine and grain exports continued during the 18th century. The mines were run by the treasury. During the 18th century a general change was discernible in the fields of lifestyle and culture. Striking signs of this appeared in the form of Baroque townscapes. Towns destroyed during the Turkish occupation were rebuilt in the Baroque style, while those that were spared the fighting acquired parish churches, churches belonging to religious orders, aristocratic palaces, town houses and public buildings all bearing the stamp of Baroque architecture. Large-scale building operations began in the cathedral towns. Townscapes made after drawings by A. W. F. Bernhardt (1690-1778) faithfully depict the changes that took place. The ornaments in relief made from gilded copper sheet are from the clock from the tower of the onetime town hall in Brassó. Tableware in burgher households consisted of ceramic, pewter and-copper items. In Upper Hungary the ceramics traditions of the Habans lived on. Faiance, and from the end of the century onwards chinaware, was produced at centres on the great seigniorial estates. Items of goldsmith's work were made by craftsmen grouped together into guilds, and the pewterware items do honour to the tankard-makers settled in the larger towns. Vessels used in apothecaries' shops are evidence of items and living standards of a higher level. Besides the objects recalling burgher life at this time, one particular table centrepiece deserves attention. This consists of a mountain formed from mineral ore on a Baroque gilded silver pedestal, together