Bereczki Ibolya - Nagyné Batári Zsuzsanna - Sári Zsolt: Ház és Ember, A Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum évkönyve 26. (Szentendre, Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, 2014)
H. CSUKÁS GYÖRGYI: A Bakony, Balatonfelvidék tájegység története a megvalósulásig
Györgyi H. Csukás HISTORY OF THE REGIONAL UNIT BAKONY, BALATON-UPLANDS UP TO ITS COMPLETION The study describes the history of the regional unit ’Bakony, Balaton-Uplands’ from the time of the Museum’s foundation up to the completion of the unit based on publications, archive documents and the personal experience of the author who has been in charge of the regional unit. The first plans included already the idea of the regional unit - then under the name Balaton-region, Central Transdanubia, and renamed finally as ’Bakony, Balaton- Uplands’ - to represent a region where stone became almost the only building material used by every social layer in the 18th-19th century, a unique phenomenon in Hungary. Although at the time of its founding, the Museum’s main goal was the presentation of regions with characteristic architecture and for this purpose buildings have been selected according to architectural considerations, the buildings chosen in the I 960s represented also the social stratification and financial standing as well as the special economic circumstances of the population of both small regions. From 1969 on, under the guidance of director Tamás HOFFMANN, following concept was decisive: the regional units consisted of complex buildings selected according to architecture historic and settlement historic as well as economy and social historic aspects, which, unlike park museums, had to be arranged according to settlement patterns characteristic for the given region. In compliance with this concept, the buildings have been selected and a settlement plan was made. Further to the four farmyards, sacred and communal buildings (Roman Catholic church, Calvary, Roman Catholic cemetery, communal well and wash-house, fire station, oil mill, water mill) and press-house cellars in the vineyard should be built. Relocation of several buildings was not possible either because they were protected monuments or they were used by the community or for other reasons, therefore exact replicas had to be built. The period represented by the architectural appearance of the buildings and of their fitting furnishing was subject to the availability of suitable objects. Since it became more and more difficult in Hungary’s most touristic region to find the artifacts needed to evoke the 19th century in the interiors, we forcibly had to approach the exhibition’s period to the present time in contrast to earlier presentations. In case of the water mill however, we were able to reconstruct the state as it was in the mid-19th century thanks to archive sources, plan drawings and inventories. The regional unit was built between 1997 and 2000 and was a contribution to the millennium festivities. Unlike earlier practice, the construction work was carried out by external enterprises within the terms of a tender. The constructors were not familiar with traditional technologies: therefore a strict supervising was required during the construction process. In the meantime the Balaton-Uplands region was declared a national park and the quarries ceased to work. Most of the buildings had to be constructed with stone brought from other areas. Local stone material from dismantled buildings was enough for fences and outbuildings without plastering. Several buildings in the regional unit are authentic replicas. Thanks to possibilities resulting from ten-ders purchasing of artifacts and restoration work could be speeded up. In some cases we made replica of interior decoration objects modeled after the objects in other museums. We popularized the building process of the regional unit in Veszprém County, where our buildings originate from, with several newspaper articles and exhibitions. We were permanently in close contact with the colleagues of the Museum Dezső Laczkó in Veszprém. They helped us in restoring work and with borrowed objects. We were extremely pleased by the excellent collaboration offered by the society, which was noticeable during the opening ceremony: the villages sent big delegations to attend the ceremony, which was opened by Hungary’s president Ferenc Mádl, distinguished son of Veszprém county. Following buildings have been completed by the time of the opening: the village centre with the Roman Catholic church, the well, the wash-house and the fire station, three farmsteads along the road to the church and a fourth farm opposite the road, further the water mill from Nyirád, the Calvary from Gyulafirátót and the Roman Catholic cemetery. The oldest dwelling house was built in 1754, the furnishing however evokes the time between mid-9th century and the 1940s in different time segments. The dwelling houses display the lifestyle and interior patterns of the population in a region, where due to eco- logic circumstances land cultivation and animal husbandry were less important. The economy was based on forest exploitation in the Bakony region and on viniculture in the Balaton-Uplands. Therefore it is regrettable that the press-house cellars on the vineyard have not been completed. 44
