Lukács László (szerk.): Märkte und Warenaustausch im Pannonischen Raum - István Király Múzeum közelményei. A. sorozat 28. (Székesfehérvár, 1988)
Imre Dankó: The Ethnocultural Role of the Transdanubian Fairs
according to their production zone as well as their external and internal, re lations' system. The first group of Transdanubian fairs belongs to the western zone which is a south-lying area some 20 or 30 kilometres wide situated along the eastern foothills of the Alps, the least favourable natural boundary of Transdanubia The most eminent market-places here are Sopron, Kőszeg, Szombathely, and Kür mend. The less significant ones include Felsőőr, Zalaegerszeg, Rohonc, Csepreg, Kismarton, and Ruszt. Sopron, Kőszeg and Szombathely had an important handicraft trade and a highly-developed guild system as well,but even these significant fairs aimed first of all at supplying the westward regions (Lower- and Upper-Austria) and towns (especially Vienna and Graz) with foodstuffs. The primary product for export from these fairs during the Middle Ages was wine. Later this was more and more replaced by animals and poultry as well as corn and flour. Accordingly, these fairs were strongly characterized by buying up. The second group of Transdanubian fairs comprises the fairs of the southern zone. It stretches from the northern bank of the Drava to the Danube in a 20 or 30 kilometres wide strip in the west-east direction. The fairs here were established at important fords and ports or in their neighbourhood. The major fairs are Nagykanizsa, Barcs, Szigetvár, Vajszló, Siklás, Pécs, and Pécsvárad. The minor ones include Pacsa, Csurgó, Dárda, Sellye, Görcsöny, and Majs. Ali the fairs belonging to this zone have strong interethnic charac teristics. It was at these fairs that the famous medieval cattle-trading directed towards south-east Europe, including such places as Légrád, Lendva, Ptuj, and Károlyváros (Karlovac), was carried out. In the exchange of the goods of this zone a most important role was played by the Drava as a waterway that both separated and linked regions and settlements characterized by different trading relations. All of the above-mentioned market-places have had strong trading relations with Slavonia and Croatia, whereas - through Eszék (Osijak) - Pécs and Siklós have connections with even more remote southern Slav territories at the Balkans. The major goods at the fairs belonging to this zone are animals, expecially pigs. The third group of Transdanubian fairs is attached to the eastern zone which extends parallel to the Danube from south to north as far as Szentendre and Esztergom and is some 30 or 40 kilometres wide. Naturally, the existence and development of these fairs have been greatly influenced by the Danube and the series of fords established on both sides and being, at the same time, notable market-places as well. The major fairs can be found at places like Mohács, Tolna, Paks, Dunaföldvár, Ráckeve, Buda, and Szentendre. These fairs may be mostly characterized by material supply and corn-trade although all of the above-mentioned fairs have had significant industrial markets too. Besides directing their various goods towards the inner parts of Transdanubia, these fairs have become notable purchasing centres for the traders with the Balkans in respect of foodstuffs and industrial goods as well as other materials. The fourth group is called the northern zone which is situated along the right bank of the Danube, and stretches from Esztergom to Rajka in a width of some 20 or 30 kilometres. Although the Danube divides the so-called Small Plain region into two parts, the whole area belongs to Transdanubia in every respect, and therefore the Danub'e cannot be considered here as an absolute geographical boundary. Based on their similar production system, the 4B
