Károly Doncsecz
Encyclopedia
Károly Doncsecz was a Slovene potter in Hungary
and in 1984 he received the award Master of folk art for his work. Doncsecz was born in Orfalu, (Vas country
).
He graduated from the apprenticeship in Magyarszombatfa
and Zalaegerszeg
, Sümeg
(Zala country
), after Szentgotthárd
.
From 1940 on Doncsecz lived and worked in Kétvölgy
, (Vas County). Since the 1970s, he was the only Slovene potter in Hungary. His potter works were presented in numerous exhibits all over Hungary and Slovenia
. When he was still alive, travel groups from the motherland Slovenia often visited him in his kétvölgyian workshop, and Doncsecz did not only tell about his craft, but also about biographies of man Slovenes from the Raba
region in his mother tongue.
. His parents were well off farmers of Slovenian origin. Both his father, Károly Dancsecz (1894–1927) and his mother, Anna Talabér (1900–1920) were born in Orfalu. He had a brother, István, who emigrated to and settled down in Canada
in the 1960s (Steve Doncsecz dead in 2008).
The brothers lost their parents very early. Their mother died while giving birth. Their father died seven years later of pulmonary disease. The brothers were raised by their grandfather, István Dancsecz (1871–1932) for a while.
When he was young, Károly worked for a turner in Orfalu. Originally he wanted to be a tailor but he got familiar with pottery in Apátistvánfalva
at a potter called Károly Kürnyek who suggested to choose this trade. He went to Magyarszombatfa at the age of 15 in 1933. He was an apprentice of János Zsohár for 3 years and he studied the bases of the trade here. Later, most of his pieces of works showed a lot a similarity with the Magyarszombatfa style of pottery. The most difficult one was the Mowerjug („bugyogakorsó”). From 1937 to 1938 he worked for Lajos Németh in Zalaegerszeg, then he went to István Adorján, a potter who lived Sümeg. He is thought to learn the patterns of the Great Plain here, and he was also influenced by Balázs Badár (1854–1939), a famous potter from Mezőtúr
. During the years he collected ceramics from Vendvidék, Őrség, Transdanubia (Dunántúl)
and the Great Plain
, and he used them as samples. Later he displayed them on a shelf in his store with his first ceramics together.
In 1939 he lived in Szentgotthárd
for a short while and he worked for János Kerécz, then he went back home to Orfalu and he married Anna Gáspár (1920–1984). They had 3 sons together. The youngest son, Károly Doncsecz jr. (1949–2005) became a potter too. However, he went to trade school he learned pottery mostly from his father.
He moved to Permise (later called Kétvölgy) after inheriting a house from his wife’s parents. The house used to be a pub before.
He was enlisted in 1942 and was sent to Kolozsvár (Cluj Napoca), but he was transported to Ukraine
soon and he fought in the battles near Stanislaw (today Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
). In 1944 when their troops were withdrawing they were attacked by the British
near Kolomea (today Kolomia, Ukraine) in Poland
. He managed to escape, but he was soon captured by the Soviets
and was deported to Czechoslovakia
(now Czech Republic
). He escaped and got through Slovakia
but he was captured in Győr
again. Luckily he was shortly released, so he could go back home.
Besides pottery he was farming too. He was a driver to Zala county
and he was a regular vendor of the Őrségi Vásár (Őrségian Market) in Őriszentpéter
.
He was an acknowledged potter of the Association of Hungarian South Slavics and later of the Association of Hungarian Slovenes. In 1984 he was given the prize of Master of Folk Art by Béla Köpeczi
, the then minister of civilization.
He had a lot of visitors coming not only from all over the country, but also from abroad, manly from Slovenia, although he also had some German
and French
visitors too. In 2001 he was given the Order of Vitéz
for his military service. He never used this title though.
At the end of his life he was often ill, which jeopardized his work too. He died in the hospital in Körmend at the age of 84. With his death the pottery of Vendvidék vanished.
He was buried at Istvánfalvian Cemetery.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and in 1984 he received the award Master of folk art for his work. Doncsecz was born in Orfalu, (Vas country
Vas
Vas is the name of an administrative county in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary. The county is a part of the Centrope Project.-Geography:...
).
He graduated from the apprenticeship in Magyarszombatfa
Magyarszombatfa
Magyarszombatfa is a village in Vas county, Hungary. He studied the pottery Károly Doncsecz Slovenian potter.- External links :*...
and Zalaegerszeg
Zalaegerszeg
In 2001 Zalaegerszeg had 61,654 inhabitants . The distribution of religions were, 71.1% Roman Catholic, 3.8% Calvinist, 1.6% Lutheran, 11.6% Atheist .-Notable people:* Lajos Botfy , mayor...
, Sümeg
Sümeg
Sümeg is a town in Veszprém county, Hungary. Sümeg is mostly known for its castle. It is 20 kilometres north of Lake Balaton.-Twin towns — Sister cities:Sümeg is twinned with:- External links :*...
(Zala country
Zala
Zala is the name of an administrative county in Hungary. Itlies in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia and Slovenia and the Hungarian counties Vas, Veszprém and Somogy. The capital of Zala county is Zalaegerszeg. Its area is 3784 km²...
), after Szentgotthárd
Szentgotthárd
Szentgotthárd is the westernmost town of Hungary. It is situated on the Rába River near the Austrian border, and is home to much of Hungary's small Slovene ethnic minority....
.
From 1940 on Doncsecz lived and worked in Kétvölgy
Kétvölgy
Kétvölgy is a village in Vas county, Hungary.Lived and worked in Kétvölgy Károly Doncsecz potter, Master of folk art.- External links :*...
, (Vas County). Since the 1970s, he was the only Slovene potter in Hungary. His potter works were presented in numerous exhibits all over Hungary and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. When he was still alive, travel groups from the motherland Slovenia often visited him in his kétvölgyian workshop, and Doncsecz did not only tell about his craft, but also about biographies of man Slovenes from the Raba
Raba
Raba can refer to:*Raba, Indonesia, a town on Sumbawa island, Indonesia*Raba , a river in Poland, tributary of the Vistula*Rabbah bar Nahmani, known simply as Rabbah, was a Babylonian rabbi known in the Talmud as an Amora...
region in his mother tongue.
Early life
Károly Doncsecz was born in OrfaluOrfalu
- External links :*...
. His parents were well off farmers of Slovenian origin. Both his father, Károly Dancsecz (1894–1927) and his mother, Anna Talabér (1900–1920) were born in Orfalu. He had a brother, István, who emigrated to and settled down in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the 1960s (Steve Doncsecz dead in 2008).
The brothers lost their parents very early. Their mother died while giving birth. Their father died seven years later of pulmonary disease. The brothers were raised by their grandfather, István Dancsecz (1871–1932) for a while.
When he was young, Károly worked for a turner in Orfalu. Originally he wanted to be a tailor but he got familiar with pottery in Apátistvánfalva
Apátistvánfalva
Apátistvánfalva is a village in Vas County, Hungary....
at a potter called Károly Kürnyek who suggested to choose this trade. He went to Magyarszombatfa at the age of 15 in 1933. He was an apprentice of János Zsohár for 3 years and he studied the bases of the trade here. Later, most of his pieces of works showed a lot a similarity with the Magyarszombatfa style of pottery. The most difficult one was the Mowerjug („bugyogakorsó”). From 1937 to 1938 he worked for Lajos Németh in Zalaegerszeg, then he went to István Adorján, a potter who lived Sümeg. He is thought to learn the patterns of the Great Plain here, and he was also influenced by Balázs Badár (1854–1939), a famous potter from Mezőtúr
Mezotúr
Mezőtúr is a town of Hungary, in the county of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, 88 m. southeast of Budapest by rail. It possesses important potteries. Large herds of cattle are reared on the communal lands, which are productive also of wheat, rapeseed and maize...
. During the years he collected ceramics from Vendvidék, Őrség, Transdanubia (Dunántúl)
Transdanubia
Transdanubia is a traditional region of Hungary.-Traditional interpretation:The borders of Transdanubia are the Danube river , the Drava and Mura rivers and the foothills of the Alps roughly along the border between Hungary and Austria .Transdanubia comprises the counties of Győr-Moson-Sopron,...
and the Great Plain
Great Hungarian Plain
The Great Hungarian Plain is a plain occupying the southern and eastern part of Hungary, some parts of the Eastern Slovak Lowland, southwestern Ukraine, the Transcarpathian Lowland , western Romania , northern Serbia , and eastern Croatia...
, and he used them as samples. Later he displayed them on a shelf in his store with his first ceramics together.
In 1939 he lived in Szentgotthárd
Szentgotthárd
Szentgotthárd is the westernmost town of Hungary. It is situated on the Rába River near the Austrian border, and is home to much of Hungary's small Slovene ethnic minority....
for a short while and he worked for János Kerécz, then he went back home to Orfalu and he married Anna Gáspár (1920–1984). They had 3 sons together. The youngest son, Károly Doncsecz jr. (1949–2005) became a potter too. However, he went to trade school he learned pottery mostly from his father.
He moved to Permise (later called Kétvölgy) after inheriting a house from his wife’s parents. The house used to be a pub before.
He was enlisted in 1942 and was sent to Kolozsvár (Cluj Napoca), but he was transported to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
soon and he fought in the battles near Stanislaw (today Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). In 1944 when their troops were withdrawing they were attacked by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
near Kolomea (today Kolomia, Ukraine) in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He managed to escape, but he was soon captured by the Soviets
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and was deported to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(now Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
). He escaped and got through Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
but he was captured in Győr
Gyor
-Climate:-Main sights:The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Győr’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the...
again. Luckily he was shortly released, so he could go back home.
Besides pottery he was farming too. He was a driver to Zala county
Zala
Zala is the name of an administrative county in Hungary. Itlies in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia and Slovenia and the Hungarian counties Vas, Veszprém and Somogy. The capital of Zala county is Zalaegerszeg. Its area is 3784 km²...
and he was a regular vendor of the Őrségi Vásár (Őrségian Market) in Őriszentpéter
Oriszentpéter
- Geography :The town extends on the hills of the region Őrség, where the river Zala flows through. Zala has its source ca. 10 kilometers from here at Szalafő....
.
He was an acknowledged potter of the Association of Hungarian South Slavics and later of the Association of Hungarian Slovenes. In 1984 he was given the prize of Master of Folk Art by Béla Köpeczi
Béla Köpeczi
Béla Köpeczi was a Hungarian cultural historian and politician, who served as Minister of Education between 1982 and 1988. He was the Secretary-General of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1972 to 1975.-References:...
, the then minister of civilization.
He had a lot of visitors coming not only from all over the country, but also from abroad, manly from Slovenia, although he also had some German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
visitors too. In 2001 he was given the Order of Vitéz
Vitéz
Vitéz, or Order of Vitéz was a Hungarian order of merit which was founded in 1678. It was awarded as a state honour during two periods of Hungarian history...
for his military service. He never used this title though.
At the end of his life he was often ill, which jeopardized his work too. He died in the hospital in Körmend at the age of 84. With his death the pottery of Vendvidék vanished.
He was buried at Istvánfalvian Cemetery.
Awards
- Live Exhibition of Folk art in Körmend Award, 1978.
- Handicraft Exhibition in Szentgotthárd charter, 1978.
- KIOSZ silver ring, 1978.
- KIOSZ charter, 1982.
- Master of Folk Art, 1984.
- Ágoston Pável Memorial plaquette
- Congress VIII. of HNF Award, 1985.
- To the Raba country honours, 1999.
- Order Vitéz 2001.
External links
- Further famous personalities: Károly Doncsecz
- Francek Mukič - Marija Kozar: Slovensko Porabje, Mohorjeva družba, CeljeCeljeCelje is a typical Central European town and the third largest town in Slovenia. It is a regional center of Lower Styria and the administrative seat of the Urban Municipality of Celje . The town of Celje is located under Upper Celje Castle at the confluence of the Savinja, Ložnica, and Voglajna...
1982. - Kozar, Marija: Mojster ljudske umetnosti – Karel Dončec Slovenski koledar, SzombathelySzombathelySzombathely is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas county in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria...
1986. - Mária Kozár: Etnološki slovar Slovencev na Madžarskem, Monošter-Szombathely, 1996. ISBN 963 7206 620
- Francek Mukič - Marija Kozar: Spoznavanje slovenstva, Croatica, BudapestBudapestBudapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
2002. ISBN 963 9314 31 1 - Mária Kozár: The Hungarian Slovenes, Press Publica, Changing world, ISBN 963 9001 83