Perhaps Anonymus knew something when he first mentioned Soroksár as Surucsar. Today we know it as Budapest XXIII. kerülete. It is Budapest’s youngest district. Soroksár became a district in 1994. It separated from Budapest XX. kerület.
Did you know Soroksár’s area matches the large village of Soroksár? It was connected to Greater Budapest in 1950. Soroksár lies on the Pesti plain. The Ráckevei-Danube flows west of the settlement. Locals call it the Soroksári-Danube. The regulated Gyáli stream flows into the Danube. It is unfortunately polluted.
Let’s journey back. Soroksár was first mentioned as Surucsar by Anonymus. The settlement was destroyed under Ottoman rule. From 1661 the Wathay family owned it. Pál Wathay I was deputy lieutenant of Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun county. His son János Wattay was the county’s first Kuruc lieutenant. German residents began settling in 1724. From 1731, Antal Grassalkovich acquired it. He was a Habsburg official. He used unique methods. Many challenged Grassalkovich’s property rights. Settlement was slow at first.
At that time the area was called Soroksár-Puszta. Grassalkovich drained the marshes. Excellent farmlands emerged. Rye production on Molnár Island was important. It boosted the area’s economy. Soroksár became a village in the mid-18th century. Maria Theresa granted it market rights. It became a market town. The first postmaster was Lipót Sartóry. He was born near Sári.
In the late 19th century Soroksár was a large village. It belonged to Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun county. It had 1366 houses and 12143 residents in 1891. This included 4410 Hungarians and 7120 Germans. Only 160 Slovaks lived here. Its proximity to Budapest helped develop lively trade. Erzsébetfalva and Kossuthfalva belonged to Soroksár. So did the Gubacsi puszta.
After World War II many Soroksár Germans were deported. A total of 3898 people were deported. They were transported in cattle wagons. Most went to the German Democratic Republic. Some went to parts of the Soviet Union. They were told they were going for “a little work”. This was based on decisions of the great powers.
Since January 1 1950 Soroksár is part of Budapest. It was a smaller part of the XX. district next to Pestszenterzsébet. The Grassalkovich road overpass was built between 1974 and 1976. It crosses the HÉV tracks. This is at the Haraszti road and Templom street branch. The Ócsai road overpass was built earlier. This was between 1972 and 1974. It crosses the 150 railway line. The Grassalkovich road was widened by 1979. It had two traffic lanes in each direction. It was a continuation of Helsinki Road.
Local patriots initiated a referendum. It was held on September 27 1992. The decision was made for an independent Soroksár. The XXIII. district elected its first representatives. This happened on December 11 1994.
Molnár Island is in the Soroksári-Danube branch. Soroksár borders it to the east. Csepel and Csepel Island border it to the west. The island belonged to Soroksár and Pesterzsébet for a time. It strongly contributed to economic development. This was for Soroksár and Soroksár-Puszta.
Molnár Island is named after 50 watermills. They stood on the Danube. They ground Soroksár rye into flour. The island’s low location caused floods. The Danube flooded Molnár Island at least once a year. The people of Soroksár transported their rye bread by boat to the capital.
Today Soroksár is a vibrant part of Budapest. It remembers its rich past. It embraces its bright future.