Százhalombatta nowadays means to be a young city in common parlance. It was given a town rank in 1970 but the territory filled an important part in the geographical history four thousand years ago.
Significant economic and lifestyle changes became in the early Carpathian basin Bronze Age (2200-1800 B.C.). In the territory of Százhalombatta 4-5 little settlements appeared in that time and the favourable conditions allowed a steady, peaceful economic, social and political development lasted for more than 100 years.
In the era of the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age (800-400 B.C.) the salt became the second wanted mineral beside the iron. The ironworking spread during the time of the Hallstatt culture (named after for the determinative commercial and cultural centre of the era) in Europe, which revolutionized the ethnical groups living here.
In the late Bronze Age (400 B.C. to the Roman conquest) Celtic tribes appeared in Százhalombatta, they put their regional centre in the existing earthwork. We can thank to them the potter's wheel and the primitive money circulation.
After the failure of the Roman Empire, during the migration the local population decreased, the people lived peasant farming lives. According to archaeological records three or four little settlements was identified: Százhalom was found at the territory of the present-day Old-Town, another village was found next to the River Benta, and the village of Báté was established around the former Roman camp, where the church of the town and the founder family crypt was excavated. During the Turkish destruction Báté depopulated and it didn’t fill with people again until the 20th centuries. However, Százhalom was living on and during the 1690s it was inhabited by Orthodox Serbians. In the life of the town a new period began.
The building of the first industrial institution, the brick-factory (built in 1893) and the creation of the railway-system (1911) caused significant changes. The opportunities of employment increased, the trade and industry boomed, services became better. The oppressive economic crisis and political tyranny after the World War II started to ease up during the 1960s. More and more buildings were built, a new town was started to build from the little fishing village with youths, hope and new pep.
It is clearly perceptible from the above that this “young” town is not so young, but its past, present and hopefully its future show the most dynamical developments.
Százhalombatta is now a modern, European city, where life is enjoyable!
