Small Region Jánoshalma
The last centuries.
The
excavated archaeological findings show that tribes used to live here in The
Stone and Bronze Age. Later Sarmatas, Huns and Avars inhabited the land.
Several villages were established during The Middle Ages. Cumanians settled
among the remaining Hungarians after the Tartar Conquest, their village was
named Csoszapa. The area belonged to the Hunyadi family in 1439. The village
was named "Jankó, Jankószállás" at
that time. Almost all the population died out during the 150 year long Turkish
oppression. Serbians and Catholic Serbians moved later into the region. Catholic
Hungarians populated the village in 1731, they mingled with Slovaks and South
Slavs. The village called Jankovácz since the Turkish era first became
the property of the Treasury then in 1799 the estate of the Orczy family.
It got the right to organise fairs in 1807 and at the same time the "agricultural
town" title, which was kept till 1886. Ferenc Klánszky made the
proposal to change the town's name to Jánoshalma in 1904. People settled
here from different lands bringing their folk culture, customs and belief.
The traditions became homogeneous in the past 200 years and were inherited
from generation to generation.
The railway was built in 1903.
Agriculture - Industry.
The Illancs sand and the Bácska loess area in the border of the
town is excellent for grape and fruit production and land cultivation. People
also keep animals e.g. pig, poultry and cattle. There are two important farming
cooperatives: the Haladás and the Agrobisnis Ltd. which is the forth
biggest milk producing firm in the country. The Kéleshús Ltd.
is a pig farm, they breed, fatten and slaughter pigs. The Kelte Ltd. is a
poultry farm. Jánoshalma apiaries give 1.5% of the Hungarian honey
production. The industry of Jánoshalma is based on the procession
of agriculture and forestry goods. Besides grain grinding, the fodder production
is significant. There is a textile and a rubber factory, agriculture and
car repair workshops, filling stations and other different services. The
biggest sawmill of the country, the ÖKO-PAL Raklap Ltd. operates in
our town. The Kunvin Winery Ltd. is the greatest winery enterprise in Upper
Bácska since 1991. The products of the Bácska Textile Ltd.
are made for German export. The rubber products of the Renner Factory are
sold all over the world.
Education - Culture.
Education started in the village in 1734, the first school was built in 1748.
The elementary school was named after János Hunyadi in 1992. Besides
the State School, the St. Anna Catholic Elementary School was opened in
1993. 660 teachers worked in our schools since 1734. Their memory and name
is preserved on the Memorial Well inaugurated at the anniversary of the
Millennium. The Jánoshalma Secondary Education, Retraining, and
Consulting Institute of Agriculture was founded in 1933 under the name
Hungarian Royal Winter School. The school organises trainings for adults,
educate high school students and give professional advice. The institute
is the centre of agriculture in the region and has influence on the surrounding
area. The Miklós Radnóti Secondary School was established
in 1963, they teach computer science. The László Lajtha Art
School serves artistic education.
The Town Library is situated in the centre of Jánoshalma. You can see the Collection of Local History here. Visitors can admire the memories of the past and the collection from Brasilia. There are ancient agriculture machines in the garden. The Culture Centre and the Honvéd Casino host clubs and different groups. Performances, festivals, culture programs and exhibitions are organised here.
Sights.
The congregation built a new temple in 1731 when the region was populated
again. It was dedicated in 1746 for St. Anna. The church got a new main altar-piece
in 1888, which was painted by Ferenc Szoldatits. The church was extended
with two aisles and an adytum between 1907-1909. The length of the church
is 63.5 metres, its width is 15 metres and the tower is 48 metres high. There
is a baroque confessional and a pulpit in the main aisle. Mihály Kuczka
Székesfehérvár church painter painted the inner walls
of the church in 1932-33. It was renovated between 1997-2000. There is a
hand-wrought cross and a Trinity statue in front of the church. Classrooms
for religious education and a chapel were built in 1992 at the parsonage.
The church is surrounded by a park. The neo-roman chapel and Calvary of the
Kápolnás cemetery was built in 1866.The Upper Bácska
Mumalom is the most beautiful mill in Central Europe. It is located next
to the railway station and draws the attention with its architecture. It
is very similar to a Middle Age Italian castle. It was built in 1907 and
still produces excellent quality flour. There were several wind-mills and
mills in our village. Today there is only the Anna mill in Jókai street
and the Doktortelep wind-mill in the middle of Baja street.
Farms.
There are farms around Jánoshalma. Some farms are convenient for receiving
guests. The city dwellers and visiting foreign tourists have the chance to
become familiar with life, customs and cuisine of a farm. You can take pleasant
walks in the forest or hunt for deer, wild-boar and small game. The forest
bordering the town from the northwest neighbours the Gemenc Reservee. There
is a beautiful Juniper scrub near the town, in the Illancs sand.
Important Events.
It is over a decade that the Agriculture Vocational School organises
the Agrár Expo with hundreds of exhibitors in the last days of April.
It is famous even beyond the border. The Feast of Pots is in the last week
of June, at that time the delicious lamb stew is cooking in hundreds of pots
in the Jánoshalma Park. People not only breed sheep but they are also
traditionally good cooks of lamb stew. The Club of Fruit and Grape Growers
organises the Fruit Exhibition together with the Harvest Days in the middle
of September. There is a wine contest at the end of February.