THE HISTORY OF TUNGSRAM 1896-1945 - MEK

99 TUNGSRAMgovernment allowance, TUNGSRAM paid a nnonthly35 Pengos to the families of servicennen. In 1942 cheapmeal was served in the Recreation Centre: a meal withmeat cost 62 fillers, and one without meat was 40fillers. Seven hundred meals were served to the employeesdaily in 1942.It was part of TUNGSRAM'S company policy to attractand keep the work-force by providing social, culturaland sport facilities to them. Prior to the afore-mentionedgovernment acts TUNGSRAM had already providedits workers-mostly its office workers — withfacilities not generally afforded by other companies inthe Hungarian industry in order to meet the social andthe cultural demands of the employees. In the RecreationCentre which was built in the early 1930s aspacious and nicely furnished canteen and a modernkitchen was set up for the convenience of the employees.This kitchen was, at that time, a remarkableaccomplishment and nothing like it could be found inany of the other factories of Ojpest.On the first floor of the Recreation Centre there was anindoor tennis court which was unique in those time notonly in Budapest, but perhaps in the whole country.The outdoor courts were lined up infrontof theAudionbuilding. The changing rooms used to be, where thesurgeries are today. Tennis was definitely considereda gentleman's sport at that time and the manualworkers did not frequent the TUNGSRAM courts.Actually, chief executive officer Lipot Aschner was agenerous supporter of sport. He was elected presidentof the Ojpest Gymnastic Club, predecessor of thefamous football club, "Ojpesti Dozsa" in 1925. Theclub received regular and wide-ranging support bothfrom Lipot Aschner and TUNGSRAM, and severalsportsmen were given jobs in the Ojpest plant.The river Danube, being near to the factory, offered anexcellent opportunity for water sports. A boat-housecalled 'Ampere', near to the Glue Factory Leiner, hadalready existed in the early 1920, and was available tothe office workers of TUNGSRAM. After the silting upof the channel between Palota Island and the Ojpestbanks, however, the boat-house suddenly becamesurrounded with dry-land. The company later establisheda new, much larger boat-house complete withswimming pool and beaches on the land bought fromthe Karoiyi family near the Inn of Megyer.TUNGSRAM 'crossed' the Danube in 1942. It built a —by the contemporary standards — enormous holidaycentre and boat house on the other side of the Danube,providing weekend recreation simultaneously to nearly10,000 people. Regular ferry service linked therecreation complex situated on both sides of the river.(It is still in service today.)Cultural life in TUNGSRAM only began after WorldWar One. The 'Tungsram Male Choir and TheatricalGroup' was formed in 1921 which, according to theentry form, offered its members an amateur theatre, achess club and a library.First the old choir was revided: the 55-member malechoir was later converted into a mixed one. Beside thehome concerts they also took part in national competitionsand received invitations to perform in variousprogrammes organized outside the factory. In the late1930s Bela Andras was the chorus master. Thanks tohis and the choir members' endeavors, the compositionsof Bartok and Kodaly were already performed byworkers' choirs at a time when it was not at allcustomary to sing such 'new wave' music.The amateur theatre could only be formed after theRecreation Centre had been completed. By contemporarystandards it had a well equipped permanentstage, rehearsal room and an adequate concert hall.The actors of the theatre company worked as a teamfor many years and understood each other well. Theyregularly performed classical and popular plays, operettas,etc. which corresponded to the fashion of thecontemporary audience.It was, again, only afterthe Recreation Centre had beencompleted that the Library found a worthy surrounding.In the early 1920s it had no more than one or twothousand books, but by the 1930s the figure reached10,000. There is no information concerning thenumber of its regular readers, but its voluntary staff,who were devoted to the cause of culture, looked afterthe library enthusiastically.