of Hungary. The first business school of Transdanubia opened in Nagykanizsa, and in 1895 it was made into a college. Many people who had attended Nagykanizsa's schools became famous: Benedek Virág, Pál Király, Ferenc Deák, Károly Kaán, Sándor Hevesi, and Ferenc Mező all studied in the ancient buildings of Nagykanizsa's almae matres. Nagykanizsa started a new phase of large-scale development in the 1860s. The railway connecting Nagykanizsa with Vienna, Budapest, and Rijeka was constructed at that time. There was rapid development in industry as well. Industrial and commercial development resulted in the foundation of banks. Besides the four local banks, an Austro-Hungarian and an Anglo-Hungarian bank also opened branch offices in town. Telephone lines were established and the town was connected with a long-distance system in 1895. At the same time, a 70-bed hospital was opened. During World War I, military barracks were built in the town. This necessitated the construction of a municipal water-network. Kanizsa became a modern town; drainage-system construction and paving of streets began. World War I caused grave consequences - changes in international boundaries isolated Kanizsa, which lost its markets in the south and west. Oil helped the town to survive. After successful exploration by the American corporation Eurogasco, Hungarian-American Oil Inc. ( - MAORT) was formed in 1938. Nagykanizsa became the centre of the Hungarian oil industry. Near the end of World War II, the Nagykanizsa oil-fields were the last remaining ones available to the Germans, and to protect these fields the Wehrmacht launched the last German offensive of the war, Operation Spring Awakening, on 6 March 1945. This failed (15 March 1945) and the town soon fell to the Soviet and Bulgarian Nagykanizsa–Körmend Offensive of March to April 1945. Beer brewed in Kanizsa Brewery regained its reputation as one of the best Hungarian beers, carrying off the palm at more and more international competitions – at the beginning of the century the brewery was closed as demand for beer fell drastically. Kanizsa Trend Ltd. grew out of the company, with its furniture products gaining a high reputation all over Europe. The predecessor of the present-day Tungsram Plc, now belonging to General Electric, started operations in 1965. It is now one of the biggest light-bulb factories in the world. Károlyi Park, City Park, and large squares like Kossuth, Eötvös, and Erzsébet squares were extended after 1962. A boating lake was formed, becoming a popular recreation