Abstract
This groundbreaking volume chronicles Győr's half-century-long struggle to secure the most modern mode of transport of the era – railways – in Hungary's north-western Transdanubia region, and its subsequent transformation into a railway junction during the nineteenth century. The author focuses on the turn of the twentieth century because, by this period, virtually all the rail lines impacting the city had been completed, and network expansion effectively plateaued in the decades that followed. Among the author's objectives was to move beyond a purely technical-historical approach and adopt a complex interdisciplinary perspective (covering economic, technological, architectural, lifestyle, social, military, urban development, spatial, transport, and physical geography) in assessing the railway's impact on Győr, both positive and negative.
Following a presentation of the region's transport history (roadways, water transport: the Danube, the Rába), the book outlines the emergence of railways in Europe and then in Hungary, followed by a detailed account of the railway plans, conflicts of interest, permits, and construction projects involving Győr. The author notes that Győr was disadvantaged because the first Vienna–Budapest trunk line was built on the right bank of the Danube, passing through Bratislava and bypassing the city. The railway connection between Vienna and Budapest via Győr was completed years later, in 1884, a development that was only fully appreciated after Hungary lost the right bank of the Danube – an area with a predominantly Hungarian population – following the Treaty of Trianon, which concluded the First World War.
The first railway line serving Győr was opened in 1855, connecting the city westward through present-day Mosonmagyaróvár to Vienna, the capital of the Austrian Empire. Rather than being a local initiative, the railway was realised primarily due to imperial, military, and agricultural-commercial interests to speed the export of Hungarian grain and livestock to Vienna and the Austrian heartland. It was soon extended eastward to Újszőny, linking Győr with the neighbouring county seats of Komárom and Magyaróvár.
In his work, Horváth analyses the impact of these railways alongside their planning and construction. Paradoxically, despite the new western connection, by the early 1860s Győr's economy – particularly its commerce – was already in decline. The author attributes this to the siphoning effect of the Austrian Southern Railway's Buda-Trieste and Sisak-Steinbrück lines, which diverted long-distance trade away from Győr's traditional overland and river routes, rendering them largely unviable.
He explains which railway companies built the lines that turned Győr into a railway junction, and for what purposes. GYSEV (Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurth Railway Company) built lines toward Sopron and Ebenfurth, while the Hungarian Western Railway built lines toward Pápa, Szombathely, and Graz. For a long time, however, locals remained concerned that direct travel to the Hungarian capital, Budapest, was only possible via a detour through Székesfehérvár. The 1884 direct Vienna–Budapest line through Győr was later taken over by the state railway company, MÁV (Hungarian Royal Railways Company).
In 1895–1896, the north-southeast Győr–Veszprém–Dombóvár Local Railway Company line was completed; it was significant not only for freight and passenger transport but also from a military standpoint, as it could, if necessary, “facilitate the mobilisation” of the Monarchy toward the south – Europe's powder keg at the time. Although the network had achieved considerable reach, no connection was built north-westward to the Csallóköz region. This region, with its predominantly Hungarian population, was further isolated from Hungary after being ceded to Czechoslovakia under the Treaty of Trianon. By the end of the nineteenth century, the city had established rail connections not only with the two capitals of the dualist Monarchy (Vienna, Budapest) but also with all the major cities in the region (Komárom, Magyaróvár, Bratislava, Sopron, Székesfehérvár, Szombathely, Veszprém).
In addition to this structural history, the author presents the volume and composition of freight transported at the railway junction (grain, potatoes, lumber, oil, beer, etc.). The book also contains numerous interesting facts, such as a beer tap installed on Platform 2 of the passenger station for passengers’ convenience in the summer heat.
As it became a railway junction, the city, having lost its role as an agricultural trading intermediary, successfully shifted its economic model and began rapid industrial growth, developing into one of the country's major manufacturing centres by the end of the nineteenth century. From an urban morphology perspective, the changes brought about by the railway in Győr can be divided into two groups: (1) the transformation and change in character of the station and its surroundings; (2) the construction of branch lines, industrial railways, and the associated infrastructure within the city. In line with the book's interdisciplinary aims, the author successfully and thoroughly examines the railway's impact across the economic, transport, social, cultural, and lifestyle dimensions of Győr. Numerous illustrations (contemporary photographs, postcards, blueprints, and site plans) and statistical tables greatly enhance the reader's understanding of the topic.
