Walleshausen Gyula: A magyaróvári agrárfelsőoktatás 175 éve (1818-1913) (Mosonmagyaróvár, 1993)

10. A Pannon Agrártudományi Egyetem, Mezőgazdaságtudományi Kar, Mosonmagyaróvár - napjainkban

The 175 Years of Agricultural Sciences Education in Mosonmagyaróvár

(Summary)

I. (1818-1848)

Agricultural sciences became a part of education in Hungary in the last third period of the 18th Century. Individual technical schools were established at that time. A great number of landlords and great-landowners founded technical schools all over the Monarchy to train managers (landstewards) in good theoretical and practical knowledge for their estates.

The first Hungarian “technical high school”, the “Georgicon”, was founded by Earl György Festetics in Keszthely in 1797. The second school followed in 1818, founded by Kázmér Albert, the son of Ágost III — King of Silesia and Poland —, on his 90 hectare estate in Magyaróvár. (He received this land as dowry when he married Maria Theresia’s beloved daughter Maria Christine, and at the same time he became Prince of Teschen in Silesia.)

The foundation of this institute was proposed by Antal Wittmann. The Prince took Antal Wittmann into his service in 1811 as a land-steward, and in 1813 he nominated him the “main governor” of all his estates. Wittmann moved to his head-quarters in Magyaróvár and started to modify the land by draining the swampy areas and developing housing, but he was hindered by a lack of well trained land-stewards.

The Agricultural Private Institute of Mosonmagyaróvár was opened in the old Roman Castle Building on 25th August 1818. Training lasted for two years, but some applicants who came with satisfactory knowledge in natural sciences already could finish their studies within one academic year. There were only theoretical lectures during the winter months, while the summer periods were spent on practical training on the farms.

It was also possible to attend the institute as a “Guest Student”. Nicolaus Lenau, the famous poet, was one of these students in the 1822/23 academic year. He recorded the merry way of life that he had loved and the beautiful scenery and countryside of Magyaróvár in his poems. Students didn’t have to pay tuition-fees, but they had to cover their own lodging and boarding. There were about 20—25 students — mainly the Prince’s scholars — accommodated in the Castle Building.

The students were recruited from all over the Monarchy, but there was neither religious nor national conflict among them and there were no social differences. This was pointed out at the Opening Ceremony — the so called “Draught Ceremony” — at the beginning of the academic year, where the speaker, the so called “PIPE-BOWL LID INSPECTOR” (elected by the students) made the new-comers welcome. He encouraged the freshmen to enrich their knowledge together for their futures and to use their abilities to improve the economic conditions of their home estates where they were going to work.

The Institution succeded in finding excellent teachers and lecturers sho had already been teaching with their own books since the early 40s. At this time the participation rate greatly increased and rose to over 100 persons — which posed great difficulties in the case of practical trainings on the farms.

In 1848 the Revolution that had swept through Europe reached the Monarchy too. A student, Friedrich Haberlandt, who was bom in (Bratislava) Pressburg, (he later became the Vice Chancellor of the “Hochschule für Bodenkultur” = College of Soil Cultivation) composed a proclamation to the inhabitants of Vienna. At the head of the deputation he handed it over to the students of Vienna, who were feady to fight in defendence for their views against the troops of Jellacic.

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