Bányai Balázs - Kovács Eleonóra (szer.): A"Zichy-expedíció"- Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei. A. sorozat 48. (Székesfehérvár, 2013)
The "Zichy Expedition"
IN THE SERVICE OF THALIA 205 The most exceptional theatrical event in the 1880s was the final play of Róza Jókai-Laborfalvy on nth March 1884. The leading organizer was mayor József Havranek, Jenő Zichy was among the organizers.98 Count Zichy, whose activities were crucial in the life of the declining theatre,99 had even greater tasks ahead of him from 1884. In that year, László Szőgyény-Marich was made president of the House of Lords. His position of lord-lieutenant was taken by Béla Cziráky, who inherited the presidency of the theatre corporation as well. The landowner of Lovasberény did not pay enough attention to the theatre in the town so Jenő Zichy took the leading role of Szőgyény-Marich.100 “His goal was the resurrection of the corporation from its ashes” but despite his best efforts to “fill the life of the decaying group with new spiritual, moral and financial strength”, that meant saving the theatre and the theatre group by his own means. However, his hopes did not materialise.101 His efforts were not sufficient to clear the debts so the special assembly of the corporation in January 1897 announced its termination. The building of the theatre was purchased by the town ín 1898.102 The activities of Jenő Zichy and that of the Vörösmarty Circle met on several occasions. Apart from the personal friendships and the described events, the lecture of the art collector Zichy in the Vörösmarty Circle in 1875 about “fine arts” can be mentioned here.103 Those bonds became stronger in 1891 when the Count was made president of the Vörösmarty Circle. He began his new work with great enthusiasm. He led the assemblies, took part in the board’s work and “was an agile leader of all patriotic festivities” of the circle.104 Among them was the 100th anniversary of the poet’s birth and the memorial celebration of national importance in 1900. A memorial plaque was placed on the wall of the poet’s former school and the Vörösmarty memorial book was published. Zichy performed merely protocol duties at this time - including his speeches in the theatre at the Vörösmarty celebration and later on - the real organization work fell to József Vértessy, director of the Circle and Zichy's friend.105 During Zichy’s presidency in 1905 memorial plaques of Benedek Virág and Pál Ányos were placed on the wall of their former workplace, the high school of the Cistercian order. Jenő Zichy held many lectures in the Circle during his presidency. From the 1890s, he made intensive research about the ancient history of the Hungarian people, his themes were therefore about “The origin of the hun-scythian race and the Hungarians” in 1894, and about his travels to Asia in 1899, 1902 and 1904 with the help of projected pictures.106 Despite all of this, the numbers of the Circle did not increase, and Jenő Zichy, who was president until his death in 1906, could not greatly increase the popularity of the association. However, his devoted work was acknowledged, for Gyula Lauschmann dedicated his book “The forty years of Vörösmarty Circle” in 1907 to count Zichy’s memory.
