Meet the PlaceCRAFT Regions l Szigetzug - Hungary

A PlaceCRAFT series introducing the five pilot regions and the activities taking place within them.

Across the Danube Region, PlaceCRAFT works with five pilot communities, each shaped by its own history, culture and challenges. In this series, we take a closer look at these places: their landscapes, communities and heritage, and the range of activities, from workshops to cultural and touristic initiatives, being carried out to support their revitalization.

Szigetzug Microregion - Hungary

About the Region

Szigetzug is a cluster of small villages at the southern tip of Csepel Island, around 50 km south of Budapest, where the Danube splits into two branches. The landscape between them has been shaped over centuries by farming, flooding, and the coexistence of diverse cultural communities.

Hungarian, Swabian, and Serbian populations have lived side by side in the area for generations, each shaping the identity of individual settlements. Ráckeve is known for its 16th-century Serbian Orthodox church and the Baroque Savoy Castle. Szigetbecse hosts the André Kertész Memorial Museum. Lórév preserves living Serbian traditions, while Szigetszentmárton and Szigetbecse reflect strong Swabian heritage.

Today, Szigetzug combines rural landscapes, cycling routes, river beaches, and seasonal tourism, forming a living cultural and natural environment shaped by both tradition and contemporary use.

The Pilot Focus

The PlaceCRAFT pilot in Szigetzug focuses on three priorities: developing sustainable activities along the Danube riverbank, strengthening a rural identity rooted in the region's multicultural heritage, and engaging young people in local cultural life.

The pilot follows a placemaking approach, bringing together a range of community-based formats, including participatory workshops, community and cultural events, placemaking events, and an artist residency linked to the process. Depending on local needs and implementation phases, activities may also include collaborative building camps. Together, these formats are designed to strengthen connections between settlements and the communities living in them.

The pilot builds on the DANUrB and DANUrB+ networks already active in the region.