Katona: A füredi Savanyúvíz. Rendi és polgári normák ütközése a 19. századi Balatonfüreden

Social life in nineteenth-century Balatonfüred, the oldest lake resort of the Balaton region, was characterized by a perceptible tension between different sociallayers and groups, which was exacerbated by the limited physical space available to the guests. The present study focuses on the prevalent social groups in the composition of the resort’s clientele. It examines the resort as a major influence on their emerging relations and interactions: the ways in which it strengthened and weakened those, and set their pace, directions, and boundaries. The Balatonfüred resort was a community space, a semi-public domain where access mainly depended on income, so the boundaries of feudal society no longer defined those of the clientele. The study addresses a number of questions from this perspective. Was the separation of social groups made sharper by the fact that their membership had to share a limited physical space? What patterns can be detected in the contacts and communication among guests? Can their behaviors, even identities, be considered local or situational? To what extent did the situation result in closer contacts between individuals leading a less regimented life or subscribing to different norms? Did the spa atmosphere really foster bourgeois settings and usher in the modernity of social contacts? Did the limited physical space encourage closer contact, or did it kindle more tension? How did the management approach these issues, how did the guests perceive them, and how were they portrayed in contemporary press?