Soltvadkert

Soltvadkert (Former name: Vadkert; Vakier) is a city in Bács-Kiskun County, southern Hungary. The town is surrounded by several areas of the Kiskunság National Park. The mayor is Ferencz Lehoczki.

Croats in Hungary call this town Vakier (compare older Hungarian name, Vadkert).

History
The town has been called Soltvadkert since 1900. Before that, it was called Vadkert, which is a reference to the region's active wildlife in Hungary. 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 settlers 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 from all over Europe.

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. The village of Selymes located south of the town towards Kiskunhalas is administratively part of Soltvadkert.

Climate
Soltvadkert is known nationally for its long and warm summers.

Demographics
As the census of 2001 the people of Soltvadkert identified themselves as:


 * Hungarian - 98.0%
 * Romani - 0.7%
 * Mixed/Other - 1.3%

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 to a variety of grapes. The town annually produces about 250-300 thousand hl of wine.

Education
Soltvadkert is home to the Lajos Kossuth Elementary and Middle School (in Hungarian: Kossuth Lajos Általános és Művészeti Alapiskola), but does not have any high schools.

Religion
Soltvadkert belongs to those rare Hungarian towns that have a Lutheran church in the center. This is due to the high number of German immigrants in the 18th century who built the church. Freedom of religion was, however, forbidden, and 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 buildings were constructed around it. The church currently has 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 cornerstone 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. It is currently the biggest Christian denomination in town by population. The first church was built in the 18th century for Baron Lőrinc Orczy. Since 1908, a larger church has also been in use.

In 1722, seven Calvinist 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. As of the year 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 United States, reached Soltvadkert after WWI.

Soltvadkert was home to a thriving Jewish community before World War II. Almost all Soltvadkert Jews were murdered during The Holocaust; the surviving few emigrated to Budapest or left the country. Today, the Jewish cemetery remains the only sign that Jews ever lived in Soltvadkert.

Government
The city of Soltvadkert is managed by the city council. After the 2006 election, its members include:


 * László Bezsenyi, Independent, 1,423 votes, 6.07%
 * Sándor Font, FIDESZ party member, 1,970 votes, 8.41%
 * László Haskó, FIDESZ, 1,339 votes, 5.72%
 * András Kárász, FIDESZ, 1,168 votes, 4.99%
 * János Kerényi, Dr., FIDESZ, 1,505 votes, 6.42%
 * Ernő Kocsis, FIDESZ, 1,197 votes, 5.11%
 * Istvánné Korsós, FIDESZ, 961 votes, 4.10%
 * Szabolcs Lantos, FIDESZ, 1,002 votes, 4.28%
 * Ferenc Májer, FIDESZ, 957 votes, 4.08%
 * László Somogyi, FIDESZ, 1,424 votes, 6.08%
 * Ferenc Temerini, FIDESZ, 1,408 votes, 6.01%
 * Attila Udvarhelyi, Independent, 920 votes, 3.93%
 * Győző Zsikla, Independent, 963 votes, 4.11%

Tourism
Soltvadkert is one of Hungary's most visited towns. The city center has a large number of specialty shops and restaurants offering fine food. Soltvadkert offers a variety of community programs 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. The town center is also home to a nationally renowned confectionery and coffee shop.

Sports
Vadkert FC is a professional football team from Soltvadkert. They are widely known in the region and their games attract many fans. Soltvadkert is the hometown of Ágnes Szávay, who is the all-time highest ranked Hungarian tennis player.

Twin towns

 * 🇩🇪 Bodelshausen, Germany
 * 🇷🇴 Sărmășag, Romania