2010/4 - Sárospataki Református Teológiai Akadémia

Magyarország első nemzeti munkatáborabetween the common use relating to genocide and the efforts of the students andother associations (political, ideological etc). The most important difference wasobviously the free will, as in Hungary working in these camps was neither obligatorynor considered as a penalty for social, religious or gentilitial groups.The next chapter describes the character of the road construction by the studentsof Patak College in Bodnárvölgye (close to Sátoraljaújhely). This labour campcould hardly come to life in 1935 without the two prominent senior mastersKálmán Újszászy and Zoltán Szabó. Our work analyses the roles of these twoprominents, as well as the roots of labour camps such as scout camps and “villageseminars” in Sárospatak lead by Szabó and Újszászy. Involving archival sourcesfrom the College with nationwide (and external) newspapers stands out a notablereaction’s of the camp in Bodnárvölgye. In relation with the significant response,this essay tries to find the reason of the success and the way, how the camp couldorganize his life with minimal material expense. In addition, the focus of this lectureis also on the foundation, the founctionig, the daily round and the (ideological)place of the camp, not leaving out the consideration of political references in Hungaryas well as in Europe. The gravity of the event pictures the guests in Bodnárvölgye:lord lieutenants, mayors, delegates and famous writers (like MiklósMóricz or Géza Féja) who all paid duty to the camp by delivering a speech. Thispart of the camp – the program that boys had after work – was highly rated by theorganizers. It was called Intellectual Labour Camp, and indeed that makes thisexperiment unique in the country.The source and the character of the labour camp can be found in the slightlyparadox, but still determined duality of the Calvinistic tradition. It can be foundboth in the affection to regular organizational forms, and also in the receptivenessfor social issues (and in the openness towards new intellectual influences). Thefinal result of the camp was a 200-metre long new road in the hillside, but nobodyemphasized the material nature of this achievements. The students’ work meant asymbolic road in the descriptions - a “hopeful road” in the era of the slump ofHungary in the 1930s. “The meaning of the event was rather pedagogic – said Újszászy – incontrast the European examples, where the national politic (Germany) and social (Bulgaria)factors are more important.”The lecture also tries to illustrate the clues about the continuation – the nextcamps organized by the Patak College – for a question that unfortunately we havenot too much information yet.2010/4 Sárospataki Füzetek 79