Waldgewerbe und Beschäftigungen im Nordungarischen Mittelgebirge

Woodland industries and trades in Hungary’s northern central hills. In the sevententh and eighteenth centuries the region’s glassworks and iron forges depended on wood for fuel. It was then that Slovak forestry workers settled in the hilly interiors of Hungary’s northern counties. Apart from the felling of trees and the carriage of timber, employment came in the form of the fashioning of wooden pit props and shingles, and from the second half of the 19th century the production of railway sleepers. In the hearts of the hilly regions there were many who produced handles for tools and farming implements, yokes and baskets for sale. These they traded on the Great Plain in return for wheat and maize. The technology and modes of employment associated with charcoal and limeburning were prevalent until the middle of the 20th century. Woodland shelters were continually being built by those working in the forests to protect them against the elements. These structures took many forms