Érd Explained

Érd
Settlement Type:City with county rights
Official Name:Hungarian: Érd Megyei Jogú Város
Flag Border:no
Pushpin Map:Hungary#Europe
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Érd
Coordinates:47.3784°N 18.922°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:County
Subdivision Name1:Pest
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Érd
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:László Csőzik - Independent
Area Total Km2:60.54
Population Total:70800 [1]
Population As Of:2020
Population Rank:11th in Hungary
Population Density Km2:1041.9
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:2030
Area Code Type:Area code
Area Code:(+36) 23
Blank Name:Motorways
Blank Info:M6, M7
Blank2 Name:Distance from Budapest
Blank2 Info:20.4km (12.7miles) Northeast

Érd (in Hungarian eːrd/; ; German: Hanselbeck, Croatian: Andzabeg) is a town in Pest County, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. It is a city with county rights.

History

The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Archaeological findings indicate that prehistoric humans lived here 50,000 years ago.

Érd itself was first mentioned in documents in 1243. The name comes either from the word ('forest') or from ('stream').

During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary, Érd was captured by the Turks in 1543, after the castle of Székesfehérvár fell.[2] The Turks built a motte castle and a mosque here. During this time, the area was called Hamzsabég (Hamzabey). In 1684, the army led by Charles V, Duke of Lorraine defeated the Turks near Érd.

In 1776, Érd became an oppidum (town). It is possible that it already had been an oppidum before the Ottoman occupation. In the early 20th century, Érd became the property of the Károlyi family. The town grew, but remained mainly an agricultural town until 1972, when several new facilities were built and the tourist value of Érd grew.

Érd was the fastest-growing locality in Hungary between the 1991 and 2001 censuses (up 30.6%). On November 7, 2005, the Parliament decided that Érd would be granted the rank of city with county rights from the next council election in autumn 2006.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Érd (designed by the local sculptor Emil Eőry and librarian Lajos Horváth in mid-1991) is a shield, rectangular with a conical base and a cut in the optical bisector. In the upper field of gold is a green tree with a black outline and an open, three-branched lily crown set in a five-armed canopy, the lilies of which have three petals each, making a total of nine.

The tree and the crown refer to the name of the Árpád-period forest of Érd and the royal forest ranger. The three branches of the crown are reminiscent of the Ákos-házy Sárkány, Illésházy and Batthyány families, who were vital in the history of Érd. The nine petals of the three lily branches represent the nine districts of the present-day city.

The lower blue field shows a red dragon curved into a wheel, with a Latin gold cross in its looping tail. It refers to the fact that the members of the Sárkány family were the soldiers of an Order founded by King Sigismund. The gold field symbolises value, ideals and harmony, while the blue represents the Danube.

Transport

Mass transit is operated by Volánbusz, with five bus lines. Many buses depart to nearby cities, such as Sóskút, Pusztazámor, Százhalombatta, and Budapest.

In the city, there are five railway stations (Érd, Érd alsó, Érd felső, Tétényliget, and Érdliget). Passengers can travel to Budapest, Pécs, Nagykanizsa, etc.

Tourist sights

Demographics

Population by nationalities:

Population by denominations:

Politics

The current mayor of Érd is László Csőzik (Independent).

The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 18 members (one mayor, 12 individual constituencies MEPs and five Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:[3]

PartySeatsCurrent Municipal Assembly
 Opposition coalition11M          
 Fidesz-KDNP-Unity6           
 V.É.D. 1           

List of mayors

List of city mayors from 1990:[4]

MemberPartyTerm of office
Béla HarmatMDF-KDNP1990–2002
Independent
Béla DöcsakovszkyMSZP-SZDSZ2002–2006
András T. MészárosFidesz-KDNP2006–2019
László CsőzikMSZP2019–2024
Independent2024–

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Hungary. Érd is twinned with:[5]

References

  1. http://www.ksh.hu/apps/hntr.telepules?p_lang=EN&p_id=30988 Érd, KSH
  2. Book: Sinor, Denis . History of Hungary . 1976 . Greenwood Press . 0-8371-9024-X . Westport, Conn. . 160 . 2372826.
  3. Web site: Városi közgyűlés tagjai 2019-2024 - Érd (Pest megye). valasztas.hu. 2019-10-29.
  4. Web site: Érd Város Önkormányzati Képviselő-testületei a rendszerváltozás óta. sulinet.hu. 2019-11-03.
  5. Web site: Testvérvárosaink. erd.hu. Érd. hu. 2020-11-10.
  6. Web site: Partnerská města. Město Kolín. cs. 2022-09-27.
Notes

External links