Csiffáry Gergely: A bélapátfalvi keménycserép - Studia Agriensia 18. (Eger, 1997)
ÖSSZEGZÉS - Gergely Csiffáry: The history of the earthenware factory in Bélapátfalva
by gaining new markets. During the reign of Zsigmond Nagy and his sons (between 1893-1906) the products of the factory of. Bélapátfalva were displayed in foreign exhibitions, and new markets in the Balkan region and overseas were gained. Then before the I. World War, during the management of the Pruzsinszky brothers, the factory succeeded in exporting its products abroad. By the turning of the 19th and 20th century the factory’s transporting-geographical situation (the railway system hadn’t been built) raised the cost of the transporting. It could only have been helped by transporting the factory, but it was blocked by the renters financial status. In 1920 the factory became a joint-stock company but this change of the method of owning came too late. The company got under bank control, therefore, the important decisions concerning the operation of the factory were not made by industrial experts anymore. Because of this, faulty investments were made when the whole national ceramic industry was in a state of crisis. The motivation force of the investments was, that in 1923 the demand of the flint ware products seemed to rise, but it was only a temporary boom. The reconstruction of the factory was dragging on consequently, production stopped. The lack of income deriving from this, and the costs of the investments caused such big losses that in 1928 the company was only able to be closed. The investment of 1924 had another mistake, namely it wasn’t able to make the production system of the factory change. The only aim was to produce ornamental vessels. The only factories that could survive after the I. World War (the factoiy of Hollóháza, Pécs, Városlőd, Herend) that changed their production system. In Bélapátfalva between 1884 and 1924 a red vessel factory was established by Vencel Hein a vocational worker originating from Bohemia. This factory produced the so called Znaim type vessels between 1924 and 1928, when the reconstruction of earthenware factory was going on. Temporarily, this factory was operated by the flint ware factory. Then in 1930 a kiln factory owner called Ágoston Ferencz took the building and the equipment of the red vessel factory. In 1928 he pulled down the building of the former stoneware factory and used its territory and equipment for the factory led by him. Red vessel, was produced until the summer of 1940, in Bélapátfalva. Because of the influence of this factory, several red vessel works were established in the neighbouring, Szilvásvárad, Balaton, Uppony, Farkaslyuk, producing vessels for everyday use (e.g. bowls, plates, jars etc.). The study is made controllable by a note apparatus, which is completed by a detailed list of special literature. The concepts discussed are done so by the use of explanations with technical terminus, with the conciseness of an encyclopaedia. The monography concerning the history of the factory, 163
