Utcák, terek, emberek. Zalaegerszeg régi képeken (Zalaegerszeg, 2001)

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alaegerszeg, this Transdanubian town of nearly sixty thousand inhabitants — nestling amidst the Zala mounds abounding in vine-lands, fruit-gardens and forests - keeps feast in 1997. The charter, in which its name was for the first time mentioned, was issued 750 years ago, in 1247. In this document the Veszprém Chapter gave instructions about the distribution of several churches' incomes, among them Mary Magdalene chapel in Zalaegerszeg. According to the evidences of the archaeological finds our ancestors had settled down in this area not at this time, but much earlier. On the birth of the charter it might have already been a place of importance. During the past hundred years the neighbouring, previously independent villages, have fused with the town and this way their past have become part of the history of Zalaegerszeg. Among these Ola was the first, the earliest document of which originates from 1236. From the 14th century onwards an increasing number of documents display the shaping of Egerszeg's history. It is known that the religious services had been already held before 1389 in a stone- or brickwork church. The so called „Aranyoskúti forrás" (the Fountain of Aranyoskut) is mentioned in a charter of 1381, in which the southern boundary of the settlement was designated. This fountain exists even today, it is a field monument, its surrounding is a nature reserve. In 1446 Egerszeg was certainly a market-town. Though its authority didn't reach very far, it was the centre of a densely populated, developing area with numerous hamlets nearby. It was possessed by the Veszprém Bishopric from the 15th century onwards and by the Szombathely Bishopric from 1778. In 1524 it was the most important settlement in County Zala with its 129 registered serfs. In the 1540s, to defend the settlement against the Turks, the town was fortified and in the same place, where now the County Court is, the Bishop's residence was rebuilt into a stronghold with earthen bastions and wooden towers. Its importance increased in l600, after the fall of Nagykanizsa, the strongest castle of the county during the Turkish period. Egerszeg became the centre of the border fortresses in County Zala and at the same time the seat of the vice-generals. After I69O, when Kanizsa was recaptured, the system of the border fortresses lost its importance. The Bishop of Veszprém got back his properties and a great number of the former soldiers settled as vine-dressers or ploughmen. After 1710 the meetings of the county council were more and more frequently held in Egerszeg, finally when the County Hall was built in 1732, it became the county seat. This position was beneficial to the development of public catering and of craftsmanship. The settling officials demanded more new houses. Towards the middle of the century new guilds were established and the first shops were opened. The erection of the new parish church started in 1750 and a dwellinghouse for officers was built in 1765. ЗОЗ houses and 1135 citizens were registered in 1748 and the population census taken during the reign of Joseph II listed 2881 citizens in Egerszeg and 6366 inhabitants in the surroundings. 110 craftsman families practised 24 different trades in 1770, most of them manufactured clothing. The town became well know to the Hungarian public through the meetings of the county council held here. Although a printing house and a hospital were established, the pace of the town's progress was slow. In 1851 Elek Fényes, in his work describing the country, mentions 4000 inhabitants, who were Catholics with the exception of 500 Hebrews, and who earned their living mainly from farming and then from crafts. A part of the city limits is sandy-soiled, but fertile, the vine-yards give good quality table wine and its large forest consists mainly of oaks. Besides the town's important buildings he mentioned also 9 annual fairs. As most of the houses were maid of wood and were tiled or thatched, outbreaks of fires were common. In the greatest fire of 1826 even the spire of the church burnt down. Very strict building rules were laid down: in 1839 the building of wooden houses was forbidden. In spite of this, 163 wooden houses, 380 thatched and 223 tiled buildings were registered in 1900. The fact that the railroads avoided the town for a long time, hindered the development. Until 1890 passengers could only get on the train, which was already running between Sopron and Nagykanizsa since 1865, at the station of Zalaszentiván, 10 km from Egerszeg. A spectacular development started in 1885, when Egerszeg was declared a corporate town, as the result of the movement led by its ambitious Mayor. Since that time it has belonged directly to the county and consequently its independence and authority had grown. The new leaders could take advantage of the new status as well as of the chances provided by the boom of the close of the century. They greatly aided the growth of the community which elected them, but at the cost of contracting a great debt. In 1890 the railway station was completed then two saving banks' head offices, a lodginghouse yielded to the administration of inland revenue, Arany Bárány (Gold Lamb) Hotel, the Gymnasium, and the barracks were erected. Some attractive family houses were also built in 84