Budafok Explained

Budafok
Settlement Type:Neighbourhood in Budapest
Motto:Hungarian: Kisváros a nagyvárosban (Small City in the Big City)
Named For:Hungarian: Buda-fok (Buda cape)
Pushpin Map:Budapest
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Budapest
Coordinates:47.42°N 19.0283°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Hungary
Subdivision Type2:Region
Subdivision Name2:Central Hungary
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3:Budapest
Subdivision Type4:District
Subdivision Name4:XXII. Budafok-Tétény
Established Title:Established
Established Date: (Promontor)
Established Title2:Gaining current name
Established Title3:Becoming a city
Established Title4:Becoming part of Budapest
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Ferenc Karsay
Leader Party:Fidesz-KDNP
Unit Pref:Metric
Postal Code Type:Postal code(s)
Postal Code:1221-1223
Population As Of:2012 [1]
Population:26782
Population Density Km2:2831
Demographics Type1:Ethnicity (estimated)
Demographics1 Title1:Hungarian
Demographics1 Info1:93.7%
Demographics1 Title2:German
Demographics1 Info2:1.5%
Demographics1 Title3:Romani
Demographics1 Info3:0.4%
Area Total Km2:11.35
Area Land Km2:9.46
Area Water Km2:1.89
Area Footnotes:[2]
Elevation M:106
Elevation Footnotes:[3]

Budafok (Latin: Promontor; literally "Promontory near Buda, or Buda Point") is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. It is situated in the southwestern part of Buda, near the Danube, and belongs to District XXII. Budafok was an independent municipality before 1950. The village was known for wine and champagne making. Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736) constructed a palace between its vineyards, the Promontor palace.

Name

Budafok was for many years known as ‘Promontor’ from the Latin Promontorium, meaning headland, but in 1886, the name was changed to its Hungarian equivalent, Budafok, meaning ‘Buda cape’. In 1950 Budafok was merged into Budapest together with Nagytétény and Budatétény, forming Budapest’s district XXII. Budafok-Tétény is the official name of the district which covers 43 square kilometers and contains Budafok proper.

Location

The borders of Budafok are: Ringló út from Horogszegi határsor - Méhész utca - railway line towards Érd - Hosszúréti patak - the Danube (including the islands) - Háros utca - Vöröskúti határsor - Horogszegi határsor.

History

Historically, Budafok was ideal for wine production because of the Tétényi plateau and its slopes along the Danube. Budafok was home to what used to be the most important vineyard of the greater Budapest area as well as Central Hungary. In 1880, with increasing commercial wine production underway, a union of wine producing and bottling industries created a cellar network hollowed out of the limestone beneath Budafok. The cellar system, 25 kilometers in length and the largest in all of Europe, is still extant today. As such, Budafok is commonly referred to as "Cellar Town". Today, there is still a huge wine-cellar system with hundred-year old casks; among them the second largest cask in Hungary. The leading historical oenological site in Budafok is the wine cellars of József Törley & Co which can still be visited. Other wine producers still operating there are Hungarovin Rt, Promontorvin Rt and Budafokvin Kft.In 1899, Budafok was electrified by the Tiszántúli Áramszolgáltató Rt. (East-Hungarian Power Supply Company Ltd.).

Sister cities

Notable people

Landmarks

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Központi Statisztikai Hivatal. 2012.
  2. Estimated using Google Earth
  3. Web site: Topographic Map. 2023.
  4. Web site: hu. Twin cities. Testvérvárosok. Budafok-Tétény. 2023.