Szombathely régi képes levelezőlapokon

Peter Balogh

Hardcover, illustrated, no year, 30 x 21 cm
Text in Hungarian, German and English


The first picture post card that is a card of fixed size with an illustration, which can be mailed without an envelope appeared more than hundred years ago. One does not need to be an urban historian to perceive and evaluate the difference between the state of a town represented in a picture postcard from the beginning of the century and in a photo taken nowadays. Generally speaking the picture postcards from the time before the Twenties constitute the only documents for urban history.

Like those of the other towns of the world, the features of Szombathely became immortal due to the picture postcards.

The town founded exactly 1951 years ago has reserved the features of the architectural endeavour which desired to shape the settlement from an agricultural market-town into a "city". The attributes of the urban life began to fill the centre of the settlement: churches, schools, large blocks of flats, hotels, the new Town Hall with its theatre, the tramlines, the hospital, the orphanage, the bar racks and factories all indicated the development of urbanization. Almost al characteristic blocks of buildings from the turn of the century appeared on the picture postcards and they followed closely the development of the town til World War II.

Earlier publications have already dealt with the history of the town and its sights in a thorough fashion. By the volume "Szombathely in old picture postcards" our aim was not to describe the history of the town and we could not endeavour to present the more than thousand picture postcards representing the town either so we decided to show our readers only some single works of old values.

The lion's share of the picture postcards published in this book is from the year of 1899-1950. They were published–among others–by Brothers Steiner, Vilmo Granitz, Jenö Dukesz, Mrs. Fekete, Gyula Donáth, Károly Divald, Erna Weinstock and Mr. Knebel, imperial and royal court photographer, and Martineum Share Company, Szombathely. The cards were selected from the following enthusiastic collectors of Szombathely: Mrs. Pittmann, Mrs. Köszegfalvi, Mr. Molnár and Mr Balogh.

The illustration of the front-page is from "The Picture Postcard Collection of the Zemplén Mountain Museum"–Szerencs.

In conclusion we would like to dedicate this work to the present and futur generations. To those who were participants and witnesses of the events of th recent past we recommend it as a flashback into their youth. We dedicate it to the former inhabitants of Szombathely, so that they would again get closer to their birthplace, and also to the generations of the present, so that they would gain acquaintance with the past of this place, for only those will truly love their fatherland, who know its every detail.

The Mayor of Szombathely András Wagner