Nagycenk Summary
Nagycenk
Summary
Summary
Nagycenk lies twelve kilometres from Sopron, directly next to the Austrian border, in Western Hungary where several small regions meet. It was created in an area embraced by the Soproni-basin, the Fertő-Hanság basin and the Répce-plain, after the merger of two villages, Kiscenk (Small Cenk) and Nagycenk (Large Cenk), built in the basin of the Ikva brook. A fertile plain was formed along the brook, which is excellent for agricultural activities.
It has a moderate climate. It has more rain and wind than the national average due to the closeness of the Alps.
The village is not rich in archaeological relics, but findings prove that it has been inhabited since ancient times. It was suitable for settlements due to the mild hill between the brooks. We have findings from the Copper Age until the Roman Empire.
The foundation of the settlement can be associated with a historical legend around the time of the Hungarian Settlement, which, however, is not confirmed by archaeological findings.
The first written mention of the village from 1281 relates to the Kiscenk part of the village. Nagycenk was first mentioned in 1291.
The history of the villages in the early Middle Ages was characterised with frequent ownership changes, and a series of ceaseless donations and legal proceedings. Collection of customs duties was possible in Nagycenk due to its geographical position. Customs houses at the crossing pointsof trade routes operated until 1918.
The history of the two villages merged under the ownership of the Nádasdy family during the Middle Ages, and they received joint administration in 1570. The Nádasdy family transformed not only the economic but also the credit history of the village. The almost century-long presence of the Protestant Religion brought about changes in the areas of education and culture.
After the Ferenc Nádasdy’s execution for his participation in the Wesselényi conspiracy, the estate soon became the property of the Széchényi family through a right of pledge.
György Széchényi, the bishop of Esztergom, however, could not yet acquire it through inheritance, only his nephew, György Széchényi II could obtain it in 1711. At that time, Ilona Széchényi already lived here, but the fate of the family and the settlement became inseparable only from the middle of the century, when Antal Széchényi had a chateau built in the place of the former mansion. Ferenc Széchényi, the founder of a library and a museum, who established the centre of his estates here, gained prestige and respect for the settlement.
Several notable personalities of the age of enlightenment visited the reconstructed chateau. Széchényi founded three entails for his sons in 1814 before his death. Cenk was given to István, the youngest son.
He was called “the greatest Hungarian” by Kossuth, his political adversary. Under his ownership the two villages became the most dynamically developing area in Hungary, which also became the forerunner of technical and economic innovations. There is a library-size collection of literature to write about his merits and historical greatness. By way of reconstruction, he made the building worthy of his rank. The last form of the building has been preserved until now.
The 1848 revolution brought better life for the serfs also in Nagycenk, but they lost their landowner. István Széchenyi managed his estate by way of letters from the sanatorium between September 5, 1848 and April 8, 1860. His death was a shock to the whole country. He was buried in the crypt in Cenk by parson Antal Tolnay on April 11. The mausoleum of the family has become a place of pilgrimage ever since.
Béla Széchenyi followed his father as the lord of the estate. The new church was built under his supervision, on the basis of Miklós Ybl’s designs, and the guidance of István Széchenyi. After the compromise of 1867, Nagycenk also embarked upon the road of peaceful development. The sugar factory and the estate, as well as cattle production earned living for the population, which came to an end with the outbreak of the 1st World War. Sixty-three citizens could never come back to Nagycenk from the front. After the second cataclysm, forty-four further names were added to their list on the commemorating monument.
The village showed their patriotic feelings against the Trianon Treaty on December 16, 1921. Only five out of all the people with a right to vote opted for Austria.
The development of the village was paralleled by the growth of the level of education. The earlier school was continuously extended, a floor was added in 1929, and the number of the staff became six people after three Sisters of Mercy joined.
Next to the firemen’s society, established at the end of the XIX century, several other non-governmental organisations were formed between the two wars. Cultural life was bustling with drama societies, business and religious societies, and a choral society.
A camp of Polish refugees was formed in the abandoned halls of the sugar factory and on the estate of Kiscenk in 1939. Three years later, German henchmen, occupying the country, assassinated the inmates of the labour camp in the very same place.
After the war, the village had a slow convalescence in the shade of the iron curtain. The reconstruction of the chateau and the park was a great incentive for the revival of the halted development. Economy was also recovering. The cultural and economic role of the village made it an administrative centre, and a large settlement in 1979.
The Széchenyi István Memorial Museum, the biggest-size memorial museum in Hungary, which was opened in 1973 had a large role in the formation of the tourism industry of the village. The several million, mainly Hungarian tourists may get acquainted with all the important elements of the Széchenyi-oeuvre at the exhibition arranged in the family’s chateau. The museum also works as a cultural centre, and gives place for the exhibits of different branches of art.
The next change in 1990 opened a series of businesses. The number
of private enterprises was growing steeply. There are several tradesmen offering their services, and many of the families wish to earn their living from tourism.
Széchenyi’s village can preserve its central role even in our changing world with the help of its fortunate geographical position, fertile lands and monuments.
