Debrecen, the "cívis" town 1693-1993 [antikvár]

DEBRECEN, A SEVEN CENTURY OLD TOWN ín a written document the name of Debrecen appears to be recorded first as late as 1235. Archeological data testify however that this locality, on the borderline of sandy and wooded Nyírség (birch growing country) and the fertile yellow soil of Mezőség (medowland), had been settled since the llth century. In importance it had been raised above the villages ofher environ, because of her landlordfamily, accidentaly named DEBRECEN. By the end of the 13th century it ranked among the five most populated estates of the diocese. By 1300 it become a center of a small domain, the only example of a domain not organized round a castle or fortress. It was registered in the year 1299, that among her inhabitants somé bondsman handled goods of great value. This time the village consisted of a three part estate, one ofthem latter named after her saint (Ladislas) Szentlászlófalva. Merchants and craftsmen (the so called "hospes" people) were settled here by landlords. They certainly had a decisive role in the town's prosperity. Perhaps the Street name Burgundia dates back to this time. Streets were opened, so the three parts of the settlement joined, this process being sped up by growth of the population. Preserved for the following centuries a center around St Andrew Church, built on the fundation of an earlier temple, had been förmed in this era. To the west of this church edifice there was the vicarage, to the east the fortified mansion viewing Csapó Street (named Homok Street in the 14th century), along with the Franciscan cloister, established in 1322. South of the church was the marketplace, to the North Péterfia Jakab Street (JAMES, SON OF PETERJ was situated. At that time, more than twenty villages belong to the estate. Though we know only latter data of established guilds, Debrecen was an important mercantile and handicraft center. A diplom of 1332 lists mayor, jurists, merchants, settlers, so the town council already existed. Practically the habitation from this time on should be considered a town. In the second half of the 14th century the landlords of Debrecen enlarged their estate. Borders of depopulated villages came to the use of the inhabitants of Debrecen, who earlier had a little involvement in agricultural activity. The best of the arable landfall to the west of the town, with meadows and pastures on their periphery. In the 15th century it A model of the middle age St. Andrew Church, and the so called Red Tower became a spacious grazing landfor cattle reared all the year round in open air. This nomadic stock raising used the eastern boundary of Debrecen, (now a wooded meadowland) for wintering. Such large scale stock raising resulted in an early development of a leather and wool industry. There were busy wheelwrights, blacksmiths, andpotters, andas their importance raised, tanners and skindressers förmed a guild in about 1350. The feltdressers and wool1 mMKECZÉN\AftO.SSABAX ! 4KOZ f* .'vBF >--- -- v ...