History of the Town Hall
The former Town Hall (later the restaurant Lamb”), – which stood on the site of the present building in the 1800s – proved too small. The one-storey building with 5 windows had only 6 rooms – including the kitchen and the prison. East of the building stood the house of the town clerk. The council decision of 23rd January 1867 ordered the construction of a new Town Hall and a clerks house on the site of the old clerks dwelling and an inspection committee was sent out to supervise the construction works. The ground floor accommodated 3 rooms facing the street and one facing the courtyard, the first floor housed 2 -2 rooms facing alternatively the street and the courtyard, plus a great hall. These rooms served the purposes of the police as well as housing the town offices.
Mayor István Némeths name is linked with Kaposvárs rapid development into a modern town. Therefore the new Town Hall did not prove long-standing.
In the last decades of the 19th century the locals started to demand the development of the permanent townscape, the town centre and the building of a new town hall. They demanded the Restaurant Lamb” and the two shabby little buildings next to it to be pulled down.
It was decided at the meeting of the Town Council on 29 October 1900 that the Town Hall should be built on the old site. The construction works started in the summer of 1902 based on the plans of Budapest architects, György Kopaczek and Róbert Kertész.
The building contractors were Lipót Gráner & Son and Samu Fuchs of Zalaegerszeg. The new building was inaugurated on March 15 1904.
The craftsworks were done exclusively by local craftsmen. The frescos were painted by Géza Udvary, well-known artist of the time and the stained glass windows of the Ceremonial Hall are by the Miksa Róth workshop. The wooden cover was made by Councillor Horváth and the Pintér joiner firm, and the tower clock is by the clock maker Deutwyler F.E. The portrait of Lajos Kossuth in the big hall was painted by Béla Bacskay, who won this commission in a competition with József Rippl-Rónai, who had already moved back from Paris by that time.
The extra tasks of the municipality made it necessary to extend the building. The 5-storey southern wing was built by the Klinker Ltd. between 1994-95 based on the plans of Gábor Borbás of Kaposvár.
Timeline of the history of Kaposvár
About 1067: Upon returning from a campaign in Dalmatia, both King Solomon and Prince Géza attend the consecration of the monastery in Szentjakab (founded in 1061 on the site of today’s Kaposvár)
First half of the 14th century: The Felsőlendvai family have a fortification built in the swamps of the river Kapos
Early 1495: The royal army led by Bertalan Drágffy, Voivod of Transylvania takes the castle after a successful siege
September 1555: After many days of heavy siege, the castle is captured by the Ottoman troops, alongside with the Szelicszentjakab monastery (also used as a fort at that time)
12 November 1686: Kapos Castle is liberated by the troops of Count Ludwig von Baden
Spring 1702: The castle is blown up and its remains are later used to build a church and a granary
1 December 1712: Duke Pál Esterházy issues a settlement permit for the new residents of Kaposvár – this date marks the birthday of present-day Kaposvár
1715: The Parish Church of the Assumption founded. The first primary school in Kaposvár opens next to the church
1749: Kaposvár becomes county seat of Somogy
25 April 1802: Great fire devastates Kaposvár, caused by arsonist Juli Kertész, a servant girl
Summer 1835: Started in 1820, the regulation of the river Kapos completed after 15 years
2 November 1802: First public hospital in Kaposvár opens with only 16 beds
1 May 1849: Gáspár Noszlopy – commissioner of the Hungarian Fight for Freedom and Independence – and his troops march into Kaposvár
14 August 1872: First railway line opens in Kaposvár
23 January 1873: Kaposvár irrevocably decreed a full-fledged town so it was no longer subordinated to the district but to the county
8 September 1886: Consecration of the rebuilt Roman Catholic church by bishop Zsigmond Kovács of Veszprém
27 December 1893: Electrification of the town begins, operation of Siemens’ smaller power plant starts
17 September 1894: New sugar factory opens
30 December 1895: Laywer István Németh voted mayor of Kaposvár (later referred to as „the town developer”, his term of office ends in 1911)
8 September 1898: The new, two-storey building of the state grammar school opens
15 March 1904: Official opening ceremony of the new townhall
26 January 1908: Consecration of the newly built Reformed Church by bishop Gábor Antal
2 September 1911: New bricks-and-mortar theatre opens
3 September 1911: Statue of Lajos Kossuth by Kaposvár-born sculptor János Kopits unveiled on the main square. To mark the occasion, the main square is named after the 19th century politician, Lajos Kossuth
15 August 1923: The Rákóczi Sports Club of Kaposvár is founded by local sugar factory workers and teachers of the Pécsi Street Primary School. It is still the most popular sports club in Kaposvár.
29 June 1928: Public park named after poet Dániel Berzsenyi inaugurated
4 September 1932: Created by Ernő Jálics, memorial monument commemorating the heroism and sacrifices of the infantry regiment N 44 unveiled near the local theatre.
9 August 1936: Ferenc Csík, Kaposvár-born swimmer wins golden medal in the 100 – metre freestyle event at the Summer Olympics in Berlin
2 December 1944: Soviet troops occupy Kaposvár
30 October 1956: During the 1956 revolution, a mass demonstration compels the leaders of the local Communist Party and the State Protection Authority resign which is followed by their expulsion from the Somogy County Revolutionary Council
4 November 1956: Soviet tank troop enters the city, three National Guardsmen and three passers-by are killed during the Soviet intervention in Kaposvár
1 January 1969: The merger of several factories results in the foundation of the Kaposvár Meat Processing Plant, one of the biggest companies of local food industry
20 August 1978: Rippl-Rónai Memorial Museum opens in the painter’s former home on the Róma Hill
29 April 1983: Inauguration of the City Sports Hall
28 October 1990: Inaugural meeting of the General Assembly of Kaposvár. Péter Szabados voted mayor, his term of office ends in 1994.
1 December 1990: Kaposvár declared a county city (having the same rights as a county)
30 May 1993: Diocese of Kaposvár founded by Pope John Paul II, in his apostolic letter Hungarorum gens
11 December 1994: Károly Szita elected mayor of Kaposvár
1 January 2000: Kaposvár University founded by integrating several higher education institutions and research institutes
24 May 2001: Kaposvár men’s basketball team wins National Championship for the first time
25 May 2001: First „Town of Painters” festival opens (renamed in 2014 as Rippl-Rónai Festival)
19 August 2001: Benedictine Abbey reconstruction completed and opens to the public in Kaposszentjakab
13-20 August 2010: Kaposvár Chamber Music Festival organised for the first time
5 August 2011: New City Baths open in Kaposvár
10 September 2014: István Fekete Visitor Centre inaugurated by mayor Károly Szita and president János Áder by the Lake Deseda
4 April 2017: Fino-Kaposvár men’s volleyball team wins its 18th National Championship