The Economy of Szigliget from 1700 to 1914
Before discussing the subject indicated in the title, I would first like to note that my research was based mainly on parish records from the period between 1860 and 1914. These records were kept at the parish of Badacsonytördemic and were kindly made available to me by parish priest Károly Kovács, for which I would like to express my gratitude here. Thanks are also due to József Takács for proofreading and additional information, as well as to Tibor András Szabó, who also assisted in the research work.
What is this study about? Primarily about the farms and economic life of Szigliget during the second half of the nineteenth century and the early 1910s. Since agriculture was the dominant economic sector, and the topic would otherwise be far too broad, this article focuses mainly on employees and workers rather than on the eighty percent of the population directly engaged in farming.
The year 1700 dawned on Szigliget after the devastation of the Ottoman wars, when smoking ruins supposedly stood where the village had once been. This statement appears frequently in literature dealing with the village’s history, although its accuracy may be questioned. It is certain that the wars against the Turks reduced the population of the settlement, yet taxation interests meant that neither side benefited from completely destroying the inhabitants. It is likely that descendants of part of the original population were still living here in the early eighteenth century. Another part of the population may have descended from mercenary soldiers serving in the castle, while settlers from less devastated parts of the country — especially Upper Hungary — probably also arrived here. We know of at least two families that came from those regions.
Wine production had already existed on the eastern slopes of Castle Hill and the hillsides known as the Queen’s Skirt during the sixteenth century, and this tradition continued afterwards as well. The hillside cellar built by Imre Martonfalvay (the predecessor of the Esterházy Cellar), together with the later-built Öreghegy Cellar (today known as the Almás Cellar), indicate the location of the main vineyard areas.
The nationwide census of 1715 lists the following family names among the inhabitants of the village: Csik, Vadász, Orbán, Halápy, Hajnal, Szántó, Kankó, Konkoly, Czip, Vizeli, Vigánti, Kondor, Csoma, Takács, Nagy, Szekeres, Batéki, Kiss, Varga, Szőrő, Szabó, Kurdi, Komoróczy, Rácz and Hegyi. Today, only a few of these surnames can still be found in Szigliget, illustrating how much the composition of the population has changed over time.
During the eighteenth century, the former landowning Lengyel family of Tóti controlled the serfs of Szigliget. More detailed information about the settlement is provided by the Urbarium ordered by Empress Maria Theresa, which attempted to regulate the relationship between landlords and serfs. This document from 1767 describes Szigliget as an oppidum, or market town.
The record states that about thirty years earlier the landlords — the Lengyel family — had attempted to settle feudal obligations with the leaders of the settlement, but the townspeople had refused the arrangement, although they continued to fulfil the legally required services owed to their lords. It is important to note that the inhabitants of a market town enjoyed somewhat different rights from those of an ordinary village and were therefore able to oppose their landlords more boldly.
The document also records that every inhabitant owning cattle was required to provide seven days of labour annually with their animals, while those without cattle had to perform twelve days of labour on foot. In addition, compulsory boat-towing work had to be carried out on Lake Balaton and in the marshlands, which also reflects the water conditions of the time.
A map drawn by József Győry in 1795 still marks the harbour at Réhely, which served as a ferry crossing toward Fonyód, indicating that it was probably still in use at that time and that serfs may have performed towing duties there. Those without cattle were obliged to provide twelve days of manual labour, while postal transport by boat or on foot between Fonyód and Szigliget also fell upon them.
The tavern of Szigliget was operated by the town itself, and ten percent of fishing profits likewise remained with the town. The condition of the arable lands is also described in the document. Wealthier inhabitants possessed fields ranging from four to seven holds in size. Meadows suitable for grazing were largely absent, consisting mostly of marshy and bush-covered land, mainly due to the high water level of Lake Balaton. As a result, grazing possibilities were limited, and apart from cattle used for ploughing, large-scale livestock farming was probably not characteristic of the area at that time.
One particularly important detail recorded in the document states that four oxen were customarily placed at the service of the estate at one time, and these were used in the local manor farm. This refers to the manor buildings standing in the centre of the village, which already existed during this period.
The peasants of Szigliget did not pay the traditional feudal ninth; instead, they paid vineyard duties and the ecclesiastical tithe. One sentence in the Urbarium notes that “there is not a single deserted plot in the settlement,” indicating that every cultivable agricultural area in Szigliget was already under production at that time.
The document also emphasises that there were no hereditary serfs in the settlement, but rather all inhabitants were considered free tenants, meaning that they were not dependent upon their landlords to the same extent as peasants in many other parts of the country.