History
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József Katona Theatre
Hungarian Art Nouveau: Cifrapalota
The first archaeological trace of a human in the area is about 5,000 years old. The Sarmatians invaded the area in the 1st Anno century BC; since then, the area has been continuously inhabited by a variety of cultures. János Hornyik, the first town historian, believed that the settlement known as Partiskum of the Sarmatian Jazygian was here. The consensus among historians is now that it is more likely that permanent settlement occurred only after the Hungarian conquest. In the rarly 13th century, there were seven villages in the area, each with a population of 200–300, which were formed near the village church, a typical rural pattern. They were all destroyed by the First Mongol invasion. Some of the villages revived at the time of colonisation by the Cumans.
As Kecskemét was at an important trading route, it grew as a customs-house and market-place; in 1368, it was identified in one of King Louis I of Hungary's charters as an oppidium (town). The town's active economic life and relatively dense population attracted more traders, craftsmen and residents, including Jews, who became an important part of the town.
During the Ottoman conquest, settlers from neighbouring villages sought shelter in Kecskemét, which was protected by defensive palisades. They also were escaping the oppression of the spahi landlords. In addition to the protection of its setting, the town of Kecskemét had arranged to pay tax directly to the pasha in Buda, thus gaining his protection and enjoying a special situation.
Kecskemét gradually absorbed the lands of those who had taken refuge in the town. Residents created a large common field for the animals that they bred. By the early 18th century, residents held nearly 30,000 cattle, which grazed on an almost 2,000-square-kilometre (770 sq mi) field.
In the late 18th century, animal breeding started to decline in economic importance, as the fields had become overgrazed and denuded. It took nearly 100 years before the region developed its next major agricultural commodity. In the 19th century, Kecskemét was already part of an important wine district, but the city increased in importance after the vine-pest destroyed most vineyards in the hilly regions. The damage was less significant in the plains, areas of loose, sandy soil. In the 1870s, landowners planted large plantations of grapevines around the town, which were the basis of the 20th-century vineyards and wine industry of the 20th century in Kecskemét. Cottage-type settlements grew up at the vineyards to house workers, a pattern still characteristic of the rural areas around the town. The growth of the wine industry stimulated those of the food industry and trade. The city is still known for its barackpálinka, an apricot brandy.
With their accumulation of capital, peasants began to adopt bourgeois customs and goods, stimulating trade in the town. Such regional wealth led to construction of new buildings, especially those surrounding Kecskemét's main square. The Art Nouveau complex is architecturally significant and had the Town Hall, the New College, the Ornamented Palace, the Luther-Palace, the House of Trade (today the House of Young), and the Gentlemen's Casino (today the Hungarian Museum of Photography).
The town's growth suffered in the 1929–1933 economic world crisis and Great Depression, followed by the upheaval and the destruction of the Second World War. During the war and especially May–June 1944, Hungarian authorities rounded up and deported most of the Jews, who had been an important part of Kecskemét's thriving culture and trade, from the city to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where most of thenm were killed. After 1945, the new communist government, which was strongly influenced by the Soviet Union, imposed a different social-political system. Kecskemét's development slowed. The reorganisation in local government made Kecskemét lose much of its territory. Several new independent villages were formed in the area and were economically connected to the city .
In 1950, for the first time, Kecskemét took on a significant political administrative role, as it was made seat of, Bács-Kiskun County, the country's largest. In the special system of the so-called controlled economy under the communist regime, the status provided political and financial advantages, which greatly helped the city continue its growth. The architect József Kerényi (1900–1975) adapted and renovated several historic buildings for other uses and helped keep the varied historical character of the city alive. For instance, in the early 1970s, he renovated the early-18th-century Franciscan monastery for use as the Zoltán Kodály Conservatory, which opened for classes in 1975.Crucifix in the centre of Kecskemét—51.4% of the city's population are Christians
The Hungarian Association of Photographers formed the Hungarian Photography Foundation in 1990. It alos helped raise funds for the restoration of an 18th-century building in Kecskemét; last used as an Orthodox synagogue, it was adapted for the Hungarian Museum of Photography (Magyar Fotográfiai Múzeum), which opened in 1991. The museum holds work by Hungarian and other photographers of international and national reputations. It collects especially Hungarian photographers who successfully worked abroad.
On 18 June 2008, the German car manufacturer Daimler announced that it would build a Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant in Kecskemét and planned to invest €800 million (US$1.24 billion). The plant is one of largest, if not the largest, ever in the region and employs 2,500 people.
