THE PRESS OF THE TOWN SZEBEN (SIBIU, R) (1525-1530, 1575-1601)
 

I. The first press of the Town Szeben: the printing shop of Lukas Trapoldner and Valentinus corvinus (1525-1530?)
II. The second press of the Town Szeben (1575-1601)

The view of Szeben in the 17th centuryThe German immigrants coming from the region of Mosel and called "Saxons" due to their privilege granted by Géza II Hungarian king (1141-1162) settled in the eastern- and southernmost areas of Mediaeval Hungary. They were invited by the Hungarian king to protect the South and East Carpathian mountains. The name of Szeben as their central settlemenet occurs as early as the 12th century, in different forms (Hermannstadt, Cibinium, later as Nagyszeben, today Sibiu, R). In the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age this comparatively densely populated area with its well-organized fortified settlements and a number of free royal towns represented a very considerable economic and cultural potential. The German-speaking Transylvanian Saxons contiuned to keep contact with West-European towns through a network of commercial and economic contacts and also by attending German universities. Very early the whole Transylvanian Saxon community accepted Luther's and Melanchthon's religious reforms and converted to Lutheranism.
It was very likely a result of these vivid contacts that the Saxon citizens got acquainted with the art of printing much earlier than in other parts of Hungary. Returning home, they made use of their knowledge of artificial multiplying of texts.
This was actually a renewal of printing activity, because in the incunable period there were two short-lived printing shops (1472-1473 and 1477-1480) working in the central part of Hungary, however, there was an interval between 1481 and 1524 when there was no local press working, and the printed books required by church and scholars were purchased through the mediation of booksellers, who imported the books to Hungary.

The press Lukas Trapoldner - Valentinus Corvinus (1525-1530?)

XVI. századi szász polgárAfter the interval of 45 years definite documents prove the existence of a new printing shop in Szeben. The shop founded by Lukas Trapoldner and Valentinus Corvinus was the first printing enterprise in Hungary in the 16th century. Although there were written contemporary references about two books printed in Szeben by Lucas Trapoldner in 1529 respectively 1530, there were no extant copies of these.
The newly discovered fragments of printed leaves not only justify the existence of teis shoop, but make it certain, that its activity began years earler than supposed so far, in 1525. Thanks to these fragments not only the magister Trapoldner's name but also the name of Valentinus Corvinus, "typographus" is preserved (The two books, known formerly only from reference were a Latin text books by Thomas Gemmarius (RMNy 9) and a practical book about pestilence by Sebastian Pauschner in German (RMNy 10).
A falinaptár-töredék felső részeThese new results were pulblished recently by Zsolt Simon who made the discovery (Magyar Könyvszemle 2009. 1-29). The fragments comprise three different works: a larger size wall-calendar in Latin, prited at the occasion of the new Jubilee year, and valid for the period 1525-1575. It is dated 5th January 1525 and dedicated to the Town Cuncil by Magister Lukas Trapoldner and the priest Valentinus Corvinus, printers in Szeben -- probably as a return of the help rendered by the town Council in setting up their press.
Lukas Trapoldner was not unknown so far, being a school-master and town-clerk of Szeben between 1631-1543. He must have been engaged in the organizing and administrative work relating the press not so much with practical printing. Actual printing must have been carried on by the priest Valentinus Corvinus, or - if he was also a Saxon citizen of Szeben, the Latinized Corvinus name may have covered the original name of Rabe.
Iniciálé az első szebeni nyomda készletébőlThe fragments were preserved in a bindig. Both pages of the leaves are printed: on the reverse of the Latin eternal calendar for 1525-1575 different prayers, the Ten commands, in German and antiphonies in Latin are printed, altogether constituting three separate works. From these prayers it can be deduced that they were printed before the Saxon community accepted Lutheranism. The types they are printed with are characteristic text types of early 16th century printing shops in accordance with the woodcut illustrations.
These recently found fragments together with the reference to books printed in the same printing shop prove the activity of this early Transylvanian press between the years 1525 and 1530 (?). While it is apparent from the wall-calendar that it must have been the first product of this press, the final date is only the date of the practical medical book on pest, a handwritten copy of which was made in the 17th century thus preseving not only the text but also the exact date 1530 and the name of its printer Lukas Trapoldner.
From that time on the existence of the printing shop in Szeben is uncertain, it was probably a short-lived enterprise. However, with setting up the paper mill of Szeben in 1573 a renewed effort was made on behalf of the town to continue printing activity. However, the equipment (printing types, decorative elements) employed in the second printing shop of the Town Szeben is quite different and do not porve a continuity between the two presses.
Similarly, the press issuing Cyrillic books for ecclesiastic use of the Orthodox Churches of the Romanian prinicipalities have nothing in common with the former, early Szeben press of Valentinus Corvinus, whose printings are in Latin script. The printer of the Orthodox books, Deacon Philip although working in Szeben, was issuing Cyrillic books for commission.

PRINTING TYPES USED IN 1525

INITIALS LETTERS

WOODCUT HEAD PIECES

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LITERATURE:
BORSA Gedeon: Az első szebeni nyomda Erdélyben (1528-1530). In. Könyvtörténeti írások I. Budapest. 1996. 116-121.
POPA, Klaus: NeueErkenntnisse über den siebenbürgischen Buchdrucker Lucas Trapoldner. In: Magyar Könyvszemle 1996. 358-361.
SIMON Zsolt: Az első szebeni nyomtatványok 1525-ből. In: Magyar Könyvszemle 2009: 1-29.

I. The first press of the Town Szeben: the printing shop of Lukas Trapoldner and Valentinus corvinus (1525-1530?)
II. The second press of the Town Szeben (1575-1601)

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II. The second press of the town Szeben (1575-1601)
Szeben (Cibinium, Hermannstadt, Sibiu, RO)

Martin Heusler (1575-1576) Johann Heinrich Crato (1591-1594)
Gregor Frautliger (1578-1580) Johann Fabricius (1595-1601)
Georg Greus (1581-1590)  

The Lutheran church in Szeben at the turn of the 19/20th centuriesThe leaders of the town Szeben, central seat of Transylvanian Saxons initiated as early as the 1550s to set up a local paper-mill. However, the plan was realized only later after gaining the permission Prince István Báthory on March 12, 1573. It was financially supported by the town perhaps having already in mind the founding of a printing shop as well. As to the situation of printing in Transylvania the timing seemed to be advantageous as following the death of Valentin Wagner the activity of the Brassó (Brasov, RO) press became accidental and even the otherwise productive Heltai-press in Kolozsvár (Cluj, RO) ceased for almost two years after the death of the founder and owner Caspar Heltai.
The city press re-founded began its activity in 1575 after an interval of almost 50 years and displaying no common features with the former Szeben press, apart from the fact that both were supported by the town magistrate. Both the press and the paper-mill were hired by local citizens who were working for their own benefit. Water-mark of the Szeben paper-mill with the town crest of SzebenThere was a great fluctuation in the enterprisers, there were apparently initial problems and it is due to this circumstance that printing in Szeben was not continuous. By the time this second printing shop was established, the equipment of the first, early shop was lost, therefore, as mentioned before, there seems to be nothing common between the two presses. The equipment of the press active in Szeben from 1575 was rather poor: it included a part of Rudolf Hoffhalter's printing types, ornaments and illustrations which he probably sold to the Szeben press, when leaving Alsólendva (Dolna Lendava, SL) and Nedelic (Nedelišće, HR). Of these the series of small woodcut New Testament illustrations were used earlier by his father Raphael Hoffhalter in Vienna. Although the printing equipment of Rudolf Hoffhalter was transferred (probably sold) to the City Press in Szeben, the printer himself never settled there. As there was apparently no agreement between him and the town, he moved to Debrecen where, consequently, he no longer was in the possession of the equipment inherited from his father.
Az 1575-ban újra induló könyvnyomda úgyszintén városi tulajdonban üzemelt. A tipográfiát miként a papírmalmot ugyancsak bérbe adta a város. A sok nehézséggel induló officinát bérbevevő személyek gyakran cserélődtek. Az első szebeni könyvnyomtató műhely betűtípusai és díszei addigra már elkallódtak. Az új nyomdai felszerelés igen szerény készlettel indult. Ez magába foglalta a Hoffhalter Rudolf által az apjától örökölt, Alsólendván, majd Nedelicen használt tipográfiai felszerelésnek azt a részét, amelyet a Dráva-Mura-vidékéről történt távozását követően, 1574-1575 tájékán magával hozott az erdélyi szászok központjába. A bécsi eredetű evangéliumi illusztrációk és édesapja, Raphael Hoffhalter által még 1565-ben Debrecenben metszett új betűtípusnak utóbb a fia, Rudolf közreműködésével felújított változata a XVII. század első harmadáig megtalálhatóak a szebeni nyomtatványokban. Hoffhalter Rudolfnak azonban a várossal kötött üzleti tervei nem az elképzelése szerint alakulhattak. A szebeni városi tipográfia végül is nem őt alkalmazta, s 1576-ban gyakorlatilag elveszítve az apai örökségét jelentő nyomdakészletet, visszatért egykori lakóhelyére, Debrecenbe.
The family crest of István Báthory, Prince of Transylvania, held by two angelsFor us the problem of surveying printing in Szeben is not only the frequently changing printers but also the scarcely surviving products of this press. There are printers like Martin Heusler and Martin Wintzler whose name is known only from contemporary sources, but not from imprints. The next printer Gregor Freutliger was active between 1578-1580, while from 1581 the printing shop was taken over by Georg Greus who two years later in 1583 printed the law-book of Transylvanian Saxons in Latin and in German.
These two law-books are the products of a very unusual cooperation between the two Title-page of the Saxon law-book, the German edition (1583) RMNy 523major Transylvanian Saxon city magistrates and presses. Although János Szebeni Nyirö made efforts to revitalize printing activity in Brassó (Braşov, RO), Title-page of the Saxon law-book, the Latin edition (1583) RMNy 524but his equipment was not suitable for a major task. As the publishing of Saxon law compiled by Mathias Fronius member of the Brassó council was equally important for the towns Brassó and Szeben, it was printed in Brassó but the Szeben printer Georg Greus was invited to make the printing. Although this cooperation was meant only for this one occasion, still there could be seen traces of mixing the printing types and other equipments of the two towns for several decades.
Greus returned to Szeben and continued to work there until in 1591 a new printer appeared Johann Heinrich Crato about whom we have very little knowledge - his realtionship with the famous Kraft-Crato office in Wittenberg is not proved, either. With his appearence in Brassó a certain improvement in the equipment of the City printing shop can be discerned, especially characteristic are the ornaments and woodcut frames frequently used in German presses but unknown so far in Szeben. After Crato's death the new printer was Johann Fabricius whose edition of Book of Epistles prove that the small woodcut New Testament illustrations once in the possession of the Hoffhalters was still among the ornaments of the Szeben press. At the end of the century the press was no longer rent, but had fallen back to the town - with an unfortunate coincidence that the paper-mill of the town was destroyed in 1599.

Woodcut frames from Szeben
Woodcut frames from Szeben


nagyobbanThe late 16th century pring press of Szeben was working for twenty five years and producing to our present knowledge about 30 books. Their majority was in connection with school, education or town administration. For a short time it seemed that it may developr to a prominent press of Transylvanian Saxons, however, it gradually lost itd siginficance and survived as a modest printing shop.

 

 

PRINTER’S FLOWERS

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INITIALS

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PRINTING TYPES

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LITERATURE:
BORSA Gedeon: A szebeni nyomda a XVI. század utolsó negyedében. In. Könyvtörténeti írások I. Budapest. 1996. 126-130.
V. ECSEDY Judit: A könyvnyomtatás Magyarországon a kézisajtó korában 1473-1800. 40-43.
V. ECSEDY Judit: A régi magyarországi nyomdák betűi és díszei 1473-1600. A szebeni városi nyomda (1575-1600-). Bp. 2004. 104-107., 505-517.
JAKÓ Zsigmond: Szeben latin betűs könyvnyomtatása a XVI. században. In. Írás, könyv, értelmiség. Tanulmányok Erdély történelméhez. Bukarest, 1976. 180-192.

I. The first press of the Town Szeben: the printing shop of Lukas Trapoldner and Valentinus corvinus (1525-1530?)
II. The second press of the Town Szeben (1575-1601)

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