Rákospalota

Rákospalota (literally: Castle [upon] Rákos [brook], German: Palota) is a neighbourhood in Budapest, Hungary.

The little community had very hard times in the 16th-17th centuries when Buda was under Turkish occupation, but it survived thanks to the residents' strong Calvinist religion.

In 1846 the first railway line of Hungary (Pest-Vác) reached Rákospalota, and the Forest of Palota became a popular beauty spot with restaurants and places of entertainment.

The residents of Újfalu (New Village), Benkő-telep, Kovácsi-telep and Kertváros (Garden Town) were lower-middle-class people and workers from Budapest.

Unfortunately the new M3 freeway cut into two pieces the "telep" (settlement) in the 1980s, but the leafy gardens, narrow streets and nice buildings breathe a special ambience.