Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)

SECONDARY SCHOOL AND COLLEGE-THE COLLEGE AND THE DEVELOPING, MODERN EDUCATION SYSTEM - The region and the Church District - En Route to Differentiation

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While the population in Újhely doubled, Patak increased by only thirty percent. Progress was only modest because the townspeople were unable to exploit in an advantageous manner neither the independence granted to them by the landlords nor the autonomy gained in the 1830s. They often elected less- than-able leaders and the drawing up of the borders of lots and properties in the city seemed often to be dictated by private interests thus serving foremost to augment private wealth instead of serving the common good. Thus, in the mid- 19th century, the community lived from one day to the next and was saddled with debt. It was only at the end of the century that the muddy streets were finally paved and the old, sagging wooden bridge replaced by a modern iron bridge across the Bodrog. At the cost of much exertion, Sárospatak acquired the right to have a district administrator and a district court. But the fact is that, without the College, Sárospatak would have remained an insignificant settlement.

Not only do ever-increasing differences between members of the previous network of small towns in Zemplén begin to appear, but the whole region as such was losing ground as well. The regional rearrangements as they ensued around the College area are perhaps best illustrated by the mode in which railway construction in this area actually happened. Not surprisingly, the Zemplén region was not included in the first big wave of railway construction. It was also automatically assumed that Miskolc would be the first in the region to have a railway connection. Already back in 1848, the Pest-Miskolc-Kassa (Kosice)-Galicia route was determined to be one of six national main lines but the outbreak of the war of independence caused the construction to be postponed. The station in Miskolc saw its first train arrive in the spring of 1859, it having followed a markedly modified detour via Szolnok-Debrecen-Nyíregyháza. In this, Miskolc and the entire northeastern region suffered a major disadvantage in having the distance travelled from Pest not shortened but doubled.

This modified route put the towns of Szerencs and Tokaj in a most favorable position as both profited greatly from the high level of through-traffic. It was at this time that Szerencs became a highly prosperous settlement and even acquired a sugar factory, thanks to the rail link. As competition in the region increased - and Zemplén’s position deteriorated - the idea of attaching Szerencs to the county of Borsod was seriously considered in 1860.

Despite the temporary disadvantages, Miskolc became an increasingly important railwayjunction. Traffic towards Kassa (Kosice) started in 1860 already and a vast compound for infrastructure support (depot, workshops, etc.) was built in the station area. Due to the constant complaints, the plan to construct a direct line to Pest was on the agenda all the time and it was finally realized at the beginning of 1870. From then on, it was possible to reach the capital within three hours via Hatvan. Soon regional rail lines were built (to Gömör, Torna, Zemplén) with Miskolc as a regional centre. By the end of the century, Miskolc was connected via Avas to Diósgyőr, a town where industrialization was moving forward at great pace.

While Miskolc improved gradually, Debrecen gradually lost ground; in Pest, the pace of development accelerated. The long-established balance amidst the national network of cities changed; the Debrecen-Kassa trade routes decreased in significance while the Pest-Kassa route grew in significance and thus strengthened the position of Miskolc within the county and within the