Lajosmizse
Encyclopedia
Lajosmizse is a town in Bács-Kiskun
county, Hungary
. It is located at the end of a railway line from Budapest
.
, and after the Magyar conquest the area became the dwelling place of the chief's clan. Later it was a crown possession, so the inhabitants could freely graze their livestock on no man's land, that is, on the king's pastures. Around 1246, King Béla IV resettled Cumans whom he called back from Bulgaria, in this area destroyed during the Mongol invasion. Later, in the Turkish times, the Tartar hordes devastated the land in 1596, during the 15-year-war, and the wasteland was leased by the inhabitants of Kecskemét
, Nagykőrös
and Jászberény
for grazing. In 1702 the monarch sold the area to the Teutonic Knights
, but the dwellers took joint action and redeemed the lands which had previously been obtained by the Invalides from Pest. This is the origin of the locals' pride in the act of redemption.
The blue is also the colour of transcendence, and conveys the meaning that the mediaeval settlement of Mizse already had a church built of stone, where Franciscan monks were also engaged in converting the reluctant Cumans to Christianity. As soon as the settlement gained independence, its Catholic church was completed by 1896 and, by 1903, the Calvinist church had also been built. The only remaining ruins of the one-time puszta churches are still to be seen here.
The colour green recalls the former grovy pastures, on which in the period of the Magyar conquest, as well as in the Cuman and Turkish
times, the breeding of sheep and cattle was dominant; nor can the number of horse herds be underestimated. As long as 1876, Jász-Lajos-Mizse was considered as the undivided pasture of the town of Jászberény
. Having gained the rank of municipality in 1876, the settlement began to grow, but on the outer fields the isolated farmsteads kept on flourishing. Even if the forced organization of co-operative farms in the 1950s did bring about changes, following the changing of the political system in 1989, the number of privately owned farms was nearing 4,000. The settlement's industry used to be based on agricultural production (mills, oil presses, etc.), but in the past fifty years various kinds of metallurgical, timber, light, domestic, printing, chemical and meat industry have also appeared, employing part of the population.
The two combatant lions evoke the fact that once the town consisted of two settlements. Mizse might have gained its name after the palatine of King László IV (the Cuman
) by the same name. In the 14th century it was here that one of the two Cuman headquarters called Mizseszék was set up, performing both military and administrative functions. By the end of the 15th century, the feudalization
of the Cumans had shown remarkable progress. There were attempts to deprive them of their privileges, but in most cases these proved to be unsuccessful. The Turkish tax collectors still referred to both Mizse and Lajos as inhabited areas, which were eventually depopulated after 1596. It was in the nearby Bene-puszta that the grave of a horseman from the times of the Magyar conquest was unearthed and scientifically documented. The findings are believed to be "the remains of the warrior Bene and the ormanents of his garment".
The Jazygian horn held by the lions decorated seals as early as the 16th century, serving as the symbol of Jazygians. It was even related to the well-known legend of the chief Lehel, which is based on two factors. One is that the horn is in fact a piece of work from the 9-10th centuries. The other is that the edge is chipped, which can be regarded as the damage done when Lehel struck the German emperor dead. The historical validity of the story may be disputed, but its credibility as a legend has remained intact in local tradition. The horn is a symbol of the inhabitants' ethnic coherence, independence and desire for freedom.
The two stars refer to the two main denominations, the Roman Catholics and the Calvinists. It may again be related to one-time valour and tradition that the town's Catholic church was offered to be patronized by Louis IX (the Saint), the holy knight king, commander of the 7th and 8th crusader armies. It cannot be excluded either that the 14th century church was already consecrated to his honour, and the nearby place of dwelling (descensus) got the name Lajos after it.
Lajosmizse gained its current name in 1902, and it was in 1970 that the settlement was given back the rank of municipality. In 1993, the President of the Republic of Hungary raised it to the rank of town.
The crest is a memento of the victims and heroes of the past millennium and of the two world wars, while the crown is the expressive symbol of independence and local autonomy.
Bács-Kiskun
Bács-Kiskun is a county located in southern Hungary. It was created as a result of World War II, merging the pre war Bács-Bodrog and the southern parts of Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun counties. With an area of 8,445 km2, Bács-Kiskun is the largest county in the country. The terrain is mostly flat...
county, Hungary
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...
. It is located at the end of a railway line from Budapest
Budapest
Budapest 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...
.
History
Lajosmizse is situated at the meeting point of routes leading from the North to the South, and from the West to the East. Once the area was covered with groves, then with wind-blown sand. The town stretches over a large area, and is still considered to be a settlement with many outparts. People lived here as early as the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, and after the Magyar conquest the area became the dwelling place of the chief's clan. Later it was a crown possession, so the inhabitants could freely graze their livestock on no man's land, that is, on the king's pastures. Around 1246, King Béla IV resettled Cumans whom he called back from Bulgaria, in this area destroyed during the Mongol invasion. Later, in the Turkish times, the Tartar hordes devastated the land in 1596, during the 15-year-war, and the wasteland was leased by the inhabitants of Kecskemét
Kecskemét
Kecskemét is a city in the central part of Hungary. It is the 8th largest city of the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun.Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's third-largest city, Szeged, 86 kilometres from both of them and almost equal distance from the two...
, Nagykőrös
Nagykorös
Nagykőrös is a town in Pest county, Hungary.Arany János taught there from about 1851, and a local museum is named for him.- External links :*...
and Jászberény
Jászberény
Jászberény is a city and market centre in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in Hungary.- Location :Jászberény is located in central Hungary, on the Zagyva River, a tributary of the Tisza River...
for grazing. In 1702 the monarch sold the area to the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
, but the dwellers took joint action and redeemed the lands which had previously been obtained by the Invalides from Pest. This is the origin of the locals' pride in the act of redemption.
The blue is also the colour of transcendence, and conveys the meaning that the mediaeval settlement of Mizse already had a church built of stone, where Franciscan monks were also engaged in converting the reluctant Cumans to Christianity. As soon as the settlement gained independence, its Catholic church was completed by 1896 and, by 1903, the Calvinist church had also been built. The only remaining ruins of the one-time puszta churches are still to be seen here.
The colour green recalls the former grovy pastures, on which in the period of the Magyar conquest, as well as in the Cuman and Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
times, the breeding of sheep and cattle was dominant; nor can the number of horse herds be underestimated. As long as 1876, Jász-Lajos-Mizse was considered as the undivided pasture of the town of Jászberény
Jászberény
Jászberény is a city and market centre in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in Hungary.- Location :Jászberény is located in central Hungary, on the Zagyva River, a tributary of the Tisza River...
. Having gained the rank of municipality in 1876, the settlement began to grow, but on the outer fields the isolated farmsteads kept on flourishing. Even if the forced organization of co-operative farms in the 1950s did bring about changes, following the changing of the political system in 1989, the number of privately owned farms was nearing 4,000. The settlement's industry used to be based on agricultural production (mills, oil presses, etc.), but in the past fifty years various kinds of metallurgical, timber, light, domestic, printing, chemical and meat industry have also appeared, employing part of the population.
The two combatant lions evoke the fact that once the town consisted of two settlements. Mizse might have gained its name after the palatine of King László IV (the Cuman
Cumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...
) by the same name. In the 14th century it was here that one of the two Cuman headquarters called Mizseszék was set up, performing both military and administrative functions. By the end of the 15th century, the feudalization
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
of the Cumans had shown remarkable progress. There were attempts to deprive them of their privileges, but in most cases these proved to be unsuccessful. The Turkish tax collectors still referred to both Mizse and Lajos as inhabited areas, which were eventually depopulated after 1596. It was in the nearby Bene-puszta that the grave of a horseman from the times of the Magyar conquest was unearthed and scientifically documented. The findings are believed to be "the remains of the warrior Bene and the ormanents of his garment".
The Jazygian horn held by the lions decorated seals as early as the 16th century, serving as the symbol of Jazygians. It was even related to the well-known legend of the chief Lehel, which is based on two factors. One is that the horn is in fact a piece of work from the 9-10th centuries. The other is that the edge is chipped, which can be regarded as the damage done when Lehel struck the German emperor dead. The historical validity of the story may be disputed, but its credibility as a legend has remained intact in local tradition. The horn is a symbol of the inhabitants' ethnic coherence, independence and desire for freedom.
The two stars refer to the two main denominations, the Roman Catholics and the Calvinists. It may again be related to one-time valour and tradition that the town's Catholic church was offered to be patronized by Louis IX (the Saint), the holy knight king, commander of the 7th and 8th crusader armies. It cannot be excluded either that the 14th century church was already consecrated to his honour, and the nearby place of dwelling (descensus) got the name Lajos after it.
Lajosmizse gained its current name in 1902, and it was in 1970 that the settlement was given back the rank of municipality. In 1993, the President of the Republic of Hungary raised it to the rank of town.
The crest is a memento of the victims and heroes of the past millennium and of the two world wars, while the crown is the expressive symbol of independence and local autonomy.