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

AN OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY WRITING OF SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR

newspapers was limited as only few journals were published longer than a decade or two. Researchers' publications were restricted to journal columns, not onlv in Székesfehérvár, but in the whole countrv as well. In the second half of the 19

th century, owing to the chief archivists of the town- and county archives excellent articles and series of articles were published. These articles described the lew in mass of the nobilitv in the 1 8

th century or the events of the Revolution of 1848, the latter in fact should be regarded as the first authentic work of reference. The fact that mainly it was the journals that provided chance for publications of historical research is understandable, knowing that the archivist, like Károly Moenick the keeper of the town archivists,

6 also worked for the Gazette of Fejér county. Dezső Rexa the county's chief archivist of the county also contributed to the Dunántúl dailv paper, and he also founded and was the editor of the quarterly newspaper, called the Publications in the History of Transdanubia. Károly Moenich distinguished himself as the archivist of Székesfehérvár. His works in histography were perfected in the 1880s, earlier he had worked on literary issues. Due to the limited publishing possibilities his works appeared in the local press. The social and literary newspaper called Szabadság [Independence], which represented the pro-independence political movement, published one of his most significant series of articles titled A Historical Diaiy, in 1881. In 1 880 his discourse called the Chief Justices and Mayors of Royal Free Town Székesfehérvár (1691-1879) was published in the Székesfejérvári Naptár; it was the first scholarly archonthological work on the town history of Székesfehérvár. Among his works on town history Moenich's discourse on the town's name is worth mentioning. Is it Székesfejérvár or Székesfehérvár was first published in 1 893 in the almanac of the Historical and Archaeological Society of Fejér County. Later it came out as an offprint.

7 His point of view on how to write the town's name greatly differed from the official point of view, supported by József Havranek the mayor in those years. Moenich insisted on the traditional way of writing the town's name and disapproved of the new version: Székesfehérvár. In the last years of the 19

th century Moenich focused on his research into the history of the Revolution and War of Independence of