Market Halls in Budapest [antikvár]

Introduction The history of market halls as types of buildings and institutional systems is connected with the development of cities everywhere. These commercial establishments are some of the oldest community buildings in the history of architecture. With the rise of the middle class and the development of city life, agricultural production and consumption were no longer directly connected to one another For many centuries, markets and fairs were suitable places for the distribution of food. With the development of large cities with several million inhabitants however, a new type of system had to be organised. The size of the population grew to such an extent that the surrounding settlements could no longer supply enough provisions for the city (In England, the whole country proved to be too small for this task, and a completely new nehvork of institutions had to be organised to provide the country with food.) The earlier commercial establishments were no longer suitable; it was not just a question of how various kinds of businesses should be brought together into a single building. The 19th cenhiry market halls are not just covered markets, they are much more than that: in the large cities it became necessary to construct buildings where aspects of the ancient function, that of purchasing food, could be developed in accordance with new demands. From the 19th cenhtry thanks to the development of the transport system, food could be conveyed long distances by sea and rail. In England, France and Germany, food grown in the colonies supplied the mother counhies. In this case, the reception, distribution, wholesale marketing and quality conhol of the goods had to be organised. A suitable retail network had to be developed. This required the organisation and establishment of an institutional system totally different from that of earlier Hmes. At that time and for that reason, a network of market halls developed to supply the inhabitants of the most important large cities in Europe. The idea of market halls is not unprecedented: there are the market halls of ancient Rome, the mediaeval cloth markets, the bazaars of the Islamic world etc But the industrial development of the 19th century brought them into being. The halls spanned such a large area, that they could only be built using iron and reinforced concrete: the new construction materials which appeared at that time. This new technology also assisted the establishment of buildings with new functions, such as railway stations, engine houses, exhibition pavilions etc Market halls also belong to this group, and they are one of the most characteristic types of 19th-centary building. To the present day, market halls have preserved their significance in terms of architechjre and city history (Former industrial premises and exhibition halls which were h-ansformed into market halls need to be dealt with separately and are not mentioned in this book, even if they are significant works of architecture.) Budapest occupies a unique position among the large cities of Europe, in that the market halls here have preserved their original form and function. They are not only useful buildings, but because of their aesthetic value it is worth while introducing them and getHng to know them. Construction of market halls in Europe in the Middle Ages, or even eadier, there were places in every settlement where markets and fairs were held. These were generally in public places, such as streets or squares. It is now difficult to establish exactly where the idea of a conshucting a market hall system first arose. It is certain that the roots reach back to France. Supplying the population with food became more and more of a problem here. The needs of the cities could only be met by bringing food from a long way away In times of famine, many people took advantage of the difficult situation. This naturally led to an increase in food prices. Famine and price increases were particulariy bad in France between 1740 and 1784. Nine years of privaHon are recorded during this period. The effect of high prices was worsened by the fact that over fifty different pretexts were used to impose taxes on the peasants. Landowners thought out a great variety of ways to pilfer the supplies, and so the transportation of food became very difficult Prices rose to such an extent due to the general state of confusion that it was no longer worth while sending produce to Paris. It is recorded that bread had become so expensive by 1789 that it was not considered a disgrace to ask guests invited to lunch to bring some bread with them. In the interest of the Paris food supplies therefore, strict regulations had to be imposed to ensure the safety of consignments of goods. It was forbidden to have anyone open sacks of corn within 10-20 miles of the capital city, and illegal hoarding of food was punished by the guillotine. Napoleon considered the organisation of secure provision of food to be a basic objective. He laid the foundations for the establishment of the institutional system of market halls. This was the first comprehensive measure to be implemented in the interests of the provision of food for a large city In the large cities, vast areas were covered over so that food could be stored and marketed in a place that was protected from the weather PNbSMB