A katonaság szerepe Kőszeg város fejlődésében 1867 és 1889 között
The Role of Military in the Urban Development of Kőszeg between 1867 and 1889

Summary/Abstract: Kőszeg, which was one of the most important towns in Hungary at the beginning of the eighteenth century, later not only lost its commercial significance to the rival town of Szombathely, but also descended into an industrial crisis. The decline was further exacerbated by the delays in joining into the nationwide rail network, consequently the town, which has traditionally been the military centre of the county, turned its expectations to becoming home to large Habsburg army garrisons. While military revenues provided a steady income for the town, a wide array of Kőszeg communities also indirectly benefitted from activities, such as quartering privates and officers, letting buildings (storage and infirmaries) for military purposes, and providing consumables. Following the quartering reform of 1879, however, the county chose Szombathely to build the future Habsburg cavalry barracks, which were finished in 1889. This was a blow to the number of army personnel stationed in Kőszeg and had a serious impact on the town’s finances. At the same time, the ensuing crisis forced the town to find new opportunities, which brought about a discernible, albeit initially rather humble, new wave of development by the turn of the century.

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