Kispest (lit. Little Pest) is the 19th (XIX) district of Budapest, Hungary. It lies to the south-southeast of the historical Pest city. It was founded in 1871 on rural land as a small village beside the city limits of Budapest, so it was named Kispest (Little Pest). From 1880 to 1990 Kispest's population increased from 1820 to 72,838. Kispest became part of Greater Budapest in 1950. The huge panel Kispesti lakótelep (Kispest microdistrict) was built in the 1980s (12,100 flats, c. 33,000 inhabitants, so it's the 6th biggest housing estate/microraion in Budapest). The district is served by the Metro 3 (Kőbánya-Kispest and Határ út stations), so the connection with the Downtown is rapid. Kispest's Határ út metro station is the third busiest in the city (after Deák Square and Örs vezér tere) with an estimated 40,000 passengers using it (often twice) on a typical workday.
Ferenc Puskás played football for Kispest F.C. (then called Kispest Honvéd FC) in the 1950s.
When the Soviet tanks and troops re-entered Budapest to subdue the civil uprising in October/November 1956, they approached the city centre from the south-east, up the Üllői Avenue, with some of the first street clashes taking place in Kispest.
Kispest is graced by an elegant residential area called Wekerle (named after the Hungarian premier at the time of the development in the 1920s, Sándor Wekerle). This kilometer square of quiet criss-crossing streets has much greenery, it's centre-piece is the park-landscaped Kos Károly square with its two characteristic architectural gateways (designed by Károly Kós and based on Transylvanian building styles). In the south corner of the square is the "Barátok Közt" house, a building well-known to fans of Hungary's most watched soap opera. In May every year an event called Wekerle Napok takes place. This involves a fun-run and cycling events for all ages, a fun-fair, concerts, films and various other cultural and family oriented events.
Perhaps the prettiest church in Kispest is the Catholic Church of Saint Mary of the Assumption, located in Kispest town square.
Read more about Kispest: Gallery