A Historical and Archival Guide to Székesfehérvár (Székesfehérvár, 2003)

A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR

building of the Southern railway line in 1861. The town was joined to the Budapest-Vienna line with this branch line. The Veszprém-Celldömölk line was completed in 1872, and bv the building of the Börgönd line in 1896 the town joined the Budapest-Dombóvár mainline as well. In 1898 local needs made it necessary to build the Székesfehérvár-Bicske line, which was regarded as an agricultural line. The town became a county centre and its development slowed down for a longer period. Accepting the new situation and making the most of its potentiality was reached only after the Compromise of 1867. The town's regional administrative function remained, in fact it further increased when state institutions were moved here in the last decade of the 19

th century. Furthermore, the town became an educational and economic centre. At the same time its importance as commercial centre fell considerablv. The town tried to draw attention mainly with its programmes. Just to mention the most important ones, the national Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1872, and the national art, industrial, crop, and animal exhibition that opened on 1 July 1879. The exhibitions were planned and arranged by count Jenő Zichy. Two years of preparations followed his proposal at the general meeting of the Agricultural Society of Fejér county. It is less known, but the second national craftsmen assembly was organised in Székesfehérvár in the same vear in May, and in June the second national farmer congress and exhibition, which was the start-point for the agrarian political movement. Count Nándor Zichy, the former MP of the town took great part in the organisation tasks of the congress. The establishment of several banks in Székesfehérvár is connected to him. The town, just as it is now, became a regional banking centre during the vears after the Compromise. The Savings Bank of Székesfehérvár mentioned above was followed by a new bank in the late 1860s, the Commercial Bank of Székesfehérvár, which functioned later as the branch office of the Austrian - Hungarian Bank. The management of the Commercial Bank of Székesfehérvár established the Savings Bank of Fejér county in 1872. By the first decade of the 20

th centurv the banking network had been formed, which was determinant in the following decades of the bourgeois period. This structure changed in great extent during the 1930s - 40s due to the fusion of savings banks. By this time the number of mutual aid organisa-