A Historical and Archival Guide to Székesfehérvár (Székesfehérvár, 2003)

A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR

The Statue Committee was the first to take up a collection to erect a statue for Mihály Vörösmarty the former student of Székesfehérvár. After several years' work of the committee the statue made by Miklós Vay was put up in the square named after the poet on 6 May 1 866. The Theatre Supporting Company tried to run or rather to build a theatre. The independence policy proved to be successful in the parliamentary elections in 1861. Electors supported count István Batthyány unanimously, who joined the Resolution Party. In the following parliamentary elections the political successor of the Resolution Party, the left centre was given mandate. The town's cultural life was reshaped during the age of dualism; the Vörösmarty Society was formed in this intellectual climate in 1867. It became a determinant scene of the town's intellectual and social life for a century. It was on this society's initiative that a joint stock company was established in order to build the theatre. The inauguration of the theatre took place in August 1874; it was built on a site donated by the town. Besides the mentioned joint stock company, which provided and maintained the building, the Theatre Supporting Company directed the theatre until 1922. The town was enriched with public collections as well; the Archaeological Society of Fejér county and Székesfehérvár was established in 1874, the first public library opened in 1895. Previously there had been book-clubs with libraries and with significant political and social influence. The Book-club of Palotaváros and particularly the Book-club of Tóváros had significant importance. The Book-club of Palotaváros was formed relatively late in 1873, when the book-clubs of other quarters had already existed. The club became the gathering place for members of the Independence Party. The idea to establish the Independence Circle of Székesfehérvár originated from here. The circle, founded in 1 882, did not play a leading role in the town's life yet, only after the turn of the century did national political events help the leaders to come in local political and administrative power. It was mainly the railway building that changed the traditional central and market-town feature of Fehérvár. The Székesfehérvár-Komárom railway line that was completed in 1860 preceded the