A Piece o La e Mode n Age His o y o Hunga y
h ough he Rombaue Family T ee
Pál Koudela
INTRODUCTION
In his s udy is ocused on he in eg a ion o a Ge man mino i y amily o he Hunga -
ian socie y du ing he cen u ies especially he i s hal o he 19 h cen u y. Bu h ough
hei s o y I also wan o ell abou socie y om a a ely exposed iewpoin . This am-
ily li ed o ages in Lőcse ( oday Le oča in Slo akia), Szepes Coun y, keeping hei Ge -
man language and iden i y, while in he 19 h cen u y hey mo ed o he e y di e en
pa s o he coun y o e en — as a consequence o hei pa icipa ion in he Re olu-
ion and Wa o Independence — o di e en pa s o he wo ld. The mig a ion pa -
e ns o he amily is exempla y: mo ing om no he n, pe iphe al a eas o he cen e
was a gene al di ec ion in inne mig a ion in Hunga y in he 19 h cen u y and he i s
g ea in e na ional mig a ion ou low bu s ou jus a e he all o he Re olu ion.1
Ou aim is o ge close o he adi ional bou geoisie wo ld o Szepes, he a e o Fab i-
cius, Mauks, Quendel and Blom amilies. We wan o pee in o he li e wen on behind
he ci y walls and o o m a pic u e how his e y closed and special communi y cope
in he big Wo ld. So my s o y is abou hose who le he immedia e en i onmen ’s p o-
ec i e a ms. Each membe s’ s o ies c ea e independen na a i es needed o be exam-
ined embedded in o di e en con ex s bu jus because o he many con ex s a mo e
holis ic, in e gene a ional app oach is also needed. Thus we came close o in e p e
he whole as long- e m mobili y and con inui y o discon inui y le us o connec o
wide in e p e a ional ames o socie y o he adequa e pe iod. Those amily membe s
mo ed o di e en en i onmen om hei p ima y socializa ion we e unde second-
a y in luences and had a “chance” o keep some o he alues and o lea e some o he s.
A he same ime he connec ion o a pe sonali y and he communi y he o she becomes
a pa o is a p ocess o in e ac ions al e ing he ecipien oo. This migh be especially
ue in socie ies wi h g ea mig a ion gain like big ci ies in he 19 h cen u y Ame ica.
We donʼ need o gi e up a ionali y as he main o ganizing p inciple du ing
a biog aphy esea ch o gene ally du ing c ea ing a his o ical na a i e. Ra ionali y
migh be a cons uc ion i sel and no eali y bu was ela i ely con inuous in his o y
a leas in he las cen u ies hus we can epo i as he mos ac i e p inciple. No
1 P. KOUDELA, Tu ning Poin s o Emig a ion om Hunga y: Unde s anding he P esen Changes
in Mig a ion S uc u e, in: B. BILTSIK e al. (Eds.), In e na ional Rela ions, His o y and Social
Sciences: New App oaches in a Complex Wo ld, Budapes 2014, pp. 163–178.
OPEN ACCESS
PáL KOUdELA 29
only he esea che o he pas “wan s” o a ange e en s in o se ies bu he “in en ”
o he c ea o s o he pas was also his. The di e ence is ha while he esea che
wan s o make a chain o e en s o a ela i ely long pe iod ac o s in he pas could do
his only o he momen . Single in en ions could come ue a a gi en momen hus
a ionali y could p e ail only ho izon ally bu no longi udinally. So we ha e o coo -
dina e h ee poin s in case o a biog aphy: he ac ual changes happened a he ime o
he incidence; he ci cums ances o he genesis o ou sou ces, namely how he gi en
e en appea s in his o ical sou ces; he esea che ’s na a i e and i s mechanism.
The a ionali y o he explo ed eali y is hidden in he i s poin : he gi en e en
ma ches p obably a ionally in o i s con ex and i s an eceden s bo h on human and
social le el. Ra ionali y in his case is no indi iduals’ a ional choices o a esul an o
hem bu a s uc u e which is he co ela ion o he e en s in a gi en momen . Thus i -
a ional (emo ional, adi ional) ac s can be in e p e in a logical amewo k because ac-
o s’ minds wo k like his. The gi en e en is known only h ough ou sou ces which can
be agmen ed: mos sou ces a e w i en in di e en imes and places ca ying di e en
in en ions so hei in e p e a ions’ is limi ed. Conside ing all o hese we can use a io-
nali y as a code language o sol e a message as long as we p esume ha coding sys ems a e
simila . This way decoded single e en s can be pu nex o each o he in a imeline c ea -
ing a biog aphy which is no a na a i e, no a s o y in a adi ional way and e en no a-
ionally cons uc ed. The biog aphy buil like his can be in e p e a ionally a e wa ds
by sea ching pa e ns in ca ee s o in he p ocess o social en i onmen and in hei
in e ac ion. This a ionali y is ne e heless independen om pe sonal in e ac ions and
is me ely a possible in e p e a ion. Me hod o il e ing a ionali y hus is no esea ch-
ing indi iduals’ ca ee s bu he se ies o inciden s happened o indi iduals his way.
THE DESCENDANTS FROM LŐCSE
Lőcse — conside ing i s popula ion — ne e was a big ci y, bu e en no a medium-sized.
able no. 1: Houses and Popula ion in Lőcse in Di e en Yea s2
Yea Numbe o Houses Popula ion
1555 536 3162
1667 866 4869
1728 494 2915
1786 834 4971
1810 829 4891
1849 1092 5412
1869 855 8016
1890 806 7582
1900 854 7866
1910 856 7528
2 K. DEMKÓ, Lőcse ö éne e, Vol. 1, Lőcse 1897, p. 269 [Népszámlálás (Census): 1869, 1890,
1900, 1910].
30 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1/2015
The ownʼs public posi ion was e y special since Géza II when i s i s esiden s, he
Saxon colony ounded i . Due o i s special legal posi ion e en in he 18 h cen u y only
Ge man ci izens li ed he e; immig an s came only om and he you h o he ci y s ud-
ied in Ge man e i o ies, p ies s and eache s we e asked om Saxony and guilds e-
c ui ed only Ge man membe s in he ci y. While ci izenship was limi ed o hose wi h
Ge man o igins and language skills Slo aks om neighbo ing illages s a ed o low
in since he 16 h cen u y. These wo ke and se an amilies had hei own p eache
ha ime and in 1570 hey buil a sepa a e chu ch. A e he plague in 1717 mig a ion
in low inc eased and e hnic composi ion s a ed o change basically bu un il 1865
only Ge man school wo ked in own. In he 19 h cen u y o he changes occu ed in
he composi ion o he ci yʼs popula ion. The adi ionally a isan-me chan popula-
ion — al hough no as highly as in o he ci ies in he a ea — loaded up wi h o icials.
able no. 2: Me chan s, A isans and O icials in Lőcse in Di e en Yea s3
Yea 1667 1697 1720 1810 1896
Me chan 292 278 169 337 367
A isan 265 253 145 287 167
O icial, in ellec ual 27 25 24 50 200
Ou p o agonis amily’s i s known membe in Lőcse was Má yás Rombaue , ci y
councilo a he beginning o he 17 h cen u y.4 One o he beau i ul epi a iums in
he no h na e o he S Jacob Chu ch emains he name o his son, Má yás Rom-
baue , me chan om 1640. The amily was p obably al eady weal hy ha ime: he
clo hes o he men ioned councilo ’s second son is known om 1689. The g een dol-
man made o Du ch baize wi h eigh een-eigh een sil e bu ons and same amoun o
sil e aco ns on i s slee es and b eas con i ms his. His son, Samuel wo ked also as
a sena o in 1720: his g ea -g andchild en we e János and Da id whose descendan s
we deal wi h below.
AT THE TURN OF THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES
Da id Rombaue , joine and Anna Má ia P ossin’s son János Rombaue was bo n
on May 28, 1782, in Lőcse. The documen o his bap ism sugges s ha his a he was
a weal hy a isan. The high numbe o godpa en s co obo a e his because o i s lux-
u ious na u e ha ime. F om his amily ci cums ances and om da a o his la e li e
i is p esumable ha he was p obably in ended o p ies hood and as a heologian a -
i ed o Du ch whe e he became a pain e . Du ing his s udies he migh ha e been o
F ance also and lea ned F ench pe ec ly.
János Rombaue la e s udied pa ly in Pes and pa ly in Lőcse as a s uden o Jo-
hann Jacob S unde om Copenhagen bu in 1806 a Russian coun ook him o Sain -
3 Ibidem, p. 306.
4 Li ed 1592–1640. The amily name was w i en like Rompaue ha ime: e.g. in he 1667
and 1728 egis e .
PáL KOUdELA 31
Pe e sbu g whe e he became he oyal pain e o Cza Alexande I. Acco ding o his
dea h ce i ica e he was a membe o he Russian Royal Academy o A s. He ma ied
in Sain -Pe e sbu g and a e his e u n om Russia ecei ed a pension om he
Cza . He pain ed he po ai o Ignác Au él Fessle , amous Hunga ian his o ian also
in Russia. The pain ing is in he po ai oom in he Hunga ian Academy o Sciences
oday. Rombaue pain ed him in his supe in enden es men in Sain -Pe e sbu g.
Tha ime he also deepened his knowledge by copying old mas e s’ wo ks in he He -
mi age in 1810.5
Rombaue ʼs a he wo ked as a joine and his many godpa en s we e also all
a isans. As he li es o pain e s in he 18 h — 19 h cen u ies show nobody became
a pain e me ely ollowing his ben . Jus like Miklós Ba abás only hei inna e ap-
i ude, ex ao dina y cha ing skills and ela ed inancial success d a ed mos o
he pain e s o he a is ic ca ee . Gene al pe cep ion handled a is ic alen as pa
o a isan c a o e en e e yday li e bu a ely as an independen way o subsis-
ence. I ’s mo e han likely ha Rombaue didn’ p epa e o be an a is . His pa en s
expec ed him a no mal posi ion, only as an au odidac has been pain ing in Epe jes
( oday P ešo in Slo akia), he own which exceeded he a e age wi h i s in ellec ual
li e. P obably he inancial success he eached wi h his po ai s inclined him o be
a pain e . The igh ela ionship o he S einhübel amily since he beginning o his
ca ee un il his dea h migh had also con ibu ed o his a is ic p og ess and di ec ion
o li e. Samuel Seinhübel — whom he eco ded wi h i s wi e wi h oil on wo sepa a e
can ases a he ea ly age o 22 — was one o he weal hies me chan and iches
ci izen o he own a he end o he 18 h and he beginning o he nex cen u y. Vi id
educa ional and a is ic li e cha ac e ized Epe jes in ha pe iod: Gábo Fejé á y, he
amous collec o li ed he e unde whose in luence wo excellen his o ians o a s
e ol ed Fe enc Pulszky and Im e Henszlmann.
This is e y likely ha János Rombaue wen o Samuel S einhübel in Epe jes as
a me chan assis an ; exac ly as a libe a ed assis an bu ne e became an indepen-
den adesman. In he p ese ed documen s and egis e s o he guild we can ind
only hose cle ks and app en ices who we e libe a ed in Epe jes and paid he ad-
equa e cha ge o he guild ches . App en ices migh ha e had hei own ches bu
no hing emained o his.6 Despi e o his ca ee his leaning o a is y appea ed in
di e en ways in his you h: he was e en an ama eu ac o in 1804–1805.7 The igh
connec ion be ween Rombaue and he S einhübel amily is clea ly shown in he le -
e below which is emained in he a chi es o he Academy. The le e was w i en in
Ge man by Ká oly S einhübelʼs son, Samuel o coun Emil Dessew y, he P esiden
o he Academy.8
5 A. PETROVÁ-PLESKOTOVÁ, Die En wiklungsaspek e des Scha ens Johann Rombaue s, in:
Časopis ARS, Vol. 2, No. 1, 1968, pp. 31–66.
6 K. DIVALD, Ada ok Rombaue es ő éle é ől, in: Mű észe , Vol. 3, No. 2, 1904, pp. 123–144.
7 L. ZEMAN, Gymnasiologia, Az epe jesi Kollégium és á hagyományozódásai, Dunasze dahely
2003, p. 29.
8 Epe jes, 1863, I. 18. You Excellency! I would p e e o w i e you in Hunga ian, bu I’m
mo e amilia wi h Ge man, so I en u e o w i e in Ge man. I sen You Excellency a pa-
pe boa d depic ing he Resu ec ion wi h closely li e-size igu es in black s yle wi h he
32 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1/2015
Ano he po ai , Rombaue pain ed in Russia, depic s Cza Alexande I. in a blue
Gene al Uni o m wi h ed cu s and golden inges, in a size o app. 30–40 cen i-
me e . One o Rombaue ’s bes po ai is almos li e-sized o his younge b o he ,
Samuel, who was a solici o in Epe jes and died in 1830 a he age o 37 acco ding o
his g a es one. This po ai migh ha e been pain ed in he 1820s al eady in Epe jes.
Ano he pain ing depic s he esu ec ion o Ch is was pain ed in Russia. I was
o de ed by P ince Cza o yski who paid a conside able amoun : 400 Rubles o i .
We could eckon Rombaue a la e eclec ic on he sco e o his wo k o a , who was
inspi ed by Remb and and Rubens unlike his con empo a ies. Though conside ing
all o his wo ks he seems o be a he a ep esen a i e o he Biede meie . Al hough
Du ch mas e s in luenced him undeniably, Rombaue didn’ deny his own e a and he
Vienna School. His pe cep ion was ealis ic, bu b ushwo k was ine and me iculous,
he de elopmen o his pic u es, which paid homage o as e o con empo a y audi-
ence, was jus as academic as e as his con empo a ies’. Only he b igh and some-
imes ga ish colo ing dis inguishes his a wo k. Abou i y pain ings emained a e
his oeu e.9
He e u ned om Russia in 1824 o Epe jes. He pain ed mos ly po ai s o he
ci y’s bou geoisie he e bu was in e es ed in o he hemes oo. Those po ai s ex-
hibi ed in he ce emonial hall o he Ci y Hall he po ai s o King F anz I and King
Fe dinand V we e ob iously based on e chings. His mos amous pain ing is he po -
ai o Fe enc Kazinczy om 1825.
János Rombaue was a sho and man wi h ed and sha ed ace acco ding o he
eminiscences o his pain ubbing p en ice. He was e y poli e wi h e e ybody and
mo ning mail coach, and I conside i my du y o o e his o he hono able Academy. This
no only schema ic bu almos inished pape boa d, o which he main igu e is he Sa io ,
who esu ec s om his g a eya d wi h he ic o y lag in his hands was pain ed by M . Já-
nos Rombaue deceased yea s ago in Epe jes. He oil pain ed he o iginal o he coun Bo-
b insky amily wi h he amily’s g ea es sa is ac ion. I en us he aes he ic e alua ion o
he compe en and only no e ha M . Rombaue ’s pic u e a ec s om a medium dis ance
om whe e i s plas ic imp ession p e ails. I e en con ine mysel only o some da a o
his excellen pain e . I M . Rombaue is less well-known han Ma kó, he amous land-
scape pain e , who was bo n in Lőcse oo, his is because M . Rombaue was mainly a po -
ai pain e and ha dly pain ed any his o ic pic u e o landscape. His ex ao dina y al-
en u ned up e en in his you h which pe suaded Coun Illinski o Wolhyna, whom he me
in Ba h Bá a, o ca y him o Sain Pe e sbu g as a companion. He go a e y pleasan job
he e, in which he had a chance o imp o e his a is y wi h adequa e ools and also could
compe e wi h he bes a is s o eigh een yea s. He pain ed he deceased Cza Michael
I. o e many o his amily membe s. Cza Alexande I wan ed o send him o Rome a his
own expense o make him s ay a he Academy o Sain Pe e sbu g la e bu he didn’ wan
o engage himsel and e u ned home in 1824, especially because he clima e o Sain Pe-
e sbu g was ha m ul o his wi e, and died in Epe jes. Wi h he hope o be able o gi e a -
is ic joy o You Excellency and he audience o Epe jes I assu e my highes conside -
a ion o you Excellency. You obedien se an . Ká oly S einhübel MTA kézi a á (HAS
a chi e) 126. sz. Ve em ma . 28-án 1863; K. DIVALD, Újabb ada ok Rombaue János es ő ől,
in: Mű észe , Vol. 14, No. 8, 1915, pp. 414–418.
9 J. BAYER, Újabb ada ok Rombaue ől, in: Mű észe , Vol. 7, No. 2, 1908, pp. 124–144.

PáL KOUdELA 33
could c ea e a weal hy li es yle in which he could li e o his pas imes. He and his
wi e om Sain Pe e sbu g always alked o each o he F ench, and he epi aph in he
Lu he an Ceme e y sugges s ha hey had a e y gen le and bene olen ela ionship.
“Liebe e wandel e Di die F emde zu Heima . Du schiedes . Ach! und zu F emde ü uns
ha sieh die Heima geschal e . — Amalie Rombaue gebo ne Baumann zu S . Pe e sbu g
geb. l 794. d. 25 oc ., zu Epe jes ges o . 1842. cl. 30. dec.”
János Rombaue sho ly su i ed his only son who died in ube culosis a he age
o nine een. Rombaue died in s oke in he iumphan Epe jes sho ly a e he ic-
o y o B anyiszkó, bu ully o lo nly because his younge b o he , Gusz á mo ed
o Pes in 1848 and ook he Hunga ian name o Romlaky. 10
The i s gene a ion lea ing Lőcse had chosen he ypical mig a ion di ec ion o
he cen e o he coun y. In case o he Hunga ian Highlands his mean a low om
he no h he sou h. A his ime i was a gene al phenomenon o mo e om he Sz-
epesség o Epe jes han o Kassa and a he end mig a ing o Pes -Buda. The o he
g ea -g andchild o Má yás Rombaue (1592–1640), men ioned abo e was also called
János Rombaue (1717–1794). He and his wi e, Do o ya K ausz had wo child en. The
olde , Má yás was bo n on Feb ua y 22, 1759, he younge was called Go id. We
know e y li le abou he la e and his is ha he wo ked as a mine councilo and
s ewa d and ha his daugh e , Be ha, who was bo n in 1809 ma ied o he own
cousin, Ti ada on Sep embe 11, 1827. Because Ti ada was he son o Má yás, we a e
going o deal wi h hem all as he descendan s o Má yás.
Má yás Rombaue (1759–1822) was bo n in Lőcse bu la e mo ed o Kö möcbánya
( oday K emnica in So akia), whe e he became cle gyman hen li es ock manage .
He con inued his job a he Ré ay amily’s mano o Tú óc Coun y in P ékopa ( o-
day P iekopa in Slo akia). He was a man o means.11 He didn’ ha e child en wi h his
i s wi e (his own cousin, Júlia K ausz), why he di o ced. His second wi e was he
daugh e o János Elha d, amous physicis and su geon in Lőcse and Anna Lassgall-
ne (1777–1853). He was 38 in Sep embe 5, 1797, when hey ma ied, and hey had
se en child en o which h ee died young.
IN THE AGE OF REFORMS AND REVOLUTION
The oldes o he sons was János Ti ada Rombaue .12 He was bo n in Lőcse on Janua y
23, 1803,13 in he Elha d amily’s s ill exis ing la a 22 Fő é . Sho ly a e wa ds hey
mo ed o P ekopa whe e he e was no schools and he had been lea ning p i a ely
un il he could en oll o he Lu he an Lyceum o Lőcse in 1811. The equen mo ing
was so ypical so we e en don’ be su p ised ha he inished his elemen a y school in
10 K. DIVALD, Ada ok Rombaue es ő éle é ől, in: Mű észe , Vol 3, No. 2, 1904, pp. 123–144.
11 S. TÓTH, Sá os á megye monog á iája, Vol. 3, Budapes 1912, p. 670, h p://mek.oszk.hu/
12800/12885/pd /12885_3_4.pd , [ci . 2015–07–25].
12 T. VASS, Rombaue Ti ada a gyá alapí ó (1803–1855), in: Ózdi Honisme e i Közlemények,
Vol. 12, 1996, pp. 3–130.
13 A Lőcsei E angélikus Egyház lajs oma 1803 (Le oča Lu he an Chu ch Regis e 1803),
9/11. no. documen . P. RIECKE, Nachkommen on D . Johann Ch is oph Elha d, B assó 1900.
34 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1/2015
Selmecbánya ( oday Banská Š ia nica in Slo akia) whe e he was usually he bes s u-
den . He en olled o he Academy o Mining and Fo es y in Selmecbánya in 1822, and
s a ed o s udy o es y oo in he ollowing yea . He inished he Academy in 182514
and ma ied o he cousin, Be ha Rombaue Sep embe 11, 1827.
A e inishing schools, in 1825 he s a ed o wo k a he i on ound y in Rohnic as
an app en ice. The ollowing yea ound him a he Schönbo n mano nex o Munkács
( oday Мукачеве in Uk aine) wo king in he indus ial plan s. Be eg Coun y, on i s 2,351
km2 174 se lemen belonged o i and he numbe o inhabi an s exceed he six y hou-
sand. On he mos ly wooded a ea ag icul u e had no play a majo ole bu ega ding o
he close sou ces o aw ma e ials di e en indus ies like wea ing, i on and chemicals
we e ied o domes ica e. The la ge dis ance o he consume ma ke s ne e heless im-
pended he de elopmen .15 Rombaue became he o e see o he alum wo ks in Pusz-
ake epes, nex o Munkács bu also pa icipa ed in he de elopmen o he me allu -
gical plan s. He managed he building o he en me e high o ge in Selesz ó be ween
1829 and 1832. The ound y wi h i s di e se cas s became known na ionwide.16 The man-
agemen was sa is ied wi h Rombaue ’s wo k because he could achie e o y pe cen
sa ings a he uels and en pe cen a he o es. Along wi h hese he ealized 1750 quin-
als p oduc ion g ow h un il 1831. Found ies we e buil , deposi o ies we e ins alled in
Sá o aljaújhely, Kassa ( oday Košice in Slo akia) and Pes . Rombaue ini ia ed he p o-
duc ion o machine pa s17 ha ime bu in 1832 he e en w o e abou a is ic moldings
in a submi ing. And eally: one- ou h o he sales ca alogue nex yea con ains a is ic
cas s. The esul is ha he ac o y ecei ed a gold medal18 in 1842 on he i s indus y
exhibi ion o ganized by Kossu h. E en in 1834 he managemen sen him o Glewice
o gain expe iences, bu in 1838 he was such a celeb i y ha Chancello Me e nich
in i ed him o pe o ming mano ial se ices. Coun Fe enc Schöbo n e ained him
in Munkács by o e ing highe posi ion and sala y. Tha was qui e easonable because
he boos ed he ac o y’s dis ibu ion such a la ge ex en : in 1840 hey had o answe o
o de s om Pes ha only bigge cas s a e able o deli e because o he huge demand.
A e he success ul pa icipa ion on he exhibi ion in 1843, on which Kossu h spe-
cial p aised he ac o y, Ti ada Rombaue none heless swi ched job and became chie
o ice a he headqua e s o he Coali ion o Rima (Rimai Coali io) in Rimab ézó ( o-
day Rima ské B ezo o in Slo akia). He p o ided new i on o e licenses, made a new
oad build o en housand o in s which in es men paid o soon by helping o
educe anspo cos s wi h i een pe cen . He also inc eased capaci y by echni-
cal and o ganiza ional measu es indica ing a huge p o i g ow h o he company.19
14 A Selmeczi M. K. Bányász- és E dész-Akadémia é százados ennállásának é köny e 1770–1870,
Selmecz 1871, pp. 229–230.
15 A. SAS, Egy ká pá i la i undium a hűbé i ilág alkonyán: A munkácsi Schönbo n-u adalom
á sadalmi és gazdasági iszonyai a XIX. század első elében, B a isla a 1955, pp. 39–40.
16 Z. REMPORT, Magya o szág askohásza a az ipa i o adalom előes éjén (1800–1850), Buda-
pes 1995, p. 123.
17 SAS, pp. 56–57.
18 G. NYÁRÁDY, Az első magya ipa műkiállí ás, Budapes 1962, p. 133.
19 J. MARTON — L. TETMAJER, A Rimamu ány-Salgó a jáni Vasmű R . ejlődésének ö éne e
a XXV. közgyűlés alkalmából, Budapes 1906, p. 22.
PáL KOUdELA 35
Rep esen a i es o i on indus y held a mee ing in he And ássy mansion in
Husszú é in 6 Sep embe , 1843. This was he second ime o has en p og ess in legis-
la ion: p oposal o a mining ac , ounding Technical Uni e si y and schools, de el-
oping in as uc u e. By he p oposal o Rombaue a new plan was bo n o build an
i on e ine y and olle ac o y. Acco ding o Széchenyi’s and Kossu h’s ision la ge
amoun o ail we e needed in Hunga y which was unable o be p oduced by he
small me allu gical companies. The go e nmen and he ailway companies wan ed
o p o ide i om ab oad, mainly om Wien, bu as a consequence o his mee ing
and Rombaue ’s p oposal he wo la ges company, he Coali ion o Rima (Rimai Co-
ali io) and he Union o Mu ány (Mu ányi Unio) was planned o be uni ed.20 Two c u-
cial ques ion a ose: i he wo companies oge he ha e enough inancial esou ces
o apply he la es echnology and o his echnology hey need o eign expe iences
ha hey couldn’ acqui e e en in Aus ia. Fo his eason hey asked he P esiden
and he Chie O ice o he Rimai Coali io, Pál Sza hmá y-Ki ály and Ti ada Rom-
baue o go o Wes -Eu ope. A e hei ield ip in England, Czech and Belgium only
one ask had le : o ind adequa e coal sou ces and o ins all he new ac o y nea by.
Ózd p o ed o be he mos app op ia e place.
Expe imen s o ligni e we e ca ied ou by Rombaue in Ge many and es u -
naces we e buil in Hunga y o con ince he skep ical land owne s.21 Ózd was a a he
small se lemen ha ime, only 334 inhabi an s a e men ioned in 1837 by Elek Fé-
nyes, he s a is ician.22 The Rimai Commi ee led by Rombaue was delega ed o o -
ganize he new company and de eloped he i on ac o y plans by he May 1845. The
ounda ion o he I onwo ks Associa ion o Gömö was decided and Rombaue was
en us ed wi h he ask o he echnical managemen . The unds we e 250 housand
o in s and bo h capi al and en ep eneu s we e all Hunga ian, and e en o eign sub-
sc ip ion o sha es we e p ohibi ed by i s s a u es. This pu some ouble on selling
sha es, pa ly because o land owne s who we e no ich enough o buy whole sha es,
bu pa ly because poli ical easons. One o hem was he non-a endance o Coun
Gyö gy And ássy, a close iend o Széchenyi wi h whom he had used o go o England
be o e he building o he Chain B idge. Rombaue belonged o he company o Kos-
su h a he same ime, who had a decisi e in luence in ac o y building in Hunga y.
And ássy so ea ed ha he would be igno ed in he managemen . Rombaue himsel
became a sha eholde wi h a hal sha e.
Nego ia ions had aken place wi h he Cen al Hunga ian Railways (Magya
Középpon ú Vasú á saság)23 in 1845, bu hey had ailed o conclude a con ac hus
hey had no o he choice bu concen a ing on acqui ing coal-beds. Rombaue had
a leading ole in si e selec ion and la e in he o ganiza ion o he ac o y and mines.
I was a He culean ask o con ac wi h he landowne s one by one o he coal
20 K. JENEI, Az alapí ás előzményei, in: I. BEREND T. (Ed.), Az Ózdi Kohásza i Üzemek ö éne e,
Ózd 1980, pp. 43–51.
21 A. ÓVÁRI, Az ózdi asmű alapí ásának és első üzemé einek ázla os ö éne e, in: Kohásza i
Lapok, No. 10, 1967, p. 439.
22 E. FÉNYES, Magya o szág mos ani állapo ja s a isz ikai és geog áphiai ekin e ben, Pes 1837.
23 MOL RMST-Okmány á (Hunga ian Na ional A chi e Rimamu ány-Salgó a ján Docu-
men Bank he eina e e e ed only as HNA), Z 366–155.
36 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1/2015
igh s ans e .24 La ge mine exca a ions begun in Sep embe , 1846 wi h six y min-
e s. S eam machines, o de ed om ab oad, came on boa d o Vác and by s o age ca
o Ózd. Technical expe s om B no and England assembled hem, which wasn’ a e
in ha pe iod: a signi ican numbe o skilled wo ke s came om ab oad o Hunga y
in he 19 h cen u y.
While he numbe o indus ialis popula ion in 1805 was 88,000 his numbe
inc eased o 125,000 in 1840, and s ill only one inhabi an became c a sman ou o
eigh y in Hunga y coun e o Aus ia whe e he a e was one c a sman ou o 13–15
inhabi an . The su plus wo ked mainly in he la ge-scale indus y. Coun ing smalle
manu ac o ies and ac o ies oge he hei numbe was 528 in 1847 in he coun y, in
which 23,400 wo ke s we e pe manen ly employed. The numbe o o eign skilled
wo ke s begun o inc ease subs an ially in his pe iod, and he numbe o ac o y
wo ke s inc eased i een imes du ing he ollowing o y yea s.25 The ac o y had
inancial p oblems due o he loss o con ac , which could ha e been complemen ed
only by sha eholde s’ u he in es men s, bu as a consequence p o iles had o be
eplaced hus ail p oduc ion i een yea s delayed.
Ózd had an ou s anding posi ion in Hunga ian indus ial his o y. Al hough he
cons uc ion o he i on ac o y had no inished by he ime, he olling ic ion s i
p ocess was p ac iced in 1847 i s in Ózd in Hunga y i y yea s a e i s in oduc-
ion in England and wen y yea s a e in Wes e n Eu ope. Ti ada Rombaue had
a leading ole in he ounda ion o he ac o y, in he p oduc ion o he i s machine:
a nine y h ee me e s long and se en y me e s wide olling mill and in he s uc u e
o he o icials’ and wo ke s’ houses wi h o namen al ga dens nex o each.26
IN THE REVOLUTION
Cons uc ion and p oduc ion s opped wi h he ou bu s o he e olu ion, o eign
wo ke s e u ned o hei homelands. Lajos Kossu h — based on hei o me e-
la ionship in he Védegyle — called Ti ada Rombaue o be a s a membe o he
i s independen go e nmen o med in 1848 Ap il. Rombaue le he Rimai Coali-
ion and mo ed o Pes whe e he became he Head o Depa men o Indus y in he
Minis y o Ag icul u e, Indus y and T ade lead by Gábo Klauzál.27 As his e y i s
ac ion in May he summoned he owne s o mines, ac o ies and indus ial plan s o
Pes . He impo ed i on h ough Fiume because he should ha e mainly deal wi h he
p oduc ion o sal pe e , gunpowde and clo h. He had success in acquisi ion o wood,
coppe and in om wes e n Hunga y. The opening o he sul u mine in Kalinka and
he de elopmen o new ypes o p oduc ion me hod was also his me i ; he Aus-
ian go e nmen — o p e en gunpowde p oduc ion — banned he impo o sul-
24 MOL RMST-Okmány á (HNA), Z 366–153/a.
25 G. RÉZLER, A magya nagyipa i munkásság kialakulása 1867–1914, in: G. LITVÁN (Ed.), Mag-
ya munkásszociog á iák 1888–1945, Budapes 1974, pp. 15–26.
26 J. FALLER, Régi kép és leí ás Ózd ól, in: Bányásza i és Kohásza i Lapok, No. 10, 1943, p. 370.
27 I. BAKÓ, A magya állami „O szágos Fegy e gyá ” működése 1848–49-ben, Budapes 1942,
p. 22.
PáL KOUdELA 43
Two o his a icles we e published abou he e o m o eache aining in 1891.53
He wan ed o se le he paymen s and emphasized he impo ance o seconda y
schools in eache aining ounda ion. His hi d p oposal was no only published
bu was also said wo d o mou h on he Twen y-yea anni e sa y o he Gene al As-
sembly. He ook size agains Mó Ká mán, amous pedagogue and p o esso ha no
he examina ion schedule o he Facul y o A s needed o be igh ened no i had
o make eache aining a p o ession bu his was he ask o he Public Educa ion
Depa men because his was hei di ec in e es . He ci ed he example o Tübin-
gen, in oduced hei o ganiza ional s uc u e and called o he es ablishmen o
a simila ins i u ion. This ui ul idea la gely suppo ed he call he ins i u ion o he
Eö ös Collegium o li e. Al eady in 1881 on he Elec ical Cong ess in Pa is Ló ánd
Eö ös and Ká oly Than ep esen ed Hunga y and T e o also asked Eö ös o s udy
F ench educa ion. Acco ding o he memo ies o Géza Ba oniek, he o ganize and
i s di ec o o he Eö ös Collegium Eö ös hoped o oughly om his ime o h
ha he can es ablish a Collegium in Hunga y along he lines o he Ecole No male
Supe ieu e in Pa is.54
Though coun less many hings had o happen un il 1895 when i had he chance o
be es ablished. The idea o he in eg a ed seconda y school sys em aised also in he
nine ies and he minis e o ganized a g oup o deal wi h he case in o which Rom-
baue was elec ed. In he ollowing yea s Rombaue ook pa in di e en p epa a-
o y law commi ees o help he egula ion o eache s’ paymen , s a us and posi ion
in educa ional sys em. In 1895 his a icle “Some in en ions on ex book au ho iza ion”
i s o mula ed he need ha au ho iza ion mus be gene al. This aspec was hen
included in o he Regula ion by Minis e o Educa ion Wlassics issued in 1896. In he
same yea he became he ice-p esiden o The Na ional Associa ion o Seconda y
School Teache s and in he ollowing yea he ecei ed he i le o Di ec o -Gene al
and membe ship in he Na ional Council on Public Educa ion. In his posi ion he pe -
o med coun less asks. He edi ed and w o e he chemical pa o he jou nal Techni-
cal School Ins uc ions. Eö ös in i ed him o be he head o he Seconda y School
Depa men in he Minis y bu he didn’ accep ed. Bu in 1904 he couldn’ e use he
minis e ’s in i a ion o he posi ion o di ec o o he V. Dis ic Technical School in
Budapes . He made he new building cons uc ed, es ablished new d awing oom,
gym, lib a y, and eache con e ence oom. La e a new wing was a ached o he
building and many equipmen we e p o ided.55
In he sp ing o 1905 on he mee ing o he Socie y o Social Sciences he spoke
abou he p oblems o he seconda y schools and de ended his posi ion jus like on
he annual mee ing o he Teache s’ Associa ion. He de ended himsel agains such
accusa ions ha excessi e cu iculum would ha e bad in luence on s uden s’ ne e
condi ion.56 In 1906 — pa ly due o hese a acks and pa ly because he came ound
53 E. ROMBAUER, A aná képzés ől, in: O szágos Középiskolai Taná egyle Közlönye, 1891/
no ., pp. 1–2, 1891/dec., pp. 1–3.
54 RADNAI, p. 341.
55 ROMBAUER, A á sadalom…, pp. 5–30.
56 E. ROMBAUER, A középiskolai e o m ké déséhez, in: O szágos Középiskolai Taná egyle Kö-
zlönye, 1904, pp. 62–72.

44 PRAGUE PAPERS ON THE HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 1/2015
ha he seconda y schools’ in eg a ed public posi ion was agains insu moun able
obs acles57 — he esigned om he ice- esidency o he Na ional Associa ion. Zsol
Beö hy — one o he leading igu es o li e a u e science and one o his bes iends —
ollowed him. A e his decision Rombaue pa ly e ea ed bu didn’ ga e up com-
ple ely public ac i i ies. He emained an ac i e pa icipan o Lu he an Chu ch in
Budapes . The Chu ch decided o gi e ui ion wai e o poo Jewish s uden s oo due
o his p oposal. He unc ioned he supe ision o eligious eaching e en in his old
age and in e ceded o se le he paymen s o eligious educa ion eache s.
Supe icially i migh seem ha Rombaue basically didn’ change his social en i-
onmen . He emained in Hunga y and e en despi e o his Saxon e hnici y he came
o ano he Saxon own. His di icul ies ac ually de i ed om his humani a ian, p o-
g essi e and uncomp omising na u e bu a leas all o hese con ibu ed o hem.
Despi e all o hese i seems ha e en Saxons disliked him in B assó. This migh be
pa ly in e p e by his Hunga ian iden i y: ill Rode ick Rombaue — his cousin in
he U.S. — go a om Hunga ian o e en Eu opean iden i y due o his e ugee s a us
and desi e o in eg a ion so long Emil was s eng hened in his na ional iden i y by his
plodding on he a e o home.
THREE GENERATIONS DURING MORE THAN A CENTURY
“The ask o scaling is o iden i y con ex -sys ems which gi e he ame o social games.”58
Li e spans and social en i onmen a e in close in e ela ion bo h in e ical and ho -
izon al meaning. A ca ee shows he ea u es o a social g oup,59 o he e he middle
s a a, bu in wo di e en way: ep esen ing i s ac ual social en i onmen and i s o -
igins. We wouldn’ dig ess oo much i men ion — in ou case — he heo y o P o es-
an E hic nowadays a bi sunk in o obli ion. A pain e , a manu ac u e and a eache :
all ypical middle class membe s, all P o es an and all wi h an indes uc ible will o
c ea e. Thei alues include ugali y and ha d wo k bu also emphasizes ma hema -
ics and obse a ion. I ’s easy o ind he elemen s o he enhanced alues o schola -
ship, a ional sys ema iza ion o go e nmen adminis a ion, and an inc ease in en-
ep eneu ship en u es lead o a mode n wes e n alue sys em linked o P o es an
o igins.60 And we shouldn’ o ge ha in ou con empo a y geopoli ical iew hese
elemen s a e pa o he wes e n ci iliza ion acco ding o Hun ing on’s in e p e a-
ion and in luence.
As oday i is gene ally accep ed e e y hing which was w i en as a s o y c ea e
a ha dly disen angled line o ac s and con ain a speci ied di ec ion a he same ime.61
57 Az egységes jogállásí ású középiskolák ól. Szaké ekezle , 1906. januá 29–31.-én Jegy ző-
kö ny . 119. and 139. BINDER, p. 25.
58 B. LEPETIT, A chi ec u e, géog aphie, his oi e: usages de l’échelle, in: Genèses, T. 13, No. 13,
1993, pp. 118–138.
59 G. LEVI, Les usages de la biog aphie, in: Annales: Économies, Socié és, Ci ilisa ions, T. 44,
No. 6, 1989, pp. 1325–1336.
60 B. REINHARD, Max Webe : An In ellec ual Po ai , Oakland 1977.
61 A. MACINTYRE, A e Vi ue: A S udy in Mo al Theo y, No e Dame 2007, p. 230.
PáL KOUdELA 45
E e y biog aphies mus be eleological,62 in e pe sonal ela ions namely bea he e -
ec s o na a i e adi ions hus na a i e adi ion i sel e ec s ou senses. This p e-
o ms w i ing i sel and e en hinking. Usually we y o c ea e a s o y in which indi-
idual elemen s i oge he and elimina e con adic ions.63 Bu in ou case no only
his o y i sel bu he posi i e in o ma ion ex ac ed om i can be a na a i e oo.
A PIECE OF LATE MODERN AGE HISTORY OF HUNGARY
THROUGH THE ROMBAUER FAMILY TREE
ABSTRACT
A closed communi y o Lu he an Ge mans in he ci y o Lőcse (Le oča) and a amily li ed o
cen u ies in his ci y showed h ee gene a ions in he 19 h cen u y go a om hei home bu kep
hei alues. A pain e , a manu ac u e and a eache in di e en e as and en i onmen s in Hunga y
wi h he same e hic: ha d wo k and h i . Bo h o igina ed om Lőcse: János Rombaue , he pain e
go o Sain Pe e sbu g as a oyal pain e o Cza Alexande I and e u ned la e o Epe jes (P ešo ).
Ti ada Rombaue mo ed close o Munkács (Мукачеве) and la e o Ózd as a ounde o he mos
amous i on ound y. La e because o his ole in he Re olu ion he had o lee o Ame ica whe e he
es ablished a new li e o he eme gence o a new amily line o his descendan s. Emil go o B assó
(B așo ) whe e he had o cope wi h Saxons as a Hunga ian and la e o Budapes whe e he had o
cope wi h he bu eauc acy as a eache and di ec o . In bo h h ee li e spans we can easily disco e
he essence o hose alues de i ed om hei ances o s and can be cha ac e ized wi h he spi i o
capi alism and P o es an e hic.
KEYWORDS
Mic o his o y; Genealogy; Mig a ion; Social in eg a ion
Pál Koudela | Kodolányi János Uni e si y College, Fü dő u. 1, 8000, Székes ehé á , Hunga y,
[email protected]
62 P. BOURDIEU, L’Illusion biog aphique, in: Ac es de la eche che en sciences sociales, T. 62,
Nos. 62–63, 1986, pp. 69–72.
63 D. SPENCE, Na a i e T u h and His o ical T u h: Meaning and In e p e a ion in Psychoanal-
ysis, New Yo k 1984.