Gusztáv Berg

Gusztáv Berg was born on December 17, 1828 in a settlement called Lauterberg in the Kingdom of Prussia. The Berg family received Austrian nobility in Schönbrunn in 1838, which was later confirmed by, for example, the Duke of Oldenburg. Gusztáv Berg obtained an engineering degree in 1852 at the Mining Officer Training Academy in Freiberg, then worked in Prussia-Silesia, Bánát and Vienna. In 1864, he moved to Kapuvár with his family and took over the management of the Kapuvár Manor belonging to the Duke Esterházy religious commission. From the backward estate, he created a model farm well known in Europe at the time. After his arrival in Kapuvár, he began large-scale construction. He had farm buildings built in every corner of the estate, for example a school and later a distillery in Öntés, and a hunting lodge in the Éger forest and Öntés. He rebuilt the baron's residence, the Kapuvár castle (today's Town Hall, which was renovated in 2012), twice. He successfully applied the latest agricultural methods, for example, his employees used steamers on the fields around Kapuvár. He perfectly recognized the potential of the manor, so in 1890 he founded the Veskény dairy, where he was the first in Hungary to use automatic drinking devices. He realized that the development of the infrastructure network is an essential condition for the development of the region. For the sake of this idea, he actively participated in the realization of the railway line connecting Győr with Sopron, he became involved in the work of the Rába Regulating Company on several occasions, had a 9 km long road built through the Hanság, and connected Kapuvár with the neighboring towns with a narrow-gauge railway. In order to speed up the flow of information, in the early 1890s, he implemented a telephone connection in the Kapuvár manor. Baron Berg greatly contributed to the development of the counties of Kapuvár and Sopron during the dualism era. He was a member of the Sopron County Economic Association until the end of his life. He founded a savings bank in Kapuvár, then participated in the creation of the Kapuvár-Gartha volunteer firemen's association, established weekly fairs in the settlement, and was president of the Hospital Founding Society and the casino he founded. It was to the baron's credit that the District Land Registry Office was moved from Sopron to Kapuvár, that the building of the Royal Hungarian State Civil School for Boys and Girls was completed, and that even in the XIX. at the end of the century, electric lighting was implemented in the settlement. On two occasions, in 1883 and 1898, he organized an economic exhibition in Kapuvár. Gusztáv Berg constantly helped the needy with donations, for example, in 1903 he enrolled all the manor servants in the National Servant Relief Fund, and paid the membership fee on their behalf. The baron entered his Kapuvár estate in several international competitions, among which the Paris World Exhibition of 1900 stands out, where he won the most prestigious award, the Grand Prix award. In addition to the Kapuvár estate, he was a tenant of the Bológasszony manor (today's Frauenkirchen) for several years, with which he achieved great success at the 1873 Vienna World Exhibition. Thanks to the activities of Baron Berg, the XIX. In the second half of the century, Rábaköz began to develop greatly. In 1898, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, he was elected an honorary citizen of Kapuvár. His work was also recognized with international awards, as he received the third-class Order of the Iron Crown from József Ferenc, and the French government also awarded the baron with the Officer's Cross of the French Order of Honor. Báró Gusztáv Berg died on the afternoon of August 4, 1903, in the Kapuvár castle, and was laid to rest on August 6, in the family tomb in the Szent Kreszt cemetery in Kapuvár. Dear reader! I was happy to pick up the interesting book of local historian Béla Pavlóczki. I always enjoy reading articles about the deeds and lives of my ancestors. My father always emphasized that we can learn from the example of the past. He who does not know where he came from does not know where he is and where he is going. The people who lived in the former county of Sopron, as well as in the Rábokze, were well aware of the book's namesake, Baron Gusztáv Berg, as well as his diverse activities. Members of my family, Crown Prince Rudolf of Habsburg-Lorraine, heir to the throne and Archduke Otto Ferenc of Habsburg-Lorraine visited Kapuvár several times, where they were received by Gusztáv Berg. Heir to the throne Rudolf also called the forests around the Rábaköz settlement his favorite hunting ground. The life of Gusztáv Berg, who settled in our country and became a Hungarian citizen in 1883, can be a good example for the people of today, as his actions showed the direction for both businessmen and companies investing in our country. He not only created jobs, but also became a valued member of the Rábaköz community. In addition to the baron's private life and diverse social and cultural activities, the defining events of the Sopron county settlements of the time, the unknown stories of the Esterházy castle in Kapuvári, the everyday life and festive moments of the people of the era come to life. Local historian Béla Pavlóczki has been researching the history of this era since 2008. In recent years, he has cultivated the memory of the baron with lectures and exhibitions. He presents his book to you as the result of five years of research. The author's goal is to authentically portray the life and social involvement of the protagonist. I wholeheartedly recommend the book to those interested in the values of the past. George Habsburg