Az 1917. évi gyöngyösi tűzvész

Absztrakt

(The great fire of Gyöngyös in 1917) Gyöngyös was often destroyed by fire. E.g. the fire in 1904 burnt down one third of the town. In 1908 the houses between the St. Urbán Church and St. Miklós Church were ruined, and the latter was destroyed as well. But the fire on May 21, 1917 surpassed all the earlier ones: more than half a thousand houses and almost one thousand and five hundred outbuildings were annihilated. Eight thousand inhabitants out of the twenty thousand became homeless, eleven people died and the number of the wounded was over a hundred. The damage exceeded 20 million crowns. The disaster was so serious, because the male population fought in the front, and only children, women and aged people could put out the fire. The inhabitants from the neighbouring villages rushed to the town to help. After the fire food was carried from the far of Eger and Pásztó, too. The visit of King Charles IV with his wife Zita meant a great help: they lightened the troubles of the poor people not only with consolation, but with 50 thousand crowns. The reconstruction and the building of the new, modern town began after the 1917 fire. A distinguished role was played by government commissioner Ferenc Harrer, who took care of the homeless people, and elaborated the plans of the town. The memory of the dreadful fire is still alive. Every year on May 21, the bells ring for the tragic events.