The earliest available written data on the property rights in Gödöllõ date back to the early 14th century. At that time Gödöllõ was separated from the community of Besnyõ which had a larger population. The settlement was then owned by families of the lesser nobility. By the middle of the 15th century Gödöllõ developed into a village. After the disastrous defeat at Mohács in 1526, the invading Turkish troops occupied Buda and then Gödöllõ, too. As a result of this, the population decreased to merely a few families. No data on property rights during the 160 year long Turkish rule remain.
By the mid-17th century, Gödöllõ again became a village. Its then proprietor, Ferenc Hamvay, was the first owner who resided in the locality, in his country house in the village centre. At that time village consisted of a few houses with walls of wattle and daub and thatched roofs in addition to the mansion and the reform church.
A decisive turn in the life of Gödöllõ was brought about by Antal Grassalkovich I (1694-1771) who was one of the greatest noblemen of 18th-century Hungary. Grassalkovich, born of an impoverished family of the lesser nobility, began his career as a lawyer in 1715. A year later he was already working with the "Hofkammer" (The Royal Chamber, a body of the Habsburg financial administration in the 16-18th centuries). In 1727 he became president of the Commission of New Acquisitions (Neoaquistica Commissio) dealing with the revision and arrangement of the chaotic ownership rights after the Turkish rule. It was in this capacity that he first came across the estate of Gödöllõ, whose then proprietress, Krisztina Bossányi, could verify her ownership rights.
Increasing in political power and wealth, Grassalkovich planned the development of a large estate, having its centre in Gödöllõ. This became possible after the death of Krisztina Bossányi (1737) when Grassalkovich successively purchased the properties from her heirs. He began to build his palatial residence as early as 1741, which, as the greatest Baroque manor house in Hungary is, even today the principle landmark of Gödöllõ.
Grassalkovich, who curried favour with King Charles III and Queen Maria Theresa, also managed very successfully the properties of the Treasury. For his economic and political abilities he received first the title of baron and later on became a count.
He took meticulous care in making his properties profitable and in keeping them in good order. On his estates he built 33 churches, including the church in the holy place of Máriabesnyõ, and the chapel of the mansion house in Gödöllõ. In the centre of Gödöllõ he had rows of houses built and settled German artisans and craftsmen there - increasing thereby the number of Roman Catholics alongside the Reformed population. He added a storey to Hamvay House and made it operate as a retreat. In public places Baroque works of art were also made on his initiative (such as the Calvary, the Column of the Holy Virgin, and the statue of St. John of Nepomuk). Owing to his village-planning activities, Gödöllõ became a country town in 1763, with the right of holding markets.
The son of Grassalkovich I, Antal Grassalkovich II (1734-1794), who was raised to the rank of prince, cared little for the estate. He leased out the properties one after the other, liquidated the household in Gödöllõ and moved to Vienna. Following his death, the estate, heavily charged with debts, was inherited by his son, Antal Grassalkovich III. Grassalkovich III, who continued to increase the debts, died without offspring, hence the properties were inherited on the female line.
At that time, the mansion house came to be the scene of an important political event. In the course of the spring campaign of the 1848-49 revolution and fight for freedom, the Hungarian soldiers gained a victory in Isaszeg on April 6, 1849. After this, Lajos Kossuth and his generals set up quarters in the mansion house of Gödöllõ. Here a war council was held where the idea to dethrone the Habsburgs and to fight for Hungarian independence emerged.
In 1850 a banker, György Sina, purchased the estate of Gödöllõ. He, and later on his son, rarely stayed in Gödöllõ; they considered the transaction merely a capital investment and in 1864 sold the whole of the property to a Belgian bank. The Hungarian state bought it back from this bank in March 1867 and gave it, together with the mansion house, to Francis Joseph I and Queen Elisabeth as a coronation gift. From that time on, the royal family stayed in Gödöllõ mainly in spring and autumn, and this resulted in a significant upswing in the life of the town. The Northern railway line, for instance, -contrary to the original plan - passes close to Gödöllõ because the royal summer resort was there. The Gas Factory, destined to produce the gas needed for the railway station and the royal mansion house, was accomplished by 1874. The number of artisans and small shopkeepers increased. Many of them were provided with work by the estate and the court. In 1869 the Gödöllõ Savings Bank was established, its first shareholder being Francis Joseph. The country town (that is, from 1864 on, a large village as an administrative division) grew into an increasingly popular summer resort, owing, in addition to the presence of the royal family, to its natural endowments and its benign fresh air. Annually 300-400 families of Pest spent the summer season in Gödöllõ, which was growing richer and richer with bathing places and restaurants or village inns. The "Hotel Queen Elisabeth", established in the Hamvay mansion, became the scene of a teeming social life. The Casino was open there and various social clubs and circles often organized their evening parties linked with theatrical performances.
The agrarian character of the village began to take shape at the turn of the century. The legal successors of the agricultural training institutes and model farms established in the territories of the royal demesne are still operating today. Besides, the number of artisans further increased since, partly because the royal summer resort was here, no big industry had settled in Gödöllõ. A result of the transport development was the lengthening of the suburban ("HÉV") railway line, originally between Budapest and Kerepes, up to Gödöllõ. This line still works well today.
Gödöllõ at the turn of the century, also wrote its name into the history book of Hungarian arts. From 1901 to 1920 the only organized artists colony of the period of the Hungarian secession was working here.
This was the time when secondary school teaching started in the community. The Grammar School of the Minorites opened its gates in 1911. And, by 1924, the Grammar School of the Premonstratensian Order had also been built.
In autumn 1919 important political events again occurred in the mansion house. It was here that king Charles IV recognized the resignation of the Hungarian government. In those days, several politicians turned up in the mansion, among others Mihály Károlyi who, after some discussions which ended in failure, was designated prime minister by the victorious revolution. In 1919 the military general staff of the Hungarian Soviet Republic had their headquarters in the mansion house. From 1920 on there was a time similar to that of the king in the life of Gödöllõ since the mansion house became a seat of the governor, Miklós Horthy. This era, lasting almost two and a half decades, influenced favourably the development of the village. This manifested itself in the ordered nature of the settlement and also in the relatively higher level of public supply. It is also due to Horthy that in 1933 Gödöllõ was the scene of the jamboree of boy scouts when 26.000 boy scouts of 54 nations camped in the village. In 1939 a jamboree of girls scouts was also organized here.
After World War II the development of the community took a new turn. Soviet troops were stationed in part of the mansion house, while in a larger part there was a social welfare home. In contrast to its earlier character as a summer-resort, industry started in Gödöllõ. The first step in this direction was the building of the "Ganz" Factory of Electric Measuring Instruments in 1950, which was then followed by other industrial plants. It was in the same year that the University of Agricultural Sciences moved into the buildings of the closed-down institute of the Premonstratensians. This meant the completion of the community´s character as an agrarian centre and resulted in a further expansion of the network of agricultural institutions linked to the university.
The role of the ecclesiastical schools nationalized in 1948 was taken over by the general and secondary schools of the state. In 1951 the School of Apprentices started its activities and in 1955 the "Török Ignác" General State Grammar School began its work. The library of the community opened in 1955 and since then it has been extended with departments for children and for music.
On January 1, 1966, Gödöllõ was promoted to the rank of a town. The present face of the town began to take shape at that time. The old rows of peasant houses disappeared one after the other, giving place to housing estates and public institutions.
In the cultural life of the town a new era started in 1981 when the "Petõfi Sándor" Cultural Centre was inaugurated which, with its varied programmes, soon attained nationwide renown. During this decade the face of the town centre changed a lot. In the main square a bank and a travel agency were built. The present Town Hall was finished in 1986. Opposite this the new building of the Grammar School was inaugurated in 1988. It was in this year that Hamvay House, which held the Collection of Local History since 1978, received the rank of a Museum. At the same time the collection of mechanical machinery of the Agricultural University was opened.
Political changes which came about at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s brought about significant changes in the life of Gödöllõ, too. Some of the industrial projects settled here in the 1950s closed, while others which were viable were privatized. The number of industrial and service units in private ownership increased and quickly transformed the appearance of the town.
The influence of the changes also made itself felt in education. The church schools re-started their activities. In 1989 the Capuchins and the Salvator Sisters received back their monasteries; in 1990 the Premonstratensians returned to Gödöllõ and, after having opened their school, built their church in 1993.
In 1990, after the departure of the Soviet troops, clearing the almost ruined Grassalkovich mansion house started, which was essential if the restoration programme begun in 1985 was be accelerated. As a result of this, the mansion house may, after a few years, receive guests visiting the town in its full splendour.
Beside the mansion which is, without doubt, one of the most attractive tourist sights of Gödöllõ, other scenic spots of the town can claim the interest of Hungarian and foreign tourists. With our book we wish to help them become discovered and appreciated.