The Operation of the Local Sections of the Hungarian Association of Engineers and Architects Between the Two World Wars Through the Example of the Pécs Section

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The aim of the Hungarian Association of Engineers and Architects as a professional and interest association, which had been in operation since 1867, was to promote mutual acquaintance, exchange of ideas, discussion of conventions and professional issues, the creation of a library, the publication of journals and books, and the establishment of a provident fund. From the beginning of the 20th century, the Association sought to concentrate technical professionals from the countryside into local sections, hence preventing the establishment of independent countryside associations. During the Dual Monarchy (1867–1918), 16 sections in the countryside were set up, and 4 more between the two world wars. The one in Pécs had been operating since 1930. The study describes the functioning of local sections, their relationship with the parent association and analyses their membership. It traces the history of the Pécs Section from its establishment to its liquidation in 1946, covering the changes in the composition of membership, the tasks and work of the officers, and the activities of this section as well as its relation to the Association. Among such activities, historical sources, recorded lectures, debates, field trips, social dinners, soirees, and exhibitions. Most of the members of the Pécs Section were engineers, as in the parent association, who worked in various technical offices in the city, such as the Hungarian Railways (MÁV) offices and in the coal mines of the Danube Steamship Company (DGT). However, the architects were also very active in the life of the Pécs Section, organising lectures, debates and exhibitions. The most significant local event of the period between the two world wars was the association’s 1936 travelling assembly held in Pécs, and the 1941 field trip. Despite the late establishment of the Pécs Section it was the largest and one of the most active local sections of the Hungarian Association of Engineers and Architects.