Rajka: The “Hungarian suburb” of Bratislava

Abstract

Rajka is a village in Northwest Hungary with a special geographical location: it is situated only twenty kilometres from Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. In the past decade, Rajka’s population and appearance went through significant changes. The village became practically a suburb of Bratislava within a few short years. Its population doubled, and 60% of its residents are of Slovakian nationality now. This settlement, located 180 kilometres from Budapest, is an excellent example of the phenomenon of cross-border suburbanisation, an urban population migrating from a city to a surrounding rural area – even if it is in another country.

Rajka has 2,000 indigenous and as many as 3,000 immigrant inhabitants. The majority of the immigrants are Slovakian citizens who do not participate much in community life. The two populations have entirely different lifestyles, and there is an interactional gap between the “old Rajka” natives and the newcomers although for some Hungarian is their mother tongue.

The new inhabitants live in a total of 500 properties. Two-thirds of them found homes in new residential estates east of the village and many moved into the old streets as part of a mosaic-like pattern of coexistence. The changes in Rajka meant the disappearing of a rural milieu. The better financial background of the new residents is an important reason: Often they would buy the natives out of their properties, frequently bidding much higher than market prices. As a consequence, real-estate prices in Rajka rose quickly, doubling within a few years.

The newcomers are also changing the architectural character of the village by building new structures. Or they move into remodelled houses in the old part of Rajka. Many streets are now inhabited by mixed populations. Residents (old and new) who would like to preserve the rural touch of Rajka face a difficult decision: If building zones are not expanded the locals will move away and be replaced by newcomers from Bratislava. However, assigning new building plots will accelerate population growth.

Besides investigating social changes, this paper focuses on the ethnic ancestry and geographical origins of the immigrants, often manifested in new linguistic and social patterns. Researching the specifics of significant changes in the architectural character of Rajka is another important element of the study.