Budapest has 23 "kerület" or districts, each with its own municipal government.

History

Budapest had 10 districts after coming into existence by the unification of the cities of Pest, Buda and Óbuda in 1873, numbered I to X. In the 1930s, 4 new districts were organized, numbered XI to XIV. On 1 January 1950, Budapest was amalgamated with 7 neighboring towns and 16 villages, and the number of its districts increased to 22. District IV was dissolved and the number was given to the northernmost newly merged town (Újpest), further amalgamated territories were organized as districts XV - XXII. Former district borders were also partly modified but the old numbering system is still clear on the map. In 1994, one of the former villages left district XX and the new district XXIII was born.

Arrangement of the districts

District I is a small area in central Buda (the western side), including the historic Castle. District II is in Buda again, in the northwest, and District III stretches along in the northernmost part of Buda.

To reach District IV, one must cross the Danube to find it in Pest (the eastern side), also at north. With District V, another circle begins: it is located in the absolute centre of Pest. Districts VI, VII, VIII and IX are the neighbouring areas to the east, going southwards, one after the other.

District X is another, more external circle also in Pest, while one must jump to the Buda side again to find Districts XI and XII, going northwards. No more districts remaining in Buda in this circle, we must turn our steps to Pest again to find Districts XIII, XIV, XV, XVI, XVII, XVIII, XIX and XX (mostly external city parts), almost regularly in a semi-circle, going southwards again.

District XXI is the extension of the above route over a branch of the Danube, the northern tip of a long island (Csepel-sziget) south from Budapest. District XXII is still on the same route in southwest Buda, and finally District XXIII is again in southernmost Pest, irregular only because it was part of District XX until the mid-90s.