Csepel

For the defunct Hungarian automaker see: Csepel (automobile)

Csepel (German: Tschepele) is the 21st district and a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary. Csepel officially became part of Budapest on 1 January 1950.

Location

Csepel is located at the northern end of Csepel Island in the Danube, and covers one tenth of the island's area. Being on an island, it is the only complete district of Budapest which is neither in Pest nor in Buda. It has approximately 85,000 inhabitants.

Csepel is most easily accessed from central Budapest by the Csepel HÉV. Bridges connect Csepel to southern parts of Pest, Ferencváros and Pesterzsébet, and a ferry links Csepel to Soroksár.

Name

The village and the island were named after the area's first comes (Hungarian: ispán) of the area, Csepel. The German and Serbo-Croat names are derived from the older Hungarian one.

History

Csepel (automobile)

Csepel is a Hungarian manufacturer of trucks for industrial use.

History

In 1944 the Steyr 380 truck was designed in Austria, licensing Csepel lorries and engines. Production of the MÁVAG and the RÁBA lorries stopped after nationalization in 1946. In 1947 Hungary bought the licence for the Steyr 380 lorry, D413 and D613 engines from the USSR. At this time the Soviets occupied the Eastern part of Austria.

In 1949 an automobile factory was established in the NIK (Nehéz Ipari Központ—en: Heavy Industry Center) at the earlier Dunai Repülőgépgyár—en: Danube Aircraft Factory place at Szigethalom. The first Csepel (NIK) engine was ready on 7 November.

The first director of the factory was Ferencné Bíró. She was a mechanical engineer and had studied in Moscow, sister-in-law of Mátyás Rákosi.

The first 3 Csepel D-350 was ready on 3 April 1950. The D350 and B350 types were produced between 1950 and 1958. The B-130 4x4 rover pickup lorry began production in 1949. The prototypes were made in Győr and Ikarus. It won a lorry race in Poland in 1950.