Békásmegyer
Encyclopedia
Békásmegyer is a neighbourhood in Budapest
, Hungary
. It belongs administratively to District III. Békásmegyer is consisted of two different parts, a huge high rise housing estate and the traditional Ófalu ("Old Village") with older houses. Békásmegyer is divided into two by the Szentendre HÉV
line. It was an independent village until 1 January 1950 when it was merged into Budapest. Today 41,000 people live in Békásmegyer Microdistrict (13,394 panel
flats) and a few thousand in the former village.
, the Danube
and the hills of Buda. Békásmegyer is the last train station within the city limits of Budapest on the HÉV
suburban railway line.
which refers to the fact that people from the Megyer tribe (who gave their name to Magyars) settled here after the migration of Hungarians into Pannonia
in the early 10th century. Megyer belongs to the oldest strata of Hungarian toponymy
.
In the second half of the 17th century Megyer was destroyed by the wars with Ottoman Turks
. The village was resettled by German
colonist from the 1740s onwards. They called the village Krottendorf (literally "Frogbury") because of the frog-populated marshes of the Danube river meadows.
Hungarians called the village Békás-Megyer, meaning "Frog's Megyer", since the beginning of the 19th century. Now District III. is officially called Óbuda-Békásmegyer.
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. It belongs administratively to District III. Békásmegyer is consisted of two different parts, a huge high rise housing estate and the traditional Ófalu ("Old Village") with older houses. Békásmegyer is divided into two by the Szentendre HÉV
HÉV
Budapest HÉV is a system of four commuter rail and rapid transit lines in and around Budapest, Hungary. The HÉV lines were constructed as branch lines of the Hungarian State Railways...
line. It was an independent village until 1 January 1950 when it was merged into Budapest. Today 41,000 people live in Békásmegyer Microdistrict (13,394 panel
Panelház
Panelház is the name of a type of block of flats in Hungary and Hungarian inhabited areas of the Pannonian Basin. Transylvanian Magyars call these buildings tömbház . It was the main housing type built in the Socialist era. From 1959 to 1990 788,000 panel flats were built in Hungary...
flats) and a few thousand in the former village.
Location
It is situated on the edge of Budapest next to BudakalászBudakalász
Budakalász is a town in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary.- External links :*...
, the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
and the hills of Buda. Békásmegyer is the last train station within the city limits of Budapest on the HÉV
HÉV
Budapest HÉV is a system of four commuter rail and rapid transit lines in and around Budapest, Hungary. The HÉV lines were constructed as branch lines of the Hungarian State Railways...
suburban railway line.
Name
The first recorded name of the village was MegyerMegyer
- External links :*...
which refers to the fact that people from the Megyer tribe (who gave their name to Magyars) settled here after the migration of Hungarians into Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
in the early 10th century. Megyer belongs to the oldest strata of Hungarian toponymy
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
.
In the second half of the 17th century Megyer was destroyed by the wars with Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. The village was resettled by German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
colonist from the 1740s onwards. They called the village Krottendorf (literally "Frogbury") because of the frog-populated marshes of the Danube river meadows.
Hungarians called the village Békás-Megyer, meaning "Frog's Megyer", since the beginning of the 19th century. Now District III. is officially called Óbuda-Békásmegyer.
Population
By 1890 Békásmegyer had a population of 1340, 95% of Swabian (German) origin. A steady influx of Magyars resulted in a ten-fold increase in the total population by the second world war, and dilution of the Swabians to less than 25%. In 1946 three-quarters of the Swabians were expropriated and expelled to war ravaged West Germany. During the 1970s and 1980s Békásmegyers' population increased rapidly because the construction of the new microdistrict (about from a few thousand to 50,000-55,000).See also
- ÓbudaÓbudaÓbuda was a historical city in Hungary. United with Buda and Pest in 1873 it now forms part of District III-Óbuda-Békásmegyer of Budapest. The name means Old Buda in Hungarian...
- Óbuda-Békásmegyer