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István Örkény

István Örkény was a Hungarian writer. A typical feature of his plays and novels is satiric view and creation of grotesque situations.- Life :...

, the writer, click the link.

Örkény is a small town in Pest county

Pest (county)

Ethnic groups :*Magyars - 93.5%*Germans - 1.7%*Roma - 1.2%*Slovaks - 0.8%*Others - 0.5%*Unknown - 2.3%Religions :*Roman Catholic - 53%*Calvinist - 16%*Lutheran - 3.8%*Greek Catholic - 1.2%*Others - 1.3%...

, Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, 50 km (31 mi) south of Budapest

Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...

.

History

The mediaeval village was formed beside the ancient Pest-Constantinople highway. Today this is one of the most important roads of Hungary (Route 5). Örkény appeared in the royal charters in the 15th century under the name Ewrkyn or Ewrken (the origin of the name is uncertain).

The village was destroyed in the early days of the Ottoman rule

Ottoman wars in Europe

The wars of the Ottoman Empire in Europe are also sometimes referred to as the Ottoman Wars or as Turkish Wars, particularly in older, European texts.- Rise :...

, and remained deserted until the 18th century because of the constant wars and looting armies.

In 1784 a new era began with colonising efforts of Prince Antal Grassalkovich who built a small manor house, and distributed parcels and lots to the new inhabitants. In 1848 the St. Leopold Church was built in elegant Neoclassical

Neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

 style (today it's a national monument). In 1888 the estate was inherited by István Pálóczi Horváth. The new owner has done a lot for the development of the village: he established the famous School of Agriculture, distributed lots to the landless peasants and planted new orchards and vineyards. The Pálóczi Horváth Mansion was built in 1893 (today it is a cultural and community centre).

In the 20th century Örkény was transformed by the rapid economical development, the mechanisation of the agriculture and the slow urbanization. This was marked in the 1980s by the building of the new primary school and the health care centre. Örkény became a town in 2005.