Soltvadkert

Soltvadkert is a city located in Bács-Kiskun county, Hungary. As of the 2001 census, the city had a total population of 7,782. The town is surrounded by several areas of the Kiskunság National Park.

History

It has been called Soltvadkert since 1900. Before that it was called Vadkert which is a reference to the region's active wildlife in Hungarian. It was founded in 1376. While Hungary was occupied by the Turkish army, Soltvadkert lost much of its population. In the beginning of the 1740s, Baron Orczy moved German and Slovakian farmers to Soltvadkert. The town has quickly developed its main center of tourism in the county.

Lake Vadkert (also called Büdös-tó), is nearby Soltvadkert. It attracts many tourists every year.

Soltvadkert is well known throughout Europe for its wine production which goes back centuries in history. Its multicultural past, present, and future mainly depends on the grape and wine industry.

Geography and environment

Soltvadkert is located at 46°34'41" North, 19°23'45" East Template:GR.

Climate

Soltvadkert is nationally known for its long and warm summers.

Economy

Soltvadkert is the center of one of the biggest wine regions in Hungary. There are grapes on over 8,000 ha in the area. Soltvadkert is home a variety of grapes. The town annually produces about 250-300 thousand hl of wine .

Education

Soltvadkert is home to the Kossuth Lajos Általános és Művészeti Alapiskola, but does not have any high schools.

Religion

Soltvadkert belongs to those rare Hungarian towns that have the Lutheran church in the middle of town. This is due to the high number of German immigrants in the 1700s who built the church. Freedom of religion was; however, not forbidden, the Roman Catholic archbishop and his servants of Kalocsa have many times destroyed the church. A new Lutheran church was built in 1837, which is still in a very good shape. During the centuries, schools, and other church-oriented building were built around it. The church has currently three bells in use. Inside the church there is a historical Rieger organ, which was installed in 1908. On the side of the church wall is a German sign which states: "Dies ist der Denckstein der evangelica Kirche in Vadkert" (This is the corner stone of the Lutheran church of Vadkert). After 40 years of persecution, the Lutheran community is still active in Soltvadkert.

The Roman Catholic Church has been represented in Soltvadkert since 1737. Currently they are the biggest Christian denomination in town by population. The first church was built in the 1700s for Baron Lőrinc Orczy, and in 1908 a bigger one has been also put in use.

In 1722 seven Presbyterian families moved to Vadkert from Germany. Others followed them in the 1740s. After years of religious persecution, they were finally allowed to build a church, which was finished at noon on September 26, 1794.

The Baptist mission started in 1891 in Soltvadkert. After 2000 there are over two hundred followers of the church.

The history of the Pentecostal church in Soltvadkert goes back to 1935. The Pentecostal movement which started in 1900 in the Unites Stated, has reached Soltvadkert after WWI.

Tourism

Soltvadkert is one of Hungary's most visited towns. Its center has a large number of specialty shops and restaurants offering fine food. Soltvadkert offers a variety of programs for every month. The nearby Lake Vadkert is visited by many people all year long. In the summer, it hosts a number of concerts and festivals.

Sports

Vadkert FC is a professinal football team from Soltvadkert. They are widely known in the region and their games attract many fans.

Sister Cities

• Bodelshausen, Germany
• Sarmasag, Romania

Members of the city council

László Berkecz: mayor

László Bezsenyi

Géza Dely

Zoltán Dobszai

Sándor Font: also member of Parliament

Erzsébet Forgó

László Haskó

János Kerényi, dr.: also member of Parliament

Imre Kévés

Ernõ Kocsis

Szabolcs Lantos

Ferenc Lehoczki

János L. Somogyi

Győző Zsikla

External links

• Official site in Hungarian