A commemorative plaque unveiled in honour of István Csillag, the city’s pioneer of motorisation
Report by György Polgár
On 16 August, Győr celebrated the 100th anniversary of the launch of regular bus services. To mark this milestone, a commemorative plaque was unveiled in honour of István Csillag, the founder of Star Coach Services, in the small park adjacent to 50 Árpád street, where the company originated.
Balázs Kovács, chairman of both the ‘Homeland’ Local History Association and the Győr Society for Local and Family History Research, welcomed the attendees. It was thanks to his dedication that the commemorative plaque came to realization. He was followed by Péter Tóth, the Deputy Mayor of Győr. He said that the city’s leadership considers it important to identify and commemorate cultural and industrial heritage sites in this manner. He stated that the need for public transport arose alongside Győr’s industrialisation in the late 19th century. Many people living in the surrounding villages abandoned their traditional agricultural livelihoods to take up work in the factories that were springing up, so a solution for passenger transport became inevitable.
The first line of the Star Coach Services
Then Ágoston Winkler took the floor, an associate professor at the Faculty of Transport at Széchenyi István University, and also a researcher of the history of local public transport – he had initiated the creation of the commemorative plaque.
He presented a detailed overview of the development of the city’s transport system before talking about the life of István Csillag. While the mayor’s office of the time was still debating when and in what form to launch services – even trams ad trolleybuses were discussed – Csillag and his business partner Elemér Békeffy, a retired captain, decided to take matters into their hands. They purchased three 24-seater buses with 26-horsepower Chevrolet engines and, on 16 August 1926, launched the first line of the Star Coach Services between Szabadhegy and the boat station.
However, this wasn’t something that happened out of the blue, as the Star Autogarage had already been in operation since April. It was a modern vehicle service centre complete with a petrol station, a repair workshop and a driving school. It even provided accommodation for motorists travelling from afar. The bus division began to develop rapidly, with an increasing number of vehicles carrying passengers on an ever-growing network.
By 1929, the fleet consisted of 18 vehicles, most of which were domestically manufactured Rába buses. From 1926, rural services also began operating; the first ran to Hédervár. Békeffy was the sole entrepreneur in this case, but his business was later merged into Star, which was subsequently known as the Győr General Transport Company. They launched the first taxi service in 1928.
Anti-Jewish Laws and the Holocaust
Following the enactment of the so-called Second Anti-Jewish Law in 1939, Csillag was forced to make a difficult and self-sacrificing decision. To ensure that the company would not be discriminated against because of his Jewish origin, he sold his shares to a businessman named Árpád Béla Tárnok. There were several further changes of ownership thereafter.
Csillag was deported in 1944. The transport was originally bound for Vienna, where the deportees were to be forced into slave labour in the area’s arms factories. However, due to a mistaken order, the convoy was directed towards Auschwitz. By the time the error was discovered, they were already so far away that the course was not changed. Csillag was put to work on the construction squad in Birkenau. According to János Csillag, his nephew who survived, István was last seen at the end of 1944, after which he disappeared without a trace.
Ágoston Winkler suggested that he might have had an opportunity to escape yet before deportation. Csillag was widowed and had a Christian girlfriend who offered to hide him. Csillag naively believed that the Germans only wanted cheap labour. He determined to go at all costs so that he could support his family, who might find it hard to get by. Even more so, because he was a tall, strong, award-winning wrestler. Around 50 members of his family were murdered in Auschwitz on the day they arrived.
The Star facility was destroyed in the bombings, and the company restarted operations at a different site after the war. The name ‘Star’ remained in use for a while. In 1948, the company was nationalised and subsequently became part of county-level and then national companies: MÁVAUT, AKÖV and Volán. Currently, it operates within the Hungarian State Railways’ Passenger Transport Ltd. Today, almost nothing remains to remind us of the company that pioneered motorisation in Győr, except for Star’s underground garage, which is now used by people living nearby.
Nostalgia bus ride
The highlight of the commemoration was vintage bus service carrying the No. 100, which set off from next to the town hall and followed the very first route from a century ago. As no original roadworthy vehicles from that era have remained, the enthusiastic passengers travelled on Győr’s oldest bus: a 70-year-old Ikarus 55, commonly known as the ‘Faros’ (‘The one with a rear engine’). Undeterred by the sweltering heat, they enjoyed the nostalgic journey.
During the tour, Ágoston Winkler spoke affectionately about the old route and the history of the Star company.
English translation by György Polgár