Traditional Hungarian occupations included shoemakers, wheelwrights and wagon manufacturers, rag-and-bone men, carpenters, coopers, various types of shepherds, furriers, fur traders, dyers, bakers, and confectioners. Many of these occupations have been practiced for generations in certain Hungarian regions and involved crafts like woodworking, repairing items, collecting unwanted goods, herding livestock, making fur garments, dyeing fabrics, and baking breads and pastries. Hungarian bread has symbolic meaning as the country celebrates the foundation of its state and first harvest on the same day that bread is blessed.

1. Traditional Hungarian
occupations

2. Margit Kovács
There are some famous
regions that have been the
home of many generations of
Hungarian artists since the
early 20th century. For
example, Szentendre

3. Zsolnay porcelain is produced in Pécs (the capital of Europe in
2010). The Zsolnay Cultural Quarter, presents some 600 pieces
made by Pécs’s Zsolnay Porcelain Factory between 1870 and 1910
It was László Gyugyi who collected the stolen and hidden pieces
from every corners of the world and brought them back to
Hungary.
The local council of Pécs decided to purchase the Gyugyi
collection in November for EUR 1.3 million.

4. In the mid-19th century it was purveyor to the Habsburg Dynasty. After the
fall of Communism in Hungary the factory was privatised and is now 75%
owned by its management and workers. As of 2006, the factory is profitable
and exports to over 60 countries of the world. Its main markets are the USA,
Japan, Italy and Russia.
Herend products are made from hard-paste porcelain using a mixture of
kaolin, feldspar and quartz.
After cleaning, decorating and drying, it is first fired at 830 degrees Celsius.
The fired pieces are then immersed in a glaze and fired again, this time at
1410 degrees Celsius. This results in white, translucent porcelain.

5. Shoemaker
Long time ago this profession was one of the most
common professions in Hungary

7. Wheelwright and
wagon manufacturer

8. Rag-and-bone men called
‘ószeres’ in Hungarian
They were
travelling craftsmen
who were engaged
in repairing leaky
or broken pottery.
They also collected
unwanted
household items
and sold them to
merchants

10. Carpenter and
Cooper
Their job is to make wooden objects,
for example, wooden furniture,
wooden bowls, baskets etc. Coopers
are barrel makers

11. Pastoral livestock trade:
1. Shepherd
There were different types of
shepherds: in this picture, you
can see the shepherd who
looks after sheep. He usually
had a sheepdog, the famous
Hungarian type called ‘PULI’

12. 2. Horse herdsmen called
‘csikós’ in Hungarian

13. 3. Cattle Shepherd called
‘gulyás’ in Hungarian

14. 4. Swineherd

15. Furrier and Fur trader
His job is to make, repair, alter, or clean fur
garments. Traders were engaged in selling ready-
made goods

18. Blue dying in Hungary
At Nagynyárád, not far
from Mohács (Southern
Hungary) you can learn
the secrets of blue dying
form the local craftsmen

19. Bakers
Nowadays amongst the branches of the food processing
sector the baking industry has the highest number of
independent enterprises in Hungary.
As a result, each year Hungary, which has a good
position on the list of exhibitions in the region of
Middle-East-Europe, organizes the market leading
confectionery and bakery trade fair called UKBA.
Hungarian bread has symbolic meaning as well. We
celebrate the foundation of the Hungarian state on
20th August. It is the same day when St. Stephen I
became the king of Hungary and the day of the first
harvest – the day of the new bread which is blessed
on this day, too.

20. Confectioners
Lajos Kopcsik, master confectioner
László Zila, master confectioner