Urbs - Magyar várostörténeti évkönyv 2. (Budapest, 2007)

Abstracts

ZSUZSA FRISNYÁK The Spatial Expansion of the Telephone Network in Budapest, 1881-1912 The primary sources of the spatial expansion of the telephone network as an invention are subscriber lists and telephone directories. My paper intends to present the characteristics of the spatial expansion of the telephone network in Budapest in its earliest period (1881-1885) and three decades later (1912). The first two years of spatial expansion in the capital's telephone network can be described by two concepts: hubbing and webbing. Hubbing refers to the relative concentration and numerical increase of telephones over time within a micro-area. Hubbing is thus neighbourhood expansion. Webbing is when micro-areas connect. The expansion of the telephone network did not follow an even spatial pattern. It showed no radial organization, lacked a centre, yet followed a direction. That direction was rather to the north and northeast than to the south or southeast. In this early period, the axis of Hatvani and Kerepesi streets presented an invisible line of force. Residents interested in the telephone predominantly lived in the area between Hatvani and Széchenyi streets. This reflects the lasting impact of Chain Bridge on the city's urban structure, dating back several decades. The telephone was spreading in the most sophisticated area of the capital, because it was here that social networks that relied on the telephone and appreciated its advantages were already functioning. In 1912, the telephone constituted one, not yet indispensable, component of the capital's business infrastructure. The further away a company was located from the business axis of its area, or the further away it was from the area enclosed by the Danube and the Nagykörút, the less likely it had a telephone installed. The spreading of telephone subscriptions to the north and northeast was still sensible. At the same time, the telephone did not affect the development of Buda. Similarly, the importance of the telephone to connect places at greater distances, thus extending the boundaries of the city, remained negligible. 88% of all telephones were located in Pest. The highest concentration of telephones was on Teréz boulevard between Podmanicky and Andrássy streets. In proportion to the population, the density of telephones was greatest in Rákóczi and Andrássy streets (more than 7 telephones/

100 inhabitants). Despite its growing basis, the social embeddedness of the telephone remained very limited: barely 2.1% of Budapest's population had subscription in 1910. The expansion of the telephone network is the spatial representation of a social process.