Százhalombatta (; hr, Bata; la, Matrica; sr, Бата, Bata) is a town in Pest County,

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

. The name of this town in Hungarian literally means "One hundred tumuli" referring to the

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...

field at the edge of the town.

History

Groups of people had already settled in this area four thousand years ago in the

Neolithic Age The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

. On the plateau stretching over the River

Danube 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 ...

in the Old Town, the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

population built an earthwork, the defence of which was ensured by the river in the northeast, the deep valley in the south and by a rampart in the west. The interior of the earthwork was inhabited for almost six hundred years. The layers of the settlements deposited on one another now amount to a depth of up to six meters. This tell settlement is now called

Százhalombatta-Földvár The Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age site of Százhalombatta-Földvár is situated on the right bank of the Danube, near the town of Százhalombatta, 30 km south of Budapest in Hungary. It is one of the largest temperate Tell (archaeology), tell ...

. Excavation and management of the site is by the Matrica Museum as part of an international project on Bronze Age Europe. In the 7th-6th centuries BC it was the eastern branch of the

Hallstatt culture The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western Europe, Western and Central European Archaeological culture, culture of Late Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age (Hallstatt A, Hallstatt B) from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe ...

that appeared in the region. Significant people from the culture's population are buried in the tumulus graveyard. The six-hectare territory presently functions as an archeological park, also part of the Matrica Museum. It is in this prehistoric open-air museum that a 2,700-year-old tumulus was excavated, reconstructed and inaugurated in April 1998 by the

President of Hungary The president of Hungary, officially the president of the republicUnder the Basic Law, adopted in 2011, the official name of the state is simply Hungary; Before, the state was called the Republic of Hungary. However, the office is nonetheles ...

. In the tumulus, the remains of a crypt can be viewed accompanied by a multimedia presentation of the funeral rite and beliefs of the era.

Transport

Százhalombatta is served by one main railway station. Regular services run to and from the station into the centre of

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 ...

and the East of

. There are also regular bus services to and from the capital taking approximately 45 minutes to reach the centre. Given the town's location on the

, boat services also link the town to the capital.

Local facilities

The town has its own sports centre boasting 6 outdoor clay tennis courts, 4 hardcourts, a full 400 metre track and field facility, indoor basketball/handball court, gym and football pitch. Located next to the sports centre is the "Százhalombatta Strand" which is popular attraction to both locals and visitors in the summer months. The Strand hosts one olympic sized swimming pool, two children's pool, one large leisure pool with water fountains and slides and a warm heated jacuzzi therapeutic pool. Százhalombatta has a bustling social life, with an array of shops, supermarkets, bars and clubs spread throughout the town. The centrepiece of the city is large church designed by prominent architect

Imre Makovecz Imre Makovecz (November 20, 1935 – September 27, 2011) was a Hungarian architect active in Europe from the late 1950s onward. Makovecz was born and died in Budapest. He attended the Technical University of Budapest. He was founder and "eter ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Százhalombatta is twinned with: *

Brzesko Brzesko (; yi, בריגעל, ''Brigel'') is a town in southern Poland, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It lies approximately west of Tarnów and east of the regional capital Kraków. Since Polish administrative reorganization (in 1999), Brzesko ...

, Poland *

Sannazzaro de' Burgondi Sannazzaro de' Burgondi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 45 km southwest of Milan and about 20 km southwest of Pavia, in Lomellina, on the Agogna River. Sannazzaro de' ...

, Italy *

Sovata Sovata (; hu, Szováta; Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a town in Mureș County, Transylvania, Romania. Three villages are administered by the town: Căpeți (''Kopac''), Ilieși (''Illyésmező''), and Săcădat (''Szakadát''). In 2004, the vill ...

, Romania

References

External links

*
Street map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szazhalombatta Populated places in Pest County Socialist planned cities Planned cities in Hungary Serb communities in Hungary