Nagykovácsi (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: ''Großkowatsch)'' is small town located in Budakeszi District, in the western part of Pest county, central

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...

. It is situated some north-west of the centre of

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, in a valley. According to the 2011 census, the population amounted to 7095, though this figure does not include individuals who own property as a secondary residence in the town. Nagykovácsi today attracts tourists and new residents alike, due to its proximity to the capital city, attractive and peaceful setting, surrounding by hills and forests. Some of the nearby areas have been designated

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

s— Budai Tájvédelmi Körzet (the "

Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...

Land Protection Area")—in order to protect several of its rare species of flora. Its location has contributed to the town's development in recent decade. The American International School of Budapest chose Nagykovácsi as the site for its new campus in 2000.

History

Archaeological findings indicate that this region has been inhabited since prehistory. Ancient objects found in the caves of the Remete ravine and along the banks of Ördög-árok indicate that people lived there during the

Ice Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...

Iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

, and

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

ages. Various tools, coins and fragments of stone statues unearthed in the area show that there were inhabitants, too, under the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. Of these stone fragments, four tombstones from ancient Rome were embedded in the wall of the local church when it was built. In medieval records, Nagykovácsi is referred to as Koachi and Kowachy. These names indicate that royal smiths ''viz.'' ironsmiths (kovács) lived in the town. The first local document still in existence, a deed of gift, dates from 1254. During the Turkish occupation in Hungary, in the middle of the 16th century, the village suffered much destruction and the population fell sharply. Once the Turks had been driven out, the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

family who reigned in Hungary invited Bavariann colonists to settle in Kovácsi (1700–1760). These newcomers were stockbreeders and farmers and also built three quarries, a coal-mine and two lime

kilns A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay into ...

, and named

Danube Swabians The Danube Swabians ( ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary in east-central Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in greater numbers in the 17 ...

from Ofener Bergland. Many of the German-speaking Danube Swabians population of the town were forcibly resettled after the Second World War and new inhabitants arrived from the Hungarian Great Plains (

Alföld The Great Hungarian Plain (also known as Alföld or Great Alföld, or ) is a plain occupying the majority of the modern territory of Hungary. It is the largest part of the wider Pannonian Plain (however, the Great Hungarian Plain was not part ...

), the parts of Upper Hungary ( Felvidék) (today in

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

), and from Budapest to take their place. The

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

in Nagykovácsi was built in first half of the 19th century by the local Teleki family. Thereafter the property passed into the hands of the Tisza family and today it is known still as the Tisza Manor. Originally the children of Hungarian foresters received regular school teaching in this well-preserved building. The idea of gathering such children into an educational establishment was gradually recognized as a worthwhile initiative throughout

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and attracted visitors from many countries. At the end of the Second World War, the manor was confiscated and from 1958 it served as an agricultural college. Ownership of the property was passed to the

Scout Movement Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including ...

in 2013. Today local townspeople make every effort to protect local sights, amongst these the statue of the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

in the church and a memorial to the fallen of both world wars.

Items of local interest

* The American International School of Budapest is situated in Nagykovácsi. * One of the rarest plants in the world, the dolomite flax ('' Linum dolomiticum''), an ancient breed of shrub, is preserved on a strictly protected plot in the hills between Nagykovácsi and the neighbouring village of Pilisszentiván. It is the only known locale for this plant.

Twin towns – sister cities

Nagykovácsi is twinned with: * Andovce, Slovakia * Bolatice, Czech Republic * Canéjan, France * Linum (Fehrbellin), Germany * Poggio Mirteto, Italy * Stupava, Slovakia

Gallery

Church in Nagykovácsi.jpg, The church in Nagykovácsi in Tisza István tér Nagykovacsi Church interior.JPG, Nagykovácsi Church interior war memorial in Nagykovácsi.jpg, War memorial in Nagykovácsi Linum-dolomiticum.jpg, Dolomite flax (''Linum dolomiticum'') Nagykovácsi légifotó.jpg, Nagykovácsi - The Manor House from above

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagykovacsi Populated places in Pest County Lime kilns in Hungary