Héjjas Pál - Horváth M. Ferenc: Régi képeslapok - Old postcards - Alte Ansichtskarten, 1896 - 1950 - Váci Történelmi Tár 2. (Vác, 2001)

Város a Duna partján - történeti áttekintés

inhabitants fled and died during the already raging plague. Vak Bottyán, the town's Kurutz defender fell victim to the plague too. The Rákóczi freedom fight was favourable for the devotees of Reformation, but as soon as the freedom fight was over the Reformed part of the population could not return to town when the Counter Reformation gained ground. In 1712 Zsigmond Kollonits, the then Bishop of Vác permitted their settlement but only outside the town at a few 100 m distance from the Viennese Gate at the northern boundary. A serf commune, Kisvác was established here, which preserved its independence until 1769 being under the Bishop's authority. A completely destroyed, burnt out town which experienced a lot of trouble and pain, Vác starts off its restoration to heal the deep wounds of the inhabitants after the Turkish rule and Rákóczi's freedom fight in much more relaxed conditions. The fire of 1731 annihilated the already commenced works of rebuilding at the sacrifice of huge physical and mental efforts. Following this according to new town development plans preserving the mediaeval structure of the inner town core and expanding its outer frontiers - demolished the town walls, filled up the trenches thus enabling the special extensions suitable to the baroque atmosphere of the period. The ruinous territory of the castle hadn't been used by anybody for a while. For a few decades - until the completion of the new Cathedral and Episcopal Palace - the center of the secular and ecclesiastical life were in the Main Square. According to new plans however, the previous center of the ecclesiastical management was transferred to Constantine Square. The ruinous area of the castle which is separated from the town and the comparatively narrow Main Square were not suitable for harbouring the new Cathedral, which with its size and surrounding free space suggests the absolutism of the Roman Catholic religion, the power and wealth of the church. The building of the new ecclesiastical center was started by Bishop Frederic Michael and Charles Althann and was accomplished by Archbishop Christopher Migazzi. They had St Michael's church in the Main Square demolished and built the new cathedral closer to the secular center, closer to the people's everyday life and opposite to it the new Episcopal Palace. Likewise, the Theological Seminary, the Piarist Secondary School, the lower town Parish church and several canons' houses were built in this square. The secular center remained in the Main Square. The new City Hall was built in its center in 1764, which is outstanding from the other buildings not because of its size but because of its proportionate beauty. The Main Square wasn't only the administrative- but also the commercial center of the town. The market was here, most of the tradesmen lived here and the wealthiest merchants opened their shops here. The hospital of the order of Mercy, the Dominican convent and the great provost palace were in this square. All those special secular and ecclesiastical buildings, living- and commercial houses, convents and monasteries, Canons' Houses and restaurants were built in the second half of the 16 century, which define the atmosphere of the inner town to the present day. In the Market Square there are only one-story houses, two story ones are rare exceptions showing the less wealthy way of life of the bishopric, the collegiate church and town burghers. Further away from the town center the ground level houses of the poorer tradesmen, merchants and serfs are set up. The embellishment of the town belonged to the conscious building activity of the Baroque Age. In Bishop Migazzi's time buildings were regulated, drainage system built, bridges erected, streets paved, sidewalks and a rampart on the filled up bank of the Danube were built. They planted a line of trees here and to embellish the town they planted mulberry trees in public streets and squares. The proper setting for urban coexistence, administration, religious life and education was established in the 30 years following liberation. The squire bishops issued measures and regulations in which they laid down detailed methods for administration and often the expected ethical standards for town clerks and ordinary inhabitants. The landowner and the town renewed their socage contract every three years. In this they laid down that the town could buy off their duty and produce contribution, and in these conditions they could lease lesser royal beneficial interests and use the forests. Vác from the 1710's fought a battle to free itself from seigniorial dependence, to gain the rank of the free royal town but they could not produce the non-recurring expropriation amount of ^0,000 forints according to the deal. So, they disposed of some privileges - customs, national fair- and weekly market holding rights - but their operational rules and charters were regulated by the landowners. The chapter of Vác - containing 6 secular priests, canons - was mentioned in a document first in 1190 and as a genuine place in 1227. The prebendary which ceased to exist in Turkish times was reorganized in 1700 with 5 old and 7 new parishes. In 1808 King Franciscus I donated a crucifix to the prebendary with the image of St Charles of Borrome. The head of the prebendary was the grand provost. One of the prebends could hold the rank of lesser provost from 1769. The trial between the bishopric and prebendary influenced the town's development. The issue at stake was that the prebendal wealth held in possession by the bishopric in Turkish times in what proportions and in what way should get back to the corporate body. Based on the Kollonits contract bound in 1712 - among other thingsthey only shared the contingent of the proceeds in a 7/8-1/8 proportion between the bishopric and the prebendary. From December 1742 they shared the properties too. That's how the town of Vác itself was divided into Bishop-Vác and PrebendaryVác with separate councils and magistrates. The town was multi coloured not only from a denominational but also from an ethnic point of view. At the beginning of the 18 century one third of the population consisted of settlers from the Germanic language territory. But there were Czechs, Poles, Moravians, Slovenians, Southern Slavic, French and Italian too. They assimilated in 2-3 generations. Hebrews were allowed to live here only in the first third of the 18 century, after which time Bishop Frederic Michael Althann expelled them. Gypsies, in their majority musicians and craftsmen, came to town at the beginning of the Turkish rule.