Antal Gyurky

* Felsőszelény, March 12, 1817 – † Dorog, July 31, 1890 / winemaker, local historian and writer ; ; His father was the chief prosecutor of Hont County for a long time, and his mother, Anna Sztregovai Madách, was the sister of Imre Madách's father. Antal Gyürky completed his schooling in Arad and Léván. He entered the military career, but for health reasons he soon left the military and entered county service in 1836. Initially, he worked as a sub-notary, then as a court clerk, and finally as the chief notary of Hont County. In the meantime, he studied law and obtained a lawyer's degree, and also delved into European languages. Already as a sub-notary, he was very interested in the issues of economy and crop production, but he was also concerned with the modernization of society. During the Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848/49, he initially recruited national guardsmen in Hont County, then served as an officer in the Home Guard under Artúr Görgei and participated in several battles. After the failure of the War of Independence, he lived in seclusion, and only became known again in the mid-1850s, at which time he moved to Pest to spread modern farming knowledge as an economic writer in various newspapers. In 1857, he published the Viticulture and Winery Bulletins in six booklets, and between 1856 and 1861 he was the editor of the Winery Papers. He then published the Winery and Gardening Bulletins. After the Compromise, he again took on public office: in 1868 he was elected a court judge of Hont County. He toured the wine regions of Hungary in the company of Ferenc Entz and was a cadastral inspector in Bány Biszterce until 1880. He also worked to boost the education of Hont County, and it is primarily his merit that the children in Ipolyság could study in a two-story building instead of the dilapidated elementary school. He also excelled as a local historian and published a historical sketch of his native county in two volumes (1875, 1882) entitled Fifty-four Years of the History of Hontvár County. In addition to technical terms, his wine dictionary also includes numerous regional terms. A memorial plaque was placed in his native village in 1997 on the occasion of the 180th anniversary of his birth, and a plaque commemorates his memory in Ipolyság on the former headquarters of the former Industrial Circle and Catholic Boys' Union. ; ; His main works: ; Vincellérek's book, 1856, ; Wine chemistry, 1858 (German: 1860), ; New principles of viticulture and wine treatment, 1860, ; Wine dictionary, 1861 (this work was republished in 2004 by the Dunaszerdahely Lilium Aurum; edited by Károly Csáky, supplemented by the study of the life and work of Antal Gyürky), ; Domestic viticulture (with Ferenc Entz and Pál Gyürky), 1868, Is Darwin's theory true…?, 1873, Reforms of our wine industry, 1879, ; The sale of fruit, 1889, ; Defense against phylloxera and grape fungus…, 1890