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

A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR

the schools in Székesfehérvár, quite the opposite to Fejér county where it was the responsibility of the church. The number of schools grew in the following decades, moreover overcrowded schools were enlarged. In the 1930s primary schools were built in the suburbs. Parallel to school building, social welfare institutions were opened. In addition to the formerly built orphanage, a home for the old-aged, a hospital and sanatoriums - the latter ones were established and maintained bv foundations - a reformatory school and a war-orphan institute were established. By the late 1900s the infrastructure of a modern town took shape. In spite of this, Székesfehérvár was still ranged among the agrarian towns. The only large-estate in Székesfehérvár was the property of the town, it was completely utilised in small-holdings as opposed to the county which was characterised in this period by the territorial dominance of large estates. A quarter of the fields were town property. The proportion of medium estates was insignificant, on the other hand more than half of the arable land were small-holdings. Székesfehérvár widelv differed from the county regarding the growing of field crops, particularly due to the low proportion of growing grain crops and the high proportion of root crops. About half of the town fields grew corn. Meadow and pasture management also differed considerably from the average. The exceptionally high rate of meadows was reached at the expense of pastures. Viticulture was similarly different from that of the country. The territory of viticulture was nearly the double of the national average. After the phylloxera invasion, due to the grafting station of Székesfehérvár most of the wine-growing area was planted with American-base grafts. During the development of the dualist period the population and the area of the town grew in unprecedented measure. A new quarter took shape at the eastern verge of the town, and in the 1 920s and 30s the town continued to develop in this direction. Owing to systematic town planning during the decades after the Compromise the town was enriched with new institutions and public buildings. The Treasury financed predominantly the building of institutes, major construction was started to house the army, the replacement centre and state offices. Town planning works related to the constructions greatly influenced the appearance of the town: parks, walks, squares were created.