THE STORY OF KOPPÁNMONOSTOR

The present-day Koppánmonostor and its region has been given by conqueror Árpád to leader Ketel, and his progeny are the Koppan (according to other writings Katapán or Katpán) clan. During the Middle Ages, famous ecclesiastic and secular individuals were members of this clan.
The Koppan clan established a monastery in honor of the Blessed Virgin at the high bank above the island’s lower edge in the 12th century, which is mentioned as „Monostorium de Koppan” in a diploma from 1222. The founders gave a beautiful property to the abbey of Saint Benedict’s Order: besides the surrounding areas of Monostor, Újszállás and Herkály they also possessed the fishery of half Danube in front of it, and many other properties. The Benedictine residents of the monastery were dealing with viticulture at most of the area. The cloister – according to a more than 100-year-old wording – was laying on called „Basahegy”, nearby the „first drinking-through path”, which led to the bank of Danube amongst the vineyards of Monostor. The peoples of the property around the abbey in 1369 were mentioned as „villa Koppan” that is village, as the place of County Assembly.
The Benedictine residents left the monastery probably during the Turkish war, running away from the sultan’s army in 1529, when they hid in the marshes of Csallóköz together with the garrison of the fortress. The Turkish ravaged the monastery and its area, thus it depopulated and since then it has been mentioned as „Pusztamonostor” in the source texts. The ruins of the complex were recognizable in 1757, but since then the ruins has been taken apart. Nowadays the pumping-station of the waterworks can be found at its place. The remembrance of Katapán’s monastery is preserved by the title abbey donated by the diocesan, the name of the township, and as the only remaining tangible monument, a lion-statue made of stone, located at Klapka György Museum.

Despite every protestation of the prelatry of Pannonhalma, the area of Monostor became the part of the castle estate in 1592, which was purchased by earl Zichy István in 1659 together with the area of Szőny that was also the part of the castle estate. The evolved property was owned by baron Solymosy László from 1892 to his death, and in the next place his daughter, the wife of earl Gyürky Viktor.
Since the 1740’s besides the Zichy-property, many other citizens of Komárom have owned greater or lesser properties there. The wealthier citizens, chariot farmers, dealers, industrialists of North-Komárom resettled Pusztamonostor with vineyards and orchards, mainly from the northward of present-day Koppányvezér Street to called ’Mosquito Castle’. In 1777 the township with its vineyard area of 450 acres was belonged to Ószőny. According to the remaining datas, 209 wine-growers had got properties on Monostor in 1841.
Some of the vineyards and orchards settled in the XVIII. century on the picturesquely beautiful hills of Koppánmonostor lying next to the Danube, have written their names in history of literature. The personages of literature have often visited the gardens of the literary patrons. One of those gardens have been the property of Beöthy Gáspár the writer, who has been known as a highly cultivated man. His two sons, Zsigmond and László have also made significant literary activity. We know that Szinnyei József the librarian and bibliographer has also often appeared there, just like Jókai as well. Szarka János the writer’s garden has been even more visited: amongst its wall Bajza József, Vörösmarty Mihály, Vas Gereben, the two Beöthy brothers and Jókai Mór have been hosted.

The vineyards of Pusztamonostor were perished during the Revolution and War of Independence in 1848, but when it had been rumoured that the state would build a forest on Pusztamonostor, the wealthy citizens of the left bank of Danube bought up the lands cheaply. The new owners hoped that the state would pay high price during the expropriation. Their plan failed except one person; Domonkos János, who have been the model of ’Aranyember’ (’Golden Person’), the famous novel of Jókai.
The upbuild of Fort Monostor (1850 – 1871) didn’t reduce the value of local properties, although according to the documents of wine community, there were often disagreements between military and wine-growers. These disagreements happened, despite the military and the town had agreed that the wine-growers could use all traffic roads until the upbuild of the road under the vineyards of Monostor. Pesty Frigyes mentioned the township az „Monostor Puszta, Puszta Monostor” during the toponymics in 1864.

The wine-growers of Monostor constituted a wine community according to precedent. The wine community had got judge and notary too. The following judges are known according to the documents of wine community: Kámán György (1780, 1781, 1791, 1803, 1804), Víg János (1786, 1788), Paksi (?) János (1801), Szigeti József (1807), Szigeti Ignác (1810), Szénássy András (1817, 1820, 1825-1830), Fehér Ferenc (1841), Knand Péter (1842-1843), Zeichmeister János (1898-1911), Mihola János (1912-1920), and the last judge was Friedrich János municipal comptroller, who was elected on 10th of March 1929. The wine community disbanded itself on 31st of December 1929.

The mansion built in the early 1900’s, and its garden, property of Tuba János (1855 – 1924) had a similar literary role as the vineyards in the reform era. Tuba was the town clerk and parliamentarian of Komárom, the founder of Komáromi Lapok magazine, and the originator of upbuild the road-bridge Erzsébet. The picturesquely beautiful tower cottage rise above the ship tow was bought by the apiscopate of Győr after the deprivatisation, to create a Catholic chapel. Its function was held until the consecration of the new wooden towered temple in honor of the Holy Virgin, on Christmas 2005.

The population of Pusztamonostor in the second half of the 1800’s was between 300-400 souls. When the upbuild of the local school had been suggested, Vásonkeöy Imre landlord donated a building site to the school, whereon the school was built in 1885 including one classroom and a teacher’s room. The ecclesiastical maintained school was taken over by the town with 75 students and changed to prefectural maintained in 1897. In 1901, after Konkoly János, Hiszek Nándor was appointed as teacher, who was teaching the children and directed the school until 1936. Besides his director and teacher position, Hiszek Nándor funded the Koppánmonostor Progress Male Choir Organisation (Koppánmonostori Haladás Férfikar Egyesület), and one year later, the Civil Riflemen Club (Polgári Lövészegylet). The County Economic Association (Vármegyei Gazdasági Egyesület) organized a meeting to visit his model apiary, where he lectured for 600 apiarists. The establishment of the credit union is also related to Hiszek.
The constructions by wealthy families of Komárom and even of the capital city continued in the turn of 19-20th century, and the number of the permanent inhabitants increased. According to statistics, in 1910 the town has 506 inhabitants, from this 503 were Hungarian and 3 were Slovak nationality.
The new building of the school with 2 classrooms and teacher’s residence was finished in 1905, and the old building became an office assistant’s residence. The students came from Újszálláspuszta, Pusztamonostor and the railroad guardhouse. From 1923, Tóth Kálmán became the second teacher, and later the director until 1950, who taught plays and gave public education to children and adults as well.
The monography from 1938 mentions quasi 40 houses and 1000 souls, most of whom were farmers and vineyard workers. The continuous increase in the number of students made the expansion of the school to 3-classroom necessary, and further one classroom was added in 1948. The school took Dózsa György’s name in 1953, and has been bearing it nowadays.

The attachment of Koppánmonostor area to Komárom started on 15th October 1886. According to sub-granger’s verbatim no. 195/4154. Újszőny and Monostor was separated from Ószőny regarding taxes, therefore Újszőny and Monostor formed one tax-municipaly. We don’t know exactly how many people were involved, we only know that 79 families lived in the area according to a data from 1897.
The later-day inhabited areas of Monostor were attached in 1932. According to the verbatim of Szőny city-council meeting in 22nd June 1932., the city-council unanimously agreed with the attachment of 73 acres land. These lands were 11 km far from Szőny, and were the property of inhabitants of Koppánmonostor-puszta and Komárom. The 38 houses built on these lands, and their 159 souls couldn’t had been governed by the municipaly of Szőny so quickly and effectively like it could had been done by the town of Komárom.

Right after the 2nd World War, the sovkhoz was established in Koppánmonostor at the area of late Gyürky-property. Nagyherkály, Újszálláspuszta and naturally, areas of Monostor also belonged to it. The Dózsa MGTSZ (agronomic sovkhoz) was established in 1950, which nowadays is a part of Solum Rt., and provides job for many inhabitants of Monostor.
In 1960 the government of the town parceled the most beautiful area, the ”Fenyves” (evergreen forest), supplied it with road-, water- and electricity network, thereby created the base of a beautiful, modern recreation area. Unfortunately a part of the evergreen forest burned down in 1992, but by a hair’s breadth, the cabanas, the youth camp and the pheasant ranch didn’t burn.
In the youth camp established in 1975, together 120 people can relax in full comfort circumstances. Over the past decades, thousands of youngsters from different parts of the country, or from abroad, have come to know this beautiful environment and preserved the name of Monostor in their memories.
Nowadays more and more family houses have been built at this area. People willingly move to here, because besides the silence and the nearness of Danube, a well established electricity-, water-, gas- and telephone network, and a dinamically developing industrial park belongs here as well.

Estimated (because we don’t have exact statistics) population of our township is 1500 souls, and it continuously increases considering the possibilities.

Bibliography:
Herczeg – Számadó – Turi: Komárom és településrészeinek egyesülése. Szőny és Koppánmonostor története a kezdetektől 1977-ig. (Komárom, 2007)