National and historical symbols of Hungary

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Patalom

(Somogy County)

Shield erect and gules, chief azure, its base is rounded. In field gules, on top of two mounds vert, separated by a wavy line argent, which symbolises a brook, the figure of a vambraced and mounted warrior or is borne, wearing a crested and closed helmet and sticking out his spear . The horse or is riding at a full gallop toward the dexter. In chief azure in-between two upward pointing linden leaves or, a patriarcal cross or.

The interpretation of Patalom’s coat-of-arms can be given as follows:

The charges borne in the chief as well as in the base of the village’s coat-of-arms are references to the oldest known owners of the settlement, that is the members of the Rátold clan. The motif of the patriarchal cross borne in-between the two linden leaves was taken over from the seal of 1255 of Palatine Roland, while the figure of the mounted warrior with his spear was originally part of the seal of 1282 of Mathias, son of Palatine Roland. Local legend has it that the outer fields of the present-day settlement used to be a battlefield, the scene of a bloody calary skirmish, since the bones of several horses and a whole mound of horse hooves have been recovered from these fields. The name of the settlement is said to have derived from this legend, since the word Patalom is a shortened version of the phrase ’pata-halom’, meaning ’a mound of horse hooves’. The wavy line in the base which runs in-between two mounds, is a reference to the geographical location of the settlement.

The brief history of the settlement can be described as follows:

The medieval name of the settlement was Patalom (Pathlon). It used to be the property of the members of the Rátót clan until as late as 1323, the year, when it was divided between Mathias and Rátót, sons of Palatine Lóránd as well as the sons of King Stephen I, Lesták II, and Oliver I, members of the same clan. Between 1378 and 1433 the settlement belonged to the property of the nuns of Nyúlsziget. In 1407 it became part of Tolna County. As it is attested by the tax records of 1536 Antal Nagy was another of the village’s one-time landowners. In 1625 the palatine bestowed the settlement on Sándor Bakacs, Castellan of the Keszthely castle. The Baracs family was later raised to the baronial rank, but by the mid-18th century they died out, so the property was inherited by the female branch of the family. In 1749 Judit Niczdy, then Júlia Szalay, wife of Ágoston Kacskovics were among Patalom’s inheritors. From 1767 onward it was the property of the Bosnyák family. In 1856 members of the Bosnyák family and Ágoston Kacskovics were the local landowners. Following this Chamberlain István Gyulai Gaal was one of the significant landowners in the village.

Present-day life at Patalom

The village of Patalom is located at a distance of 20 kilometres from Kaposvár. The number of its inhabitants is 380. One of the most significant local institutions is the ’Park’ Home for the Elderly, chief employer for the women of Patalom. The Patalom Farming Co. is also worth mentioning as a significant local employer, but the majority of the inhabitants commute to work to nearby Kaposvár.

Patalom and the neighbouring village of Magyaratád cooperate closely. Educational (school and kindergarten), postal and health services are available at Magyaratád. The two local governments belong to a joint notarial district and Magyaratád is the district centre.

The small village of Patalom has been undergoing a major development since 1990. Several investments have been made in the village, renovations have been carried out and gas pipelines have been laid down.

The establishment of public sewers is one of the future plans to be realised. There are several non-governmental organisations in the village, the members of which work tirelessly to improve the quality of life at Patalom.