Bárkányi Ildikó - Lajkó Orsolya (szerk.): A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve 2019. Új folyam 6. (Szeged, 2019)
Történettudomány - Felletár Zsolt: Az iparszerű szeszgyártás születése és kezdeti nehézségei a 19. századi Szegeden (1838 - 1869)
Zsolt Felletár The beginnings and initial difficulties of industrial alcohol production The beginnings and initial difficulties of industrial alcohol production in 19th century Szeged (1838-1869) Zsolt Felletár Based on industrial classification, alcohol industry was the third most significant industry in the economic life of Szeged in the second half of the 19th century, only preceded by milling and timber industry. Its connection to agriculture, which was an even more complex one than between milling and agriculture, raised its economic significance even further; it bought up crops which constituted the raw materials for alcohol production, and at the same time they sold manure produced by cattle fatteners operating within the alcohol factories to crop producers and the stillage formed as the byproduct of alcohol production to the cattle fatteners as forage supplement. The author showcases two smaller-sized and one major "fabrica” from the 1838-1839 period, the two smaller ones being the alcohol factory of the Gábriel family in Palánk and the factory established at the Lower City by Austrian mechant Karl Kilián, while the larger one - both in terms of size and production capability - being the Upper City factory established by the Dercsényi brothers. Quickly occurring bankruptcies and frequent changes in ownership illustrate the initial, often unsuccessful and short-lived factory founding attempts of enlightened, enterprising Hungarian nobles and merchant who gained more economic strength during the Reform Era. The Author, in addition to the detailed, chronological presentation of alcohol related items and their owners, summarizes and compares the 3 enterprises in textual and tabular form and attempts to pinpoint the cause of the frequently occurring failures. In addition to describing the "steam pálinka factories”, the author presents an additional two manufactories, producing liqueur and rum, namely: Miksa Patzauer from Palánk, who also dealt in export and his competitor, Móric Pick of Czech origin, father of salami factory owner Márk Pick, who also operated from Palánk. The presentation of the latter is unique in nature due to the fact that professional literature failed to discuss the life of Moritz Pick in detail so far. Compared to the entrepreneurs discussed in the first part of the study, both of them had successful careers. Their lucrative enterprises raised them to be among the greatest taxpayers, and by right of virility, we could find them among the members of the town’s jurisdictional committee. They had an undeniable role in establishing the good name of the family company, spanning multiple generations. In addition, they can be considered the founders of the Pick and Patzauer family fortunes. 165
