Zichyújfalu
Encyclopedia
Zichyújfalu is a village in Fejér
county, Hungary
.
The members of the Zichy family became the local landowners as early as the period of the Turkish Conquest. The Hungarian landowners in this period lived in Győr
and the Turkish
ones in Székesfehérvár
. After the expulsion of the Turks
the area was leased to the villeins of Seregélyes
, who, in 1717 requested the renewal of the leasing contract because they could not make a living from their lands The boundaries of Újfalupuszta and the neighbouring estates were fixed in 1745.
In 1784 Ferenc Zichy became the landowner of the farmstead. In this period it consisted of six houses, in which 18 families, a total of 91 people lived. Újfalupuszta was affiliated to the chapter of Seregélyes. The census of 1786/87 mentioned 61 local inhabitants.
In the middle of the 19th century Újfalupuszta (called Zichyújfalu from 1898 onward) was characterised by feudal backwardness. Development was blocked by the existence of the feudal estate and no improvement occurred until capitalism began to develop. Progress was dependent on the development of the estate and due to this fact it was very slow. The inhabitants of Újfalu were also dependent on the estate for their living and they were mostly household servants and daily workers. There were no villeins in the settlement, which meant that there were no peasant movements either.
The number of inhabitants depended on the demand of the labour market. Újfalu in this period was administered from Seregélyes. The landowner also lived at Seregélyes, and he was also the owner of several other farmsteads in the vicinity of the market town. The area of the Újfalu farmstead was 2721 acres, out of which 2100 acres were ploughland, 417 acres meadow and 204 acres pasture. The Újfalu estate had no swamps, orchards, vineyards or large wooded areas.
It was the members of the Zichy family who launched the capitalistic development of their estate in the middle of the 1870s. They recognised the outstanding potentials of their land and utilised these qualities. The land was extremely fertile and yielded good crop. Corn production and animal husbandry were the most significant occupations in the area. Payment at Újfalu did not differ from payments labourers received elsewhere for agricultural work. Agricultural workers were most often paid in kind. The members of the Zichy family achieved outstanding economic results at the end of the 19th century. Their income on the other hand did not contribute to the social and economic rise of the estate workers. The majority of agricultural workers in this period was from Seregélyes and because of this their revolts always coincided with those ones at Seregélyes. The agrarian movements were common in the area from 1897-1906.
The landowners spent their income on their own good. János Zichy
had a mansion built at Újfalu and established a menagerie. As a shareholder he took part in the construction works of the Székesfehérvár-Szabolcspuszta railway line. He also planned to build a post office
at Újfalu.
Cultural life in these circumstances was under the influence of the church. The majority of Újfalu’s population was Roman Catholic with Calvinists in minority. Both religious congregations were administered from Seregélyes until as late as 1949. The school was run by the Roman Catholics, but the children of Calvinist families were also allowed to attend it. In the 1870s János Zichy
donated an annual sum of 400 forints for school maintenance. When this support was withdrawn by him, the school ceased to operate in the village. Following this there was no permanent village school at Újfalu for two and a half decades.
The establishment of a loading platform at the railway station of Újfalu and the construction of a narrow-gauge railway line made the selling of agricultural products easy and the production intensive. Around 1900 the capital became the main market for the agricultural products grown at Újfalu.
During the war János Zichy
leased his estate to tenants. In the last war month, in October 1918 there was a good deal of tension felt among the inhabitants of the settlement. In the first weeks of the Soviet republic of 1919 the farmstead became an independent cooperative. From the mid-20s onward Zichy once again leased his property to tenants.
The area got in the centre of 2nd world war military activities from 1944 onward and the fights lasted until the end of the war. The population was evacuated and the armed struggles came to an end only on March 21, 1945.
In the spring of 1946 the idea of becoming independent was raised in the village, but it was opposed by the authorities at Seregélyes as well as by the county administrators.
Local inhabitants found employment on the state farm. The leaders of the farm were able and willing to support the settlement financially as well. Permanent workers were settled down in the village, and, as a result, the number of local inhabitants began to grow. New settlers were given not only job opportunities but also housing and building sites. Large-scale construction began.
Due to the rise of population figures local affairs could no longer be directed from Seregélyes, another settlement of the area. The establishemnt of a local office of administration did not improve the situation either. In the mid-1950s local economy was so strong that it could take its share from public duties. The problems of education were also about to be solved A new school building was erected in the village from 1957–59 and it has been functioning as a school up to now. The elecrification of the settlement failed in 1948, but in 1956 Újfalu was linked to the national network.
The number of inhabitants was continuously on the rise and because of this the question of administrative changes had to be raised in this period. About 80 % of the village population was employed by the State Farm of Agárd. Agárd, as well as Gárdony
had a tremendous influence on life at Újfalu. The participants of the Village Assembly on September 14, 1962 voted for the unification of Gárdony and Újfalu. From the originally 2434-acre area of Újfalu 1689 acres were annexed to Gárdony.
After unification the settlement underwent a period of development. Several streets were established and paved in the village, sidewalks were also paved.The inhabitants also participated in the programme of development and they did a lot of voluntary work. Shopping facilities also improved. Village shops were formerly run by the agricultural cooperative of Seregélyes
, and now they were taken over by the local ÁFÉSZ (cooperative). The road leading from the railway station to Csirib major was paved and a regular bus service was operated between Újfalu and Gárdony, the administrative centre. In the 1970s the local inhabitants began to leave the settlement. This was a steady process and giving out new building sites did not improve the situation.
In the period after the changing of the political system this tendency slowed down, since it became increasingly difficult for people to find jobs in the industrial plants nearby.
Transport was also increasingly problematic and the inhabitants had difficulties in reaching the administrative centre or the mayor’s office. Local inhabitants were increasingly confined to the area of Zichyújfalu. This is why they were more and more aware of the fact that the joint local government of Gárdony
and Zichyújfalu did not pay enough attention to the well being of Zichyújfalu and did not spend enough money on them. No capital was invested in this part of the settlement and no new projects were initiated. The opinion of the local inhabitants was that they could benefit from a new local government, the representatives of which would consider Zichyújfalu’s needs.
In addition to these changes the economic preconditions for becoming independent were also present in the village. Considering the settlement’s real needs and interests the inhabitants of Zichyújfalu decided to secure an independent status for their settlement.
Zichyújfalu was granted an independent status on December 15, 1997.
Fejér
-Geography:Geographically Fejér county is very diverse, its southern part is similar to the Great Plain , other parts are hilly . Lake Velence, a popular resort can also be found here....
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...
.
History
The name Újfalu denotes a newly founded settlement. The distinctive anterior constituent of the settlement’s name, the word ’Zichy’ is a reference to the one-time landowners of the area, the members of the Zichy family. The first written mention of the settlement’s name goes back to 1239, when Villa Nowa (Nova) was part of the Vértes estate of the Csák clan. In 1447 the name of the settlement appeared as Wyfalw (Újfalu), a nobiliary forename.The members of the Zichy family became the local landowners as early as the period of the Turkish Conquest. The Hungarian landowners in this period lived 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...
and the Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
ones in Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
. After the expulsion of the Turks
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...
the area was leased to the villeins of Seregélyes
Seregélyes
Seregélyes is a village in Fejér county, Hungary.- External links :*...
, who, in 1717 requested the renewal of the leasing contract because they could not make a living from their lands The boundaries of Újfalupuszta and the neighbouring estates were fixed in 1745.
In 1784 Ferenc Zichy became the landowner of the farmstead. In this period it consisted of six houses, in which 18 families, a total of 91 people lived. Újfalupuszta was affiliated to the chapter of Seregélyes. The census of 1786/87 mentioned 61 local inhabitants.
In the middle of the 19th century Újfalupuszta (called Zichyújfalu from 1898 onward) was characterised by feudal backwardness. Development was blocked by the existence of the feudal estate and no improvement occurred until capitalism began to develop. Progress was dependent on the development of the estate and due to this fact it was very slow. The inhabitants of Újfalu were also dependent on the estate for their living and they were mostly household servants and daily workers. There were no villeins in the settlement, which meant that there were no peasant movements either.
The number of inhabitants depended on the demand of the labour market. Újfalu in this period was administered from Seregélyes. The landowner also lived at Seregélyes, and he was also the owner of several other farmsteads in the vicinity of the market town. The area of the Újfalu farmstead was 2721 acres, out of which 2100 acres were ploughland, 417 acres meadow and 204 acres pasture. The Újfalu estate had no swamps, orchards, vineyards or large wooded areas.
It was the members of the Zichy family who launched the capitalistic development of their estate in the middle of the 1870s. They recognised the outstanding potentials of their land and utilised these qualities. The land was extremely fertile and yielded good crop. Corn production and animal husbandry were the most significant occupations in the area. Payment at Újfalu did not differ from payments labourers received elsewhere for agricultural work. Agricultural workers were most often paid in kind. The members of the Zichy family achieved outstanding economic results at the end of the 19th century. Their income on the other hand did not contribute to the social and economic rise of the estate workers. The majority of agricultural workers in this period was from Seregélyes and because of this their revolts always coincided with those ones at Seregélyes. The agrarian movements were common in the area from 1897-1906.
The landowners spent their income on their own good. János Zichy
János Zichy
Count János Zichy de Zich et Vásonkeő was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Religion and Education between 1910–1913 and in 1918. He was member of the House of Magnates from 1894. He was the chairman of the Catholic People's Party for many years, but he resigned in 1903. He joined...
had a mansion built at Újfalu and established a menagerie. As a shareholder he took part in the construction works of the Székesfehérvár-Szabolcspuszta railway line. He also planned to build a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
at Újfalu.
Cultural life in these circumstances was under the influence of the church. The majority of Újfalu’s population was Roman Catholic with Calvinists in minority. Both religious congregations were administered from Seregélyes until as late as 1949. The school was run by the Roman Catholics, but the children of Calvinist families were also allowed to attend it. In the 1870s János Zichy
János Zichy
Count János Zichy de Zich et Vásonkeő was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Religion and Education between 1910–1913 and in 1918. He was member of the House of Magnates from 1894. He was the chairman of the Catholic People's Party for many years, but he resigned in 1903. He joined...
donated an annual sum of 400 forints for school maintenance. When this support was withdrawn by him, the school ceased to operate in the village. Following this there was no permanent village school at Újfalu for two and a half decades.
The establishment of a loading platform at the railway station of Újfalu and the construction of a narrow-gauge railway line made the selling of agricultural products easy and the production intensive. Around 1900 the capital became the main market for the agricultural products grown at Újfalu.
During the war János Zichy
János Zichy
Count János Zichy de Zich et Vásonkeő was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Religion and Education between 1910–1913 and in 1918. He was member of the House of Magnates from 1894. He was the chairman of the Catholic People's Party for many years, but he resigned in 1903. He joined...
leased his estate to tenants. In the last war month, in October 1918 there was a good deal of tension felt among the inhabitants of the settlement. In the first weeks of the Soviet republic of 1919 the farmstead became an independent cooperative. From the mid-20s onward Zichy once again leased his property to tenants.
The area got in the centre of 2nd world war military activities from 1944 onward and the fights lasted until the end of the war. The population was evacuated and the armed struggles came to an end only on March 21, 1945.
In the spring of 1946 the idea of becoming independent was raised in the village, but it was opposed by the authorities at Seregélyes as well as by the county administrators.
Local inhabitants found employment on the state farm. The leaders of the farm were able and willing to support the settlement financially as well. Permanent workers were settled down in the village, and, as a result, the number of local inhabitants began to grow. New settlers were given not only job opportunities but also housing and building sites. Large-scale construction began.
Due to the rise of population figures local affairs could no longer be directed from Seregélyes, another settlement of the area. The establishemnt of a local office of administration did not improve the situation either. In the mid-1950s local economy was so strong that it could take its share from public duties. The problems of education were also about to be solved A new school building was erected in the village from 1957–59 and it has been functioning as a school up to now. The elecrification of the settlement failed in 1948, but in 1956 Újfalu was linked to the national network.
The number of inhabitants was continuously on the rise and because of this the question of administrative changes had to be raised in this period. About 80 % of the village population was employed by the State Farm of Agárd. Agárd, as well as Gárdony
Gárdony
Gárdony is a town in Fejér county, Hungary.This town is next to Velence-lake and is a popular summer destination. The town is divided into three parts: Gárdony, Agárd and Dinnyés and lies on the south shore of the lake. The name Gárdony is believed to have originated in the early 1200s...
had a tremendous influence on life at Újfalu. The participants of the Village Assembly on September 14, 1962 voted for the unification of Gárdony and Újfalu. From the originally 2434-acre area of Újfalu 1689 acres were annexed to Gárdony.
After unification the settlement underwent a period of development. Several streets were established and paved in the village, sidewalks were also paved.The inhabitants also participated in the programme of development and they did a lot of voluntary work. Shopping facilities also improved. Village shops were formerly run by the agricultural cooperative of Seregélyes
Seregélyes
Seregélyes is a village in Fejér county, Hungary.- External links :*...
, and now they were taken over by the local ÁFÉSZ (cooperative). The road leading from the railway station to Csirib major was paved and a regular bus service was operated between Újfalu and Gárdony, the administrative centre. In the 1970s the local inhabitants began to leave the settlement. This was a steady process and giving out new building sites did not improve the situation.
In the period after the changing of the political system this tendency slowed down, since it became increasingly difficult for people to find jobs in the industrial plants nearby.
Transport was also increasingly problematic and the inhabitants had difficulties in reaching the administrative centre or the mayor’s office. Local inhabitants were increasingly confined to the area of Zichyújfalu. This is why they were more and more aware of the fact that the joint local government of Gárdony
Gárdony
Gárdony is a town in Fejér county, Hungary.This town is next to Velence-lake and is a popular summer destination. The town is divided into three parts: Gárdony, Agárd and Dinnyés and lies on the south shore of the lake. The name Gárdony is believed to have originated in the early 1200s...
and Zichyújfalu did not pay enough attention to the well being of Zichyújfalu and did not spend enough money on them. No capital was invested in this part of the settlement and no new projects were initiated. The opinion of the local inhabitants was that they could benefit from a new local government, the representatives of which would consider Zichyújfalu’s needs.
In addition to these changes the economic preconditions for becoming independent were also present in the village. Considering the settlement’s real needs and interests the inhabitants of Zichyújfalu decided to secure an independent status for their settlement.
Zichyújfalu was granted an independent status on December 15, 1997.