József Csanak (1820–1900)

Entrepreneur and patron of the arts

József Csanak was born into a poor family in Derecske. In Debrecen he struggled to make a living as a shop apprentice. After finishing he travelled through Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In 1846, thanks to his knowledge of double-entry bookkeeping he served as accountant to the Debrecen savings bank. In 1848 he married the daughter of a merchant with a prosperous business, and from the dowry he bought his grocer’s shop in December 1849.

Due to his remarkable business sense he made a name for himself extremely quickly. In 1856 he was elected vice president of the Debrecen Merchant Society. In 1857 h e and his brother-in-law were called upon to manage the near-bankrupt István steam mill. As a result of their activity they won two gold medals at the 1862 London World Exhibition.

With his brother-in-law they donated their half-year earnings to the Memorial Park Society, whose goal was to landscape the square between the Big Church and the College and to erect historical monuments. The first sculpture was to be the Dying Lion, commemorating the Battle of Debrecen on 2 August 1849, the second Miklós Izsó’s Csokonai.

He deemed it important to support merchants’ apprentices and to improve their social and cultural standing. He initiated the establishment of a Sunday school and a debating society for apprentices. He financially supported the construction and operation of the theatre, as well as the establishment of a music school and a choral union.

He was not present at the unveiling of the Csokonai monument, and had plans to move to Pest, retiring from public office. To this day the precise reason for his grudge is unknown.