The Isztl family, of German origin, was engaged in trading in the middle of the 19th century, their business was founded in 1841 according to the company sign, and they bought a plot of land in Rákóczi Street in 1863. Under the leadership of Nándor Isztl (1841-1882), the company evolved and then the residential building with a covered gate and shops opening onto the street was built. Its final form was designed by master builder Ferenc Sztelek Sr. In the courtyard, in the outbuildings, there were granaries for storing grain. Among the tenants of the street shops, we know the names of Henrikné Ulmann and Salamon Weiss.
The trading company and the residential building were nationalized in 1950. The building and the stores were demolished in 1963, and a two-storey apartment building was built on the corner of Rákóczi and Petőfi streets, with shops on the ground floor. A modern row of shops also opened on the Petőfi Street part of the plot, while a sculpture was erected on the corner. The Drinking Fountain and the Bird-shaped Guard-Stone are still visible today as well as the stone tablet commemorating the town’s more than 700-year history (joint work of sculptors Gyula Kiss Kovács, Emőke Tóth and architect Károly Polónyi), which were completed in 1985.
1.| Picture of the residential building of the merchant family Isztl with shops and the Main Street with trees (Picture postcard, 1899)
2.| The Isztl House and the Mayer Mansion (Picture postcard, 1927)
3.| The Isztl House before its demolition (Photograph, 1963)
4.| The eastern row of houses in Rákóczi Street today (Photograph: József Ilácsa, 2022)
5.| The corner of Rákóczi and Petőfi streets with shops and a sculpture (Picture postcard, 1981)
The tableau was compiled by: Mihály Huszár, Hajnalka Samuné Bogyó, Tünde Vidák
