Hajógyári Island (Shipyard Island, for the shipyard companies that once operated there) or Óbudai-sziget (Óbuda Island, or Island of Old Buda) is the largest
Danubian
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
. Located in District III, it is a popular recreational area, year round. It is the home of the international
Sziget Festival
The Sziget Festival ( hu, Sziget Fesztivál, ; "Sziget" for "Island") is one of the largest Music festival, music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in northern Budapest, Hungary, on Óbuda Island, Óbudai-sziget ("Old Bu ...
every August.
Location and geography
Hajógyári was created from the debris carried by the
Danube River
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
. It was originally a reef island made up of two adjoining land masses. The coast of Óbuda lies between the 1651 kilometer and 1654 kilometer river markers. It has an area of 108
hectare
The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre is a ...
s, a length of 2750 meters, and a maximum width of 500 meters, which is directly in line with the 1653 kilometer river marker. Obuda Island is separated by a 70- to 80-meter wide branch of the Danube. Not far from the northern end of the
Újpest railway bridge, the southern end of the
Árpád Bridge
Árpád Bridge or Árpád híd is a bridge in Budapest, Hungary, connecting northern Buda (Óbuda) and Pest across the Danube.
Until the inauguration of Megyeri Bridge in 2008, it was the longest bridge in Hungary, spanning about 2 km ( ...
connects Buda and Pest.
History
Early period
Originally known as
Aquincum
Aquincum (, ) was an ancient city, situated on the northeastern borders of the province of Pannonia within the Roman Empire. The ruins of the city can be found today in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. It is believed that Marcus Aurelius w ...
, by AD 89 it was home to a
Roman legion
The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period of ...
of 6,000 men. A city grew around their fortress and became the capital of
Pannonia Inferior
Pannonia Inferior, lit. Lower Pannonia, was a province of the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sirmium. It was one of the border provinces on the Danube. It was formed in the year 103 AD by Emperor Trajan who divided the former province of Pannonia ...
in 106. By the end of the 2nd century, the population had reached 40,000. After 409, the Romans abandoned the area. A thousand years later, in the time of King
Matthias Corvinus
Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several mi ...
, it was a wooded hunting preserve, although many Romans ruins remained (and can still be seen there). In the 17th century, ownership passed to the
Zichy family
The House of Zichy (of Zich and Vásonykő) is the name of a Hungarian people, Magyar family of the Hungarian nobility, conspicuous in History of Hungary, Hungarian history from the latter part of the 13th century onwards.
Brief history of the Zic ...
.
19th century
![Hajógyári sziget fa2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Haj%C3%B3gy%C3%A1ri_sziget_fa2.jpg)
Its importance grew again in the 19th century, when Count
István Széchenyi
Count István Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék ( hu, sárvár-felsővidéki gróf Széchenyi István, ; archaically English: Stephen Széchenyi; 21 September 1791 – 8 April 1860) was a Hungarian politician, political theorist, and wri ...
established the Óbuda Shipyard. The first ship made there was launched in 1836 and was called the ''Árpád-steamboat''. It became the first industrial scale steamship building company in the
Habsburg Empire
The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
. Roman perimeter walls were first found in 1836 when the Otter Bay dredge deepened the shipyard.
Twenty-eight hectares (69 acres) of the island's area was occupied by the shipyard. The remainder of the island was converted to agricultural use. For a long time, access to the island was by ferry only. A pedestrian bridge was later constructed, and the first permanent bridge was built in 1858.
20th century
Around the 1900s Hajógyári was called the "Big Island". It got the nickname ''Shipyard Island'' because it was once the southern end of the
Óbuda Shipyard. Industrial activity in these buildings ended and moved to different companies. The island's port is operated by the Yacht Club of Hungary. The former shipyard area was found at Hadrian's
Aquincum
Aquincum (, ) was an ancient city, situated on the northeastern borders of the province of Pannonia within the Roman Empire. The ruins of the city can be found today in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. It is believed that Marcus Aurelius w ...
of the Roman governor's palace, which was uncovered and presented to wait.
Carrot farms were still there as late as 1960. In 1967, the current
reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...
bridge was built. In 1973, for the centennial of the Óbuda-Pest-Buda union, "May the 9th Park" was created, requiring the use of of soil. The park contained many playgrounds, which were burned down in 1999 and replaced in 2004. The six tennis yards are currently in a state of disrepair.
Present
The island hosts the annual
Sziget Festival
The Sziget Festival ( hu, Sziget Fesztivál, ; "Sziget" for "Island") is one of the largest Music festival, music and cultural festivals in Europe. It is held every August in northern Budapest, Hungary, on Óbuda Island, Óbudai-sziget ("Old Bu ...
which has helped the island to achieve international fame. After the fall of the Communist government, there were no longer any organized camps for musicians to meet up and play, hence a music festival was proposed as a way to bridge this gap. The festival was started in 1993, originally called Diáksziget (Students' Island) and organized by Károly Gerenday and Péter Müller Sziámi .
[Funzine See You Ther]
Hajógyári Island
This first event was organized by enthusiastic music fans in their spare time and ran well over budget, taking until 1997 to repay the losses. From 1996 to 2001 it was sponsored by
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
and renamed Pepsi Sziget. It has been called Sziget Fesztivál ("island festival") since 2002.
Future
Recently, construction of a massive
Ft 400 billion (€1.5 billion) hotel and recreation complex on the island has begun. To be developed by an international consortium by 2012, the complex will be the largest of its kind in Europe. The new complex will feature a conference center capable of hosting 3,500 people; three five-star hotels and four apartment hotels; a spacious, American-style
casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
offering many different kinds of games; and an entertainment complex, including a swimming pool. The total built-in area of the complex will be 32,000 m2, which is 10% of the total area of the island.
References
External links
Hajógyári Island Events HallShipyard IslandDream Island* Mesél Óbuda földje - Károly Guckler Conservation Foundation (Budapest; 1998.)
* Kaiser Anna - Varró József: Volt egyszer egy hajógyár (Budapest, Óbuda - Local History books; 1999.)
Óbuda.lap.hu - Web Portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hajogyari Island
Geography of Budapest
River islands of Hungary
Islands of the Danube