Inns of Pécs Before the Establishment of the Modern Hotels

Abstract

In this study I present the beginning of the hospitality industry of Pécs prior the establishment of modern hotels by introducing traditionally operating inns. At first, I introduce the economy of the largest city of South Transdanubia after it earned its freedom from the different authorities in the 18th century. Pécs was a unique city with good geographical factors. The Mecsek mountain protected the town from harsh weather elements. Therefore, Pécs had a very mild Mediterranean climate, which was a key element in agriculture and viticulture. Due to the increasing numbers of markets and fairs more and more people were visiting the city, trade was booming. As the demand rose taverns and inns were built by local entrepreneurs to supply the needs of non-residents. As a direct result of this, several inns were estab-lished. To name the 7 biggest and well-known ones: Magyar Korona, Magyar Király, Hétfejedelem, Fehér Farkas, Mátyás Király, Aranyhajó and the „Vendégfogadó a Nádorhoz”. They were representa-tives of the traditional hospitality of the era. They looked very similar to each other with minimal orna-mentation. These house-like buildings had only one or two floors with a small number of rooms, usually with the capacity of under 10 beds. Their layout was pretty much identical: through a huge entrance we found an inner yard where the latrines, the stables and the wells were. The different rooms and common areas were inside of the inn. If the building had multiple storeys, then usually the common areas were on the ground floor, whereas the rooms were located above. The provided services were sufficient to meet the basic needs of the guests, such as hunger, thirst, resting and preparing the horses for the road. The innkeeper oversaw daily operations. In the traditional system there was virtually no competition between establishments, thus every business coexisted with each other. This traditional system changed with the opening of „Vendégfogadó a Nádorhoz” in 1846, which was the first hotel in Pécs by today’s standards. Traditional innkeeping had a lot of potential to develop which was realised in the hospitality industry of the city after 1867.