Érd (Hanselbeck in German, Andzabeg in Croatian) is a county town in the Budapest agglomeration, Pest County, the seat of the Érd District. Érd has been a city since 1979 and a county town since 2006. Érd is the largest settlement in Pest county, but it is not its seat, so it is the only city in Hungary that is not the county seat as the most populous settlement in a county.
The settlement on the banks of the Danube is located
east of Tárnok and west of Diósd in the region of the Tétény Plateau
and the Érdi-roofed hills. Érdliget and Ófalu are located in the
former floodplain of the Danube.
During the Kádár era, the
city was divided into districts (this was a great help to the
population, especially before the introduction of postal codes), but
today the local people recognize the names of the districts where
they go (despite the size of today's districts. differs from the
change of regime in several places).
Prehistory, antiquity
Traces of human life have been found in
today's area of Érd since ancient times. In 1963-64, the hunting
ground of the Neanderthal man was excavated in the Fundoklia Valley
under the leadership of Vera Gáboriné-Csánk, archaeologist of the
Budapest History Museum. The approx. Based on the cracked stone
tools of the people who settled here 50,000 years ago, the culture
here was classified as a mousterien in France. The processing of
about 50,000 animal bones and teeth was performed by Miklós Kretzoi,
who found that among the more than 30 species of animals hunted, the
killing of the cave bear was typical. Remains of woolly rhinoceros,
mammoth, cave hyena, cave lion, red deer, reindeer and other species
were also found. Some of the material has been returned to Érd and
can be viewed in the Érd-themed exhibition hall of the Hungarian
Geographical Museum.
On Sánc Hill, which is a continuation of
Kakukk Hill above the Old Town, as its name suggests, traces of a
Bronze Age (circa 1600 BC) earthen castle can be seen, where the
Romans later also maintained a watchtower. A little further towards
Százhalombatta, the so-called Early Iron Age (built around 650-550
BC) so-called there is a mound tomb field known as hun mounds. Its
attribution to the Huns is named after the archaeologist János
Luczenbacher (1796–1871), who dug seven mounds in 1847 and
Hungarianized his name to Érdy in memory of his successful work
here. Enthusiastic about his example, Érd's first local historian,
Gyula Kereskényi (1835–1911), also excavated the mounds. According
to today's general archaeological concept, the so-called the ashes
of the nobles of the population of the Hallstatt culture were
placed. The Archaeological Park of the Vignette Museum in
Százhalombatta deals with its presentation. The Roman road in the
Old Town refers to the war journey (limes) of the former legions.
In the time of the Árpád House
Based on the present
administrative area of Érd, several villages were formed in our
area after the conquest: Érd, Székely, Deszka and Berki. In Turkish
times, several of these were destroyed and depopulated. Later, in or
near some of them, our landowners established majors.
Today's
Érd is constantly - although the changing inhabited core in terms of
nationality was today's Old Town. The first documented mention of
Érd is known from 1243. According to this, János, the son of Tádé,
sold his part of the estate in the village of Érd together with half
of the island belonging to Mihály to Veszprém comes (ispán). Other
documents show that in addition to these families, Érd also owned
the abbey of Ócsa, the royal forest guards and the royal gunsmiths
(gun manufacturers). Presumably, the name of the place is derived
either from the word forest or from the d-diminutive version of the
word vessel. According to a charter of 1278, the land of the armed
women was already uninhabited at that time. This was acquired by the
Berki family, Mihály's descendants. This area further away from the
Danube has become the core of the 20th century Park City. The lush
deciduous tree of the city coat of arms, created in 1990, is
reminiscent of the forests and oaks here, while the cross that
strikes the dragon is the anti-Turkish struggle of the owner of the
place, Ambrus Ákosházi Dragon, in a figurative sense, the
centuries-old struggle against all kinds of pagan invaders. The blue
bar indicates the proximity of the Danube River, which is both a
blessing and a curse. The three branches of the golden crown
symbolize the three large-owned families that played the most
significant role in the history of the locality, the Counts of
Illésházy, Prince Fülöp Batthyány and the family of Count Károlyi.
In the nine peaks of the crown we can see the oldest seeds of the
settlement: Old Town, Újfalu, Erlakovecz major, Fülöp major, Fekete
Sas csárda (Újtelep), Csillag csárda (Érdliget), Kutyavár
(Diósdliget), Berki (Vincellért), Ilkamajor (Parkváros).
During the Turkish occupation
In the year of the fatal battle of Mohács leading to the Turkish
conquest, in 1526, Érd and its castle became a nationally famous
place. II. King Louis marched in front of the upcoming Turkish army
on the ancient road for approx. With a small army of 3,000, he
camped in Érd for the first time. Captain Ambrus Ákosházi Sárkány
from Bratislava, Chief of Zala, stayed in the mansion of the country
judge for a few days after July 20.
He crossed the ferry to
Csepel Island to say goodbye to his wife, Mary of Habsburg. Before
moving on, his favorite black horse passed out, which his entourage
interpreted as an ominous sign. Dragon Ambrus was not at home at
that time, because the king had previously sent him to rescue the
besieged castle of St. Petersburg. Royal Chancellor István Brodarics
VII. According to his letter to Pope Clement, the king was still in
Érd on July 27th. The following line of the letter well describes
the conditions of the time and the desperate mood, hopelessness:
"King has nothing, the situation is completely confused, people are
evil and divisive, the enemy is outnumbered ...."
After the
battle of Mohács - where Ambrus Sárkány also fell - the Turks did
not take possession of Érd immediately, only after the conquest of
Székesfehérvár (1543) it was connected to the Sandzak in Buda. In
order to protect the famous Danube war road and Buda in several
other places (Ercsi, Adony, Dunaújváros, Dunaföldvár, etc.) a small
palisade castle was built in Érd in the 16th century. It was
destroyed several times, but was rebuilt. It was expanded in the
17th century to include a mosque. Excavations between 1962 and 1965
put the width of the plank at around 147 meters, while the mosque at
11x10 meters. In the military events of the abolition of Turkish
rule, Érd also played an important role as a battlefield: on July
22, 1684 (before the recapture of Buda in 1686), the allied forces
of Charles Lorraine defeated Pasha Mustafa, who was trying to break
the siege ring from the south. This battle was also captured by a
work of art. In the engraving of J. Waldtmann and U. Kraus: Battle
of Érd in 1684, 2 minarets can be seen in an interesting way and the
camel formations used in the Turkish army can also be observed.
As is well known, the Turks placed the sons of subjugated
peoples as soldiers in the castles of the conquered territories.
This is how not only Turks but also Serbs could get to Érd. Some
families in Érd have names of Turkish origin: Kávrán, Kurán,
Deffent, Csibrák, Bandzi, etc. During the 15-year war, both Érd and
Berki were depopulated. The Hungarian population was supposed to
replace Ercsibe around 1630. To Tököl - The South Slavs fleeing the
Turks moved to Érd. According to research, most of them were
Bunyevacs, Dalmatians and Croats from Sarajevo, although the local
population called them Razs, as did the Serbs. (Ecclesiastical
sources later mention the ethnic group as an illusion.) However,
they are separated by their dialect and Catholic faith. Some of
their surnames are Bilics, Romics, Tokics, Polákovics, Kokics,
Jovicza, etc.
The Hungarian landlords also maintained their
demand for their occupied estates. Thus, on paper in Érd, the
Illésházy family took over the estate from the Sárkány family in
1675 through marriage. (Ferenc Illésházy married Erzsébet Sárkány.)
The Illésházy stayed in their castles in Trencs and Liptov counties,
which provide greater security, and pledged their estate in Érd to
Péter Szapáry in Ercs. He fought a lot with the Turkish invaders,
his person was elevated to hero by the memory of the locals, he was
immortalized by legends of fiction. The shape is known by the
16th-century Hamza Beginning, which gives the castle its name and
builds a castle here. Recent research, however, suggests Hamza's
descendants may have come into contact with him. In the still
existing cellar system of the medieval castle, a corner is
considered to be the site of Szapáry's Turkish captivity. According
to sources, however, the place of imprisonment was the Buda Castle.
According to the legend, Hamza Beg cruelly tortured, captured
Szapár in front of a plow on the mountain, tortured in a cruel way,
kept on water, dry bread. However, his friend, Ádám Batthyány,
released him from his bondage in exchange for a Turkish aga. Once
(according to some versions, when Buda was recaptured), the cube
turned and Hamza was led as a prisoner to Szapáry. However, he
pardoned him out of Christian mercy and released his former
torturer. The Turk, who had already swallowed up the contents of his
ring of poison in fear, was shaken by this generosity and had even
adopted Christianity in his last minutes.
The name of Hamza
Beg is preserved in the Ottoman-era name of Érd, Hamzsabég.
Holders of 18-19. century
The Szapáry and then the Illésházy family played a decisive role
in the reconstruction after the Turkish rule in Érd.
Miklós
Illésházy (1653–1723) replaced Érd in 1722. He regulated serf
burdens in a local urarium. He is also known nationally .... as
chancellor shortly before his death he signed the Pragmatica
sanction, which made it possible to inherit the throne of Maria
Theresa.
József Illésházy (1700–1766) was the owner of Érd
only for a short time, because between 1735 and 1752 he also pledged
it to Baron András Pongrácz, and then to Baron János Péterffy
through his daughter. The Peterffy family built the Chapel of the
Suffering Christ on Calvary Hill. (1749).
János Illésházy (?
-1799) did the most to beautify Érd. In 1774, he added a tower to
the church of St. Michael, which was rebuilt in the time of Szapáry,
and drew a floor to the new parish house. He adorned the church
garden with statues (eg St. John of Nepomuk) and crosses. He made a
statue of St. Walburga and built a small chapel in the rebuilt
castle. In his time, in 1776, Érd (presumably after an earlier but
ceased status) received the status of a market town again. His son,
Francis, died at the age of 10 in unknown circumstances (perhaps in
an epidemic) in Érd and was buried in the church. (1789).
István Illésházy (1762–1838) Acquired the right to hold trade fairs
in Érd. Not having a son, his family became extinct.
Prince
Fülöp Batthyány bought Érd from him, whose paternal branch was
Countess Teréz Illésházy. The Great Danube Flood of 1838 falls into
his short, twenty years of possession. Instead of the destroyed
settlement, the prince founded New Town, in an area a little further
from the river (Philippines). It was around this time that the
Pelikán Inn, later Batthyány – Wimpffen – Károlyi Castle (today:
Hungarian Geographical Museum), could have been built on the corner
of the Fehérvár highway and the road to Újváros.
In 1848, Érd
became the property of Baron George Sina, a Viennese banker of Greek
descent who excelled in supporting the construction of the Chain
Bridge. His son, Sina Simon - who also surpassed his father with his
patronage of generosity - rebuilt the castle in 1869 in the
Neo-Renaissance style and significantly expanded it. After his death
(1876), through the marriage of his daughter, Count Anastasia
Wimpffen, to Viktor, Érd fell into the hands of the Wimpffen family
of Swabian descent. After the Wimpffens, in 1911, the Counts of
Károlyi became the largest owners of Érd. The castle, on the other
hand, fell into the hands of the Catholic Church in 1920. A Jesuit
priestly educator (novitiate), a visiting convent from 1928, and
from 1940 until the arrival of the front here, the country's first
KALOT folk high school operated within its walls. The school, run by
the National Secretariat of the Catholic Agrarian Youth Bachelors'
Association, held economic, village-leader-training and folk
cultural courses. It is acknowledged that two of our prime
ministers, Pál Teleki and László Bárdossy, visited here in 1941 and
1942, respectively.) The castle was used as a military hospital in
the war. was sentenced to demolition.
Today's Érd
After
the second half of the 1920s, the Károlyi family (Count Imre Károlyi
and his son, Gyula) gradually parceled out more than 3,000 acres of
land here, mostly consisting of forests and orchards. Due to the
relatively cheap land prices and the possibility to walk to nearby
jobs, settlers later came from all over the country. The initial
resort soon became the largest settlement in the agglomeration
around the capital, “the largest village in Central Europe.” The
ill-considered and fast-paced settlement became a source of
depressing problems (water shortages, high groundwater, impassable
roads, etc.) for decades after the war. it did not develop, only the
traditional mill industry (Danube ship mills) and brick production
developed in a more modern form and smaller plants were established
(Mezőgép, Texelektro, ÉRUSZ, Bread Factory, etc.)
Viticulture
and sheep farming have traditionally been typical economic sectors
in Érd. In 1851, the statistician Elek Fényes writes about Érd in
the Geographical Dictionary of Hungary: "His main farm is in a
vineyard, which produces very precious wine". It declined as a
result of the phylloxera epidemics of the 1870s and 80s, and was
replaced by peach cultivation. Remaining memories are the hole
cellars carved into the wall of the old town of Gyorma (deep road).
Scenes of sheep farming, 18-19. century majors (Erlakovecz, Fülöp
major, etc.) were demolished during the socialist tea age.
Until 1945, Érd belonged to the Adonyi district of Fejér county;
during the 1945 county arrangement, Érdet and its surroundings were
annexed to the territory of Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun county, since the
1950 county arrangement it has been part of Pest county.
The
development of the urban center began in 1972 with the establishment
of the shopping complex, which also served as a bus station,
continued with the housing estate and the ÁFÉSZ Department Store,
and in recent years it has gained a truly high-quality appearance
with the construction of the Budai út business service line.
With the reconstruction of the Thermal Hotel in 1990, the Old Town
became a bathing place, which meant a new tourist perspective for
Érd at that time, but the spa and the hotel had to be closed by the
municipality in 2015 due to its debts (the popular artesian well was
taken over). The building is currently being auctioned off.
The chimney of the brick factory operating between 1910 and 1980 was
blown up on August 31, 2016 (to the exclusion of the public), and
the area is planned to be converted into a place for excursions.
In 1977, the combat position of the 11th Hungarian Air Defense
Missile Brigade moved to Érd. The brigade was first transformed to
regiment level, then liquidated in 2000, and the garrison ceased to
exist. Parts of the object are preserved to this day.