Héjjas Pál - Horváth M. Ferenc: Régi képeslapok - Old postcards - Alte Ansichtskarten, 1896 - 1950 - Váci Történelmi Tár 2. (Vác, 2001)

Város a Duna partján - történeti áttekintés

The number of educational institutions increased. In 1917 in the building of the one time Kobrak Shoe Factory they organized the School of the Disabled. From 1921 the State Leatherwork School for Orphans of war and Child Protection League was operating as a Gardening School. In the new suburb, Deákvár they established a state school in 1927. Material increase hardly showed itself in cultural, public health and social areas. Civil organizations and private companies took part in the establishment of these institutions. Hope Association built the biggest Cultural Center of the town in 1928; in 1943 the Galvanized Plate Works established its own House of Culture. Tibor Pikéthy's music school operated being aided by state and local funds. The town was not able, even after several bursts of activity, to found a hospital, it succeeded only in creating smaller institutions. The Stephanie Association for Mother and Infant Welfare (then Green Cross) operated from 1920, the Home of Age Worn Craftsmen from 1936, the Ambulance Station from 1937 and the Pulmonary and Venereal Welfare Center from 1943. The most spectacular change happened in the area of town planning and constructions. The biggest task was the planning, parcelling and building up the Market Square surrounding the Red House, which started at the beginning of the 1920's. From the Evangelical Church to the bridge of the Gombás stream, they established a boulevard (today Dr Csányi László Blvd), from which they opened new streets. From the Boulevard and in the area towards the railway station they erected dwelling- and factory buildings, established a sport stadium. The Széchenyi Street was built up at the same time from the Evangelical church to the railway station, where the town built tenement houses, and wealthier industrialist and merchant families built detached houses. WWII caused relatively little material damage, human casualties were more numerous. Several hundreds of Jewish families were taken to the ghetto of Vác from the town and its neighbourhood, and later to the concentration camps and exterminated, or died a heroic death as soldiers, or inmates in labour camps. In December 1944, the occupying Soviet Soldiers took possession of the biggest and most beautiful public buildings and private houses for years, destroying the furnishings, and ruining the houses. The restoring took several years and in the case of certain buildings several decades. It is not our aim to present the socialist era starting in 1950, because we haven't dealt with the postcards belonging to that time, which were too schematic. It is worthwhile to mention though that the period wasn't favourable for "the old world". One of the main aims of the regime was to annihilate the value system of the civic world and together with this to transform and schematise the environment and the manmade world. Buildings were often bereft of their original function and characteristic decorations were knocked down from the facades, their inner structure was transformed as well. This process was sometimes so successful that nowadays it is hard to recognise some of the buildings. The newest turn happened in the recent past, between 1989/1990. The country and the town became free and independent once again. Now it mostly depends on us, that mentally, morally renewed, and hopefully materially enriched whether we can create a town in which we, the town dwellers feel at home, and which will win the visitors' heart too. Translated by Mária György A Váci Takarékpénztár pecsétje (1864) The seal of the Savings Bank of Vác (1864) Siegel der Sparkasse Vác (1864) A váci tímár céh pecsétje The seal of the Tanners' Guild of Vác Siegel der Zunft der Gerber von Vác A Váci Korcsolyázó Egylet pecsétje (1876) The seal of the Skaters' Society of Vác (1876) Siegel des Eislaufvereins Vác (1876) A Váci Sportegyesület címere 1899-ből (PML) The blazon of the Sports Club of Vác from 1899 (PML) Wappe des Sportvereins Vác aus 1899 (PML)