ARRABONA ∙ JAURINUM ∙ GIAVARINO ∙ RAAB ∙ GYŐR

Editor’s foreword:

In 2021, the city of Győr celebrates the 750th anniversary of the issuance of its first charter of privilege, and the Diocese of Győr celebrates the 1020th anniversary of its foundation.

The double anniversary was the occasion for the exhibition Arrabona – Jaurinum – Giavarino – Raab – Győr, which was organised in cooperation between the Diocese of Győr and the National Széchényi Library, drawing on a significant private collection. The aim of the exhibition was to bring closer to the people of today the former Győr as a city and the role of the Diocese of Győr in the life of the city. The presentation of Győr is based on engravings from the 16th and 19th centuries, which show when the city, situated at the confluence of several rivers, became important for the outside world, Hungary and Europe.

This date occurred in the middle of the 16th century, when the Ottoman Empire conquered the central part of the Kingdom of Hungary and threatened Vienna. The exhibition ends in the second half of the 19th century, when engraving as a genre is finally replaced by photography, which reflects reality more accurately and faithfully. The role of the diocese in the life of the city is shown through the churches built between the 16th and 19th centuries, which are still visible and striking evidence of the influence of the renewed Catholic Church on the life of urban society in Győr.

As mentioned above, the exhibition was based on a private collection, the collection of Ferenc Bogisich, which was complemented by the holdings of the National Széchényi Library and the Diocesan Library and Treasury of Győr. The exhibition was further enriched by documents from the National Archives of the Hungarian National Archives and the Historical Picture Gallery of the Hungarian National Museum, which deserve special thanks for their help.

Creating an exhibition is always a team effort, with experts from many different fields contributing their best. This was also the case with the Arrabona – Jaurinum – Giavarino – Raab – Győr exhibition, where the pandemic situation posed particular difficulties, but in the end the willingness to compromise and the perseverance of the people involved helped to overcome all these. On behalf of the organisers, I would like to thank all those involved once again. We hope that this volume, which accompanies the exhibition Arrabona – Jaurinum – Giavarino – Raab – Győr, will help the reader to better understand the depictions of Győr in this period and that the published studies and the chronology of the city's history, as well as the selection of images, including the most important and interesting engravings and maps of the exhibition, will serve as an enjoyable read.