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

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

H. (1850-1874)

Training could not be held during the 1848/49 and 1849/50 academic years, because of the war. The founder’s successor believed he would not have enough financial support for the maintenance of the Institution in these new circumstances — e. g. the abolition of serfdom —, but being accountable to the foundation certificate dissolution was impossible.

Óvár had a really good reputation and since it was the only Agricultural Institute in the Monarchy, the Government in Vienna decided to take charge of it. In 1850 training started again in the old, formerly installed Castle Building.

Heinrich Wilhelm Pabst, who had been the headmaster of the Academy in Hohenheim earlier, was requested to take the post of director. He carried out several reforms and managed to organize a new model farm for educational purposes. He arranged farm-machinery shows, a permanent presentation of machinery, and thus the roundation of farm mechanization in Hungary had been laid. He also succeeded in founding up an excellent teaching staff. When he left Óvár in 1861, he left a prosperous institute behind.

Anton Masch, who had already been teaching at the Academy since 1840, became his successor. When the Hungarians came to the Compromise of 1867 with the Court of Vienna, the Hungarian Government took charge of the Institution in 1869.

The languages of education became Hungarian and German. The only German-speaking Masch remained head of the Academy, but five members of the teaching staff left: Ignaz Moser, Friedrich Haberlandt, Wenzel Hecke, Karl Reitlecher and Gustav Wilhelm. Young talented Hungarians and excellent German tutors filled the vacancies. One of them was Johann Fuchs, the lecturer of technical subjects. On his proposal the first experimental station of farming implements was established, which was followed by the Chemist-research Station in 1872.

HI. (1874-1919)

In the year 1874 the Institute was raised to a higher level institution. The College of Soil Cultivation Vienna, which was a part of this institution, however had already become a higher level at the time of its foundation.

Exams were held at the end of each semester (half year period). At the end of their studies the graduates could sit for a qualifying examination, but only a few of them applied for this difficult examination. Most of them were satisfied with the so called “studiosus agriculturae” degree. Experimentation became an essential part of the lecturers’ job. The young teacher-trainees could go abroad to improve their knowledge, mainly in Halle and Leipzig, Germany. Teachers also published two journals in the 80s.

The Ministry of Agriculture neglected the progress of the Academy. It did not support the extension of the study period to three years, and the wages of the teaching stuff were fixed at a very low level.

Béla Bartók Senior alsi belonged to one of the first classes of the Academy. As the headmaster of the Farmer School in Nagyszentmiklós, he Published “Farming Educational System” the first professional journal in the world, in 1884.

In 1884 the Ministry of Agriculture put a stop to the Germen Section. The last German-speaking students said farewell to the town by a ceremonial torchlight procession and a feast. A lot of former students took also part in this ceremony — four of them had even written poems for this occasion. It was criticized for a long time that the German Section had been dissolved.

By the end of the 80s the first period of agriculture — based upon practical work — finished and it gave place to the so called “Storm and Stress” period. The “thorough-going Hohenheim” landlords wearing crane-feathered hats, Hungarian national costumes and gloves vanished and a new ge289