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Gyor
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Gyor (; , names in other languages) is the most important city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Gyor-Moson-Sopron county and lies on one of the important roads of Central Europe, halfway between Budapest and Vienna. The city is the sixth largest in Hungary and one of the seven main regional centres of the country.
area has been inhabited since the ancient times. The first large settlement dates back to the 5th century BCE, its inhabitants were Celts.
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Encyclopedia
Gyor (; , names in other languages) is the most important city of northwest Hungary, the capital of Gyor-Moson-Sopron county and lies on one of the important roads of Central Europe, halfway between Budapest and Vienna. The city is the sixth largest in Hungary and one of the seven main regional centres of the country.
History
The area has been inhabited since the ancient times. The first large settlement dates back to the 5th century BCE, its inhabitants were Celts. They named the town Arrabona, a name that was used for eight centuries and its shortened form is still used as the German (Raab) and Slovak (Ráb) name of the city.
Roman merchants moved to Arrabona during the 1st century BCE, and around 10 CE the Roman army occupied the northern part of Western Hungary which they called Pannonia. Although the Roman Empire abandoned the area in the 4th century due to constant attacks of the tribes living east from the area, the town remained inhabited.
Around 500 the territory was settled by Slavs, in 547 by the Lombards, in 568-c.800 by the Avars, then under Frankish and Slavic influence, then between 880 and 894 it was part of Great Moravia, and then shortly under East Frankish influence.
The Magyars occupied the town around 900 and fortified the abandoned Roman fortress. Stephen I, the first king of Hungary founded an episcopate there. The town received its Hungarian name Gyor. The Hungarians lived in tents, later in cottages, in the area, which is now the southeastern part of the city centre. The town was affected by all the trials and tribulations of the history of Hungary; it was occupied by Mongols during the Mongol invasion of Hungary (1241–1242) and was destroyed then by the Czech army in 1271.
After the desastrous battle of Mohács, Tamás Nádasdy and Baron György Cseszneky occupied the town for King Ferdinand I while John Zápolya also was attempting to take it up. During the Ottoman occupation of present-day Hungary (1541 - late 17th century), Gyor's commander Kristóf Lamberg thought it would be futile to try to defend the town from the Turkish army, and he burnt the whole town instead; the Turkish found nothing but blackened ruins, hence the Turkish name for Gyor, Yanik kale ("burnt city").
The town has been rebuilt and surrounded with a castle and a city wall, designed by the leading Italian builders of the era. The town changed a lot during these years, with lots of new buildings built in Renaissance style but the main square and the grid of streets remained.
In 1594, after the death of Baron János Cseszneky, captain of Hungarian foot-soldiers, the Turkish army occupied the castle and the town, but in 1598 the Hungarian and Austrian army managed to occupy it again.
In 1683, Turks returned briefly, only to leave again after being defeated in the Battle of Vienna.
The town became prosperous during the following centuries. In 1743 Gyor was elevated to free royal town status by Maria Theresa. Many religious orders (Jesuites, Carmelites) settled in the town and they built schools, churches, a hospital and a monastery.
Napoleon occupied the castle and had some of its walls blown up. The leaders of the town soon realized that the old ramparts weren't useful any more. Most of the ramparts were destroyed and thus the town could expand.
In mid-1800s, Gyor's role in trade grew as the steamship traffic on the river Danube began, but the town lost its importance in trade when the railway line between Budapest and Kanizsa was built in 1861. The town leaders compensated for this loss with industrialization. The town prospered till World War II, but during the war several buildings were destroyed.
The Jewish population (12.6% of the town according to the 1910 census) were ordered to move to the ghetto on May 13, 1944. Two trains carried the Jews of the town and the neighboring villages to Auschwitz on June 11 and on June 14. Together, 5,635 people were deported on these two days. Some exempted Jews were left behind, but they were massacred on March 26, 1945, just hours before liberation.
The 1950s and 60s brought even more change, only big block houses were built, and the old historical buildings weren't given care or attention. In the 1970s the reconstruction of the city centre began, old buildings were restored and reconstructed. In 1989 Gyor won the European award for monument protection.
Gyor has an enchanting centre and beautiful Baroque buildings. The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, Rába, and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Gyor’s bishops (5/A Káptalan Hill), can be easily recognised by its incomplete tower. Gyor’s oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the 15th-century Gothic Dóczy Chapel. The Bishop’s Cathedral ranks as a ‘basilica minor’ (Apor Vilmos püspök Square).
A 100 year old Raba factory close to the historical downtown and by the river Danube will be replaced by a new development master-planned community called Városrét. The mixed-use community will have residential and commercial space as well as schools, clinics and parks.
Today Gyor is one of the most important administrative and cultural centres of Hungary. The city is also a university town and a popular tourist destination.
Tourist sights
Industry
People
Sports
Gyor is the home of the well known Gyori ETO Sport Club which have many sport divisions. The most popular sport in the city is handball. The Gyori ETO KC is the number one team in women's handball in Hungary. Gyori ETO FC has an illustrious history in Hungarian football (soccer).
Gallery
Twin towns
Gyor is twinned with:
External links
- (Hungarian, English and German)
- * (in Hungarian)
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