During the Socialist era of Hungary the northern parts of the country were developed into an important industrial zone. According to this the government decided to have a university founded in Miskolc, the largest city of the area. The construction began in 1950. The University of Miskolc bore the name of Communist dictator Mátyás Rákosi at that time. In 1952 the metallurgy faculty moved from Sopron to Miskolc, and the mining faculty was divided between the two cities until 1957, when this faculty moved to Miskolc too. The faculties that stayed in Sopron formed the University of Forestry, which later became a part of today's University of West Hungary.