Károly Kós (, born Károly Kosch; 16 December 1883 – 25 August 1977) was a Hungarian architect, writer, illustrator, ethnologist and politician of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

and Romania.

Biography

Born as Károly Kosch in Temesvár,

(now ''Timișoara'', Romania), he studied engineering at the Royal University of Technology József, and only afterwards turned towards architecture (graduating from the Budapest Architecture School in 1907).Biographical note to "Glasul care strigă" Already during his studies and at the start of his career, he had a special interest for the historical and traditional folk architecture, and made study trips to Kalotaszeg and the

Székely Land The Székely Land or Szeklerland ( hu, Székelyföld, ; ro, Ținutul Secuiesc and sometimes ; german: Szeklerland; la, Terra Siculorum) is a historic and ethnographic area in Romania, inhabited mainly by Székelys, a subgroup of Hungarians. ...

. In 1909, his project for the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

church in

Zebegény Zebegény is a picturesque historic village in Pest county, Hungary. It is located 60 km north of Budapest in the Danube Bend, next to the Duna-Ipoly National Park. It is a favourite destination for tourists, who love the quiet and the fres ...

, in 1909 the

Óbuda Óbuda was a town in Hungary that was merged with Buda and Pest on 17 November 1873; it now forms part of District III-Óbuda-Békásmegyer of Budapest. The name means ''Old Buda'' in Hungarian (in German, ''Alt-Ofen''). The name in Bosnian, ...

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

parochial building, and in 1910 the

Budapest Zoo Zoo & Botanical Garden of the Capital ( hu, Fővárosi Állat- és Növénykert) is the oldest zoo park in Hungary and one of the oldest in the world. It has 1,072 animal species and is located within Városliget Park, unusually for a zoo, it i ...

complex (with Dezső Zrumeczky), were carried out. During the 1910s, he completed the Reformed Rooster Church in

Kolozsvár ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Status , subdivision_name2 = County seat , settlement_type = City , le ...

(a city later known as ''Cluj'' or ''Cluj-Napoca'') and the hospital in Sepsiszentgyörgy (''Sfântu Gheorghe''). At the time, his style was influenced by the

Vienna Secession The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austri ...

and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

. In 1914, at the start of World War I, Kós moved to Sztána (''Stana''). He was drafted the following year, but soon discharged on request from the Ministry of Culture. Between 1917 and 1918, he was sent on a study trip to

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

. In 1918, Kós was asked to be a professor of the College for Applied Arts of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, but he declined, wishing to return to

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

. He lived off commissions and started a political career, choosing, unlike many in the Hungarian community, to accept the

Romanian Kingdom The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...

's administration in the region as a given, while engaging in active opposition inside its legal framework (and authoring a manifesto calling on others to do the same).Salat, introductory study to ''Maghiarii din România...'' Alongside Lajos Albrecht and others, he was one of the founders of the Transylvanian People's Party in 1921 — the group later formed the Magyar Party. Kós also edited its illustrated political journal ''Vasárnap''. In 1924, he and several of his friends founded a publishing house under the name '' Erdélyi Szépmíves Céh'' ("Transylvanian Guild of Fine Arts"). From 1931, he was editor of the ''

Erdélyi Helikon Erdélyi is a word of Hungarian origin, meaning “related to Transylvania”. * Arthur Erdélyi (1908–1977) — Hungarian-born British mathematician * János Erdélyi János Erdélyi (1 April 1814 in Nagykapos – 23 January 1868 in Sár ...

'', and manager of the

Miklós Barabás Miklós Barabás (10 February 1810, in Markersdorf, Covasna County, Romania – 12 February 1898, in Budapest) was a Hungarian painter. He is mostly known for his portrait paintings, including a famous portrait of a young Franz Liszt, done ...

Guild (an independent interest group of Hungarian artists in Romania). In 1944 his house in Sztána (part of

Northern Transylvania Northern Transylvania ( ro, Transilvania de Nord, hu, Észak-Erdély) was the region of the Kingdom of Romania that during World War II, as a consequence of the August 1940 territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award, became part of ...

) was plundered, and he fled to Kolozsvár, where he rejoined his family. He was director of the Transylvanian Hungarian Economic Association. As a politician, he was the president of the

Hungarian People's Union The Hungarian People's Union ( hu, Magyar Népi Szövetség, MNSZ; ro, Uniunea Populară Maghiară, UPM) was a left-wing political party active in Romania between 1934 and 1953 that claimed to represent the Hungarian community. Until 1944, it was ...

(''Magyar Népi Szövetség'', MNSz), and afterwards member of the Assembly of Deputies (1946–48). Kós taught at the College for Agriculture in Cluj until 1953, filling the post of the dean in 1945, and contributed to the journal ''Világosság'' between 1948–49. He died in Cluj.

Buildings designed

*1908-1910 **Reformed Parish Church,

**Roman Catholic Church,

; with Béla Jánszky **Zoo buildings,

; with Dezső Zrumeczky **the ''Varjuvar'', Kós' house in Sztana *1910-1913 ** Városmajor Street, Budapest; with

Dénes Györgyi Dénes Györgyi (April 25, 1886 – November 25, 1961) was a Hungarian architect,Györgyi Dénes

Wekerle estate The Wekerle estate ( hu, Wekerletelep) is a part of Budapest's XIX. district (known as Kispest). Kispest, formerly a suburb was administratively attached to Budapest in 1950 along with several other settlements of Greater Budapest. Wekerle estat ...

, Budapest **

Székely National Museum Székely may refer to: * Székelys, Hungarian people from the historical region of Transylvania, Romania **Székely Land, historic and ethnographic area in Transylvania, Romania * Székely (village), a village in northeastern Hungary *Székely (su ...

Sfântu Gheorghe Sfântu Gheorghe (; hu, Sepsiszentgyörgy or ''Szentgyörgy'' ; yi, סנט דזשארדזש; English lit.: ''Saint George'') is the capital city of Covasna County, Romania. Located in the central part of the country and in the historical regio ...

(Sepsiszentgyörgy) ** Church with the Rooster, Cluj *1930s and 1940s **Kós' house in

Miskolc Miskolc ( , , ; Czech language, Czech and sk, Miškovec; german: Mischkolz; yi, script=Latn, Mishkoltz; ro, Mișcolț) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 (1 Jan 2014) Miskolc is the ...

**Exhibition Hall, Cluj ** King Matthias House restoration, Cluj **Milk hall, Mera village,

Baciu Baciu ( hu, Kisbács or ''Bács''; german: Botschendorf) is a commune in Cluj County, located in the region of Transylvania, in the northwestern part of Romania. Baciu lies a short distance from the county seat of Cluj-Napoca. It is composed of s ...

Novels

*''Varjú nemzetség'' ("The Varjú Kin", 1925) *''A Gálok'' ("The Gál Family", 1930) *''Országépítő'' ("The Country Founder", 1934)

Notes

References

* Lucian Nastasă, Levente Salat (eds.)
''Maghiarii din România şi etica minoritară (1920-1940)''
at th
Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center. Open Society Foundation Romania
retrieved October 23, 2007:
Introductory studies by Lucian Nastasă and Levente Salat

Károly Kós, "Glasul care strigă"

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kos, Karoly 1883 births 1977 deaths Politicians from Timișoara Hungarian architects Hungarian art critics Hungarian journalists Hungarian male novelists Hungarian people of World War II Hungarian Calvinist and Reformed Christians Hungarian people of German descent Romanian Calvinist and Reformed Christians Romanian people of Hungarian descent University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca faculty Architects from Timișoara Romanian art critics Romanian magazine editors Romanian male novelists Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Art Nouveau architects Recipients of the Order of the Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic 20th-century Romanian novelists 20th-century Romanian male writers 20th-century Hungarian male writers 20th-century journalists