The
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
ial Gutmann family or Gutmann of Gelse and Beliscse (''gelsei és beliscsei báró Gutmann'') is a
Hungarian noble family of
Jewish origin,
ennobled
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
in the 19th century.
History
Of this family, Henrik Gutmann from
Nagykanizsa
Nagykanizsa (; hr, Velika Kaniža/Velika Kanjiža, or just ''Kaniža/Kanjiža''; german: Großkirchen, Groß-Kanizsa; it, Canissa; sl, Velika Kaniža; tr, Kanije), known colloquially as Kanizsa, is a medium-sized city in Zala County in southw ...
founded the family's business in 1836, trading timber and grain. He later became the president of the local Jewish community. In 1869, Henrik Gutmann was granted nobility together with the noble predicate of
Gelse
Gelse ( hr, Gelša) is a village in Zala County, Hungary. As of 2014 the population is 1110. Most people are Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th centur ...
(''gelsei''). He had several sons, Ödön, László, Vilmos and Aladár Gutmann. Vilmos Gutmann (1847-1921), a resident of Nagykanizsa, was made a Royal Councillor on 25 February 1882
and was elevated to the rank of
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
on 16 September 1904, and was given an additional noble predicate of
Beliscse (''beliscsei'').
The fourth son, Vilmos, took the family business further, developing the Beliscse woodworking factory into a major enterprise, employing 3,000 people at the turn of the century, and in 1892 he also became one of the founders and main shareholders of the Nagykanizsa brewery. After Vilmos's death, his brother László liquidated the businesses in Nagykanizsa.
Vilmos' grandsons, Baron Alexander (''Sándor''),
born in 1924, and his brother,
Baron William (''Vilmos''), born in 1921, changed their surnames to "Gelsey".
Arms
Sources
* Gudenus János: A magyarországi főnemesség XX. századi genealógiája
* Zalai életrajzi kislexikon
References
{{reflist
Hungarian noble families
Heraldry