Pesterzsébet is situated on the bank of the Small-Danube. The traces of the first settlement date back to the early Bronze age proving the presence of the Celts here (2nd and 1st century B.C.). Later the Avars settled down here and scattered findings from the period of the Hungarian conquest were also found here. In 1067 the foundation document of the monastery of Század mentioned a village called Gubacs. The founders wished to name their village after Queen Elizabeth, which was accepted by the royal family and Queen Elizabeth even provided financial help to the new settlement. Later it was united with another significant settlement called Kossuthfalva, the name of which was approved by Lajos Kossuth himself. This village was formed as a result of the sales of plots in the neighbourhood. The local council of Erzsébetfalva was established, based on public contributions, on the corner of the present-day Kossuth and Széchenyi streets in 1882. On 13 April 1897 Erzsébetfalva was declared to be a large village. The new village hall was completed by summer 1906 in art nouveau style according to the plans by Ármin Hegedűs and Henrik Bőhm. The statue of Kossuth by János Horvay and Richárd Fügedy in front of the town hall was erected in 1909, based on public contributions. The dedication ceremony was attended by Kossuth's son, Ferenc Kossuth. In the present-day St. Elizabeth square, on the site of the former market place the St. Elizabeth parish church was built in neo-Gothic style, in the first decade of the 20th century. The frescoes were painted later, from 1937 by Sándor Nagy, a painter from the colony of artists from Gödöllő. On 1 January 1924 Pesterzsébet became a town. On 1 January 1950 it was united with Soroksár and became the 20th district of Budapest. On 1 January 1995 Soroksár became independent as the 23rd district of Budapest. The square in front of the renewed town hall with the pedestrian street called "KOSUTI" by the locals, is a favourite meeting place. You can find the statue of Queen Elizabeth and that of Sándor Petőfi here, as well as a fountain, a playground and in summer you can enjoy promenade concerts here on Fridays. A bit farther away, at Széchenyi street, you can see the bust of "the greatest Hungarian", István Széchenyi. In St. Elizabeth square you can see the renewed St. Elizabeth parish church. In the beautiful park in front of it a memorial stone of Queen Elizabeth was placed and in 1933 a statue by Károly Kaszab was erected here called "the Statue of Mothers", which is the first statue in the world with this theme, supported by the contributions of the members of the Red Cross. Another important monument is the statue and relief of St. Elizabeth of the House of Árpád in front of the entrance of the church. The Square of Commemoration has been established in the past years. A wooden headboard commemorates the victims of the revolution of 1956 and a statue of the heroes of World Wars I and II and of the civil victims of the bombings was erected in the nice park in 2004. The old houses and the public buildings are restored and maintained regularly. The external and internal restoration of the 80-year-old Csili Community Centre and of the former Bocsák villa - the present-day Museum of Pesterzsébet - has been finished recently. These two institutions and the Imre Gaál Gallery play an important role in the cultural life of the district. A new exhibition hall presenting the works and career of painter Endre Rátkay is to be opened in Klapka street in March 2006. The Ice Hall of Pesterzsébet is also to be opened in 2006, in Zodony street. It will host international competitions, as well.