Törökbálint
Encyclopedia
Törökbálint ˈtørøɡbaːlint is a town in Pest county, Hungary
. Törökbálint received town status on 1 July 2007.
The city has also got a German name, Großturwall, which originates from the times of the Swabian
immigration after the Turkish occupation of Hungary.
, between Diósd
and Budakeszi
, which were also Swabian settlements.
Törökbálint can be directly approached from the motorways M0, M1 and M7.
were the inhabitants of Hungary, which the Romans chased away. Both nations left their footprint over the entirety of Hungary, and in Törökbálint as well, though the region was uninhabited until the 6th century, well after the Roman invasion
. Germanic tribes
arrived around this time.
After the Magyar settlement in the 9th century, the main leader of the Hungarians, Árpád
, gave the lands around the present Törökbálint to prince Kond, whose son, Csörsz built the first castle in the area. Its name was Torbágy (Turobag), which is probably the ancient form of the present German name of the settlement.
Only in the early modern age, ca. the 16. century, was the village renamed to Török-Bálint, with a Hungarian landlord and poet, Bálint Török
(in Hungarian form Török Bálint) giving the name to it.
. They possessed the lands until 1773. By this time, the area was hardly inhabited, which process was partly the result of the Turkish wars two hundred years before. In the 18th century, the first Danubian- Swabes began to arrive. The latter became the major population group in the area in a few decades.
After the order of the Jesuits was dissolved, Maria Theresia, the Kaiserin of Austria and Queen of Hungary gave the lands to Josef Majláth, her chamber counselor.
The first transportation contact with the capital, Budapest was established in 1884 with the opening of a railway.
In 1900, the township obtained a new name. Instead of Török-Bálint, the name Törökbálint became official.
The next important step in the development of the settlement was the opening of the suburban railway, in 1912, which was, however, closed after World War I
.
After World War II
, the Danibian-Swabes, who had been living there for hundreds of years, were chased away.
Nowadays, Törökbálint is part of the suburban Budapest. More and more people move to the township, which has a very calm and peaceful atmosphere. Tükörhegy (Mirror hill or Spiegelberg in German), an area in the outskirts of Törökbálint, a former orchard, was, for instance, almost fully built in.
In the outskirts of Törökbálint, multinational companies, like Cora
, IKEA
, Pannon GSM
, Porsche
, Tesco
give work for many inhabitants of the settlement.
, in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg
.
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...
. Törökbálint received town status on 1 July 2007.
The city has also got a German name, Großturwall, which originates from the times of the Swabian
Swabian
Swabian may refer:* to the German region of Swabia ; or* to Swabian German, a dialect spoken in Baden-Württemberg in south-west Germany and adjoining areas See also:...
immigration after the Turkish occupation of Hungary.
Geographic position
Törökbálint is ca. 15 km (9 mi) westwards from BudapestBudapest
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...
, between Diósd
Diósd
Diósd , Hungary is a small town located between the larger cities of Budapest and Érd in the Budapest metropolitan area, Pest County. It best found by travelling on the road 7 , which crosses the commune...
and Budakeszi
Budakeszi
Budakeszi is a town in Pest County, in the Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. It is located beyond the Jánoshegy hill at the western city limits of Budapest, about west of the Zero Kilometre Stone in the city centre...
, which were also Swabian settlements.
Törökbálint can be directly approached from the motorways M0, M1 and M7.
Early history
Until the first century, the Avaric peoplesEurasian Avars
The Eurasian Avars or Ancient Avars were a highly organized nomadic confederacy of mixed origins. They were ruled by a khagan, who was surrounded by a tight-knit entourage of nomad warriors, an organization characteristic of Turko-Mongol groups...
were the inhabitants of Hungary, which the Romans chased away. Both nations left their footprint over the entirety of Hungary, and in Törökbálint as well, though the region was uninhabited until the 6th century, well after the Roman invasion
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Germanic tribes
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
arrived around this time.
After the Magyar settlement in the 9th century, the main leader of the Hungarians, Árpád
Árpád
Árpád was the second Grand Prince of the Hungarians . Under his rule the Hungarian people settled in the Carpathian basin. The dynasty descending from him ruled the Hungarian tribes and later the Kingdom of Hungary until 1301...
, gave the lands around the present Törökbálint to prince Kond, whose son, Csörsz built the first castle in the area. Its name was Torbágy (Turobag), which is probably the ancient form of the present German name of the settlement.
Only in the early modern age, ca. the 16. century, was the village renamed to Török-Bálint, with a Hungarian landlord and poet, Bálint Török
Bálint Török
Count Bálint Török de Enying was a Hungarian aristocrat, Ban of Nándorfehérvár , and between 1527-1542 the Lord of Csesznek.-Sources:*Bessenyei József: A Héttorony foglya* Magyarország történeti kronológiája Count Bálint Török de Enying (1502–1551) was a Hungarian aristocrat, Ban of Nándorfehérvár...
(in Hungarian form Török Bálint) giving the name to it.
New Age and the modern Törökbálint
In the 16th century, the lands around Törökbálint were given to the Jesuits, who built many beautiful buildings in Baroque styleBaroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
. They possessed the lands until 1773. By this time, the area was hardly inhabited, which process was partly the result of the Turkish wars two hundred years before. In the 18th century, the first Danubian- Swabes began to arrive. The latter became the major population group in the area in a few decades.
After the order of the Jesuits was dissolved, Maria Theresia, the Kaiserin of Austria and Queen of Hungary gave the lands to Josef Majláth, her chamber counselor.
The first transportation contact with the capital, Budapest was established in 1884 with the opening of a railway.
In 1900, the township obtained a new name. Instead of Török-Bálint, the name Törökbálint became official.
The next important step in the development of the settlement was the opening of the suburban railway, in 1912, which was, however, closed after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Danibian-Swabes, who had been living there for hundreds of years, were chased away.
Nowadays, Törökbálint is part of the suburban Budapest. More and more people move to the township, which has a very calm and peaceful atmosphere. Tükörhegy (Mirror hill or Spiegelberg in German), an area in the outskirts of Törökbálint, a former orchard, was, for instance, almost fully built in.
In the outskirts of Törökbálint, multinational companies, like Cora
Cora
Cora may refer to:* Cora people, an indigenous ethnic group of Western Central Mexico** Cora languagePeople:* Cat Cora, an Iron Chef on Food Network's Iron Chef America* Tom Cora, American cellist...
, IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
, Pannon GSM
Pannon GSM
Telenor Hungary is the second largest mobile phone operator in Hungary.Telenor Hungary Ltd. was founded as Pannon GSM Telecommunications Ltd. in 1994...
, Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
give work for many inhabitants of the settlement.
Partnerships
Törökbálint has a partner city in Germany; SüßenSüßen
Süßen is a town in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is located on the river Fils 8 km east of Göppingen, near Stuttgart.-History:...
, in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
.
Main sights
- Walla castle
- Lung sanatorium, which was the former castle of the JesuitsSociety of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
- Calvary-row
- The Roman Catholic Church, which was first mentioned 1422.
- The historic building of the Ignác Zimándy School
- The Calvinistic Church, which was built 1994 in partnership with the German town of Süßen
- Village Museum