The Great Hungarian Plain (also known as Alföld or Great Alföld, hu, Alföld or ) is a
plain
In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...
occupying the majority of the modern territory of
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. It is the largest part of the wider
Pannonian Plain
The Pannonian Basin, or Carpathian Basin, is a large basin situated in south-east Central Europe. The geomorphological term Pannonian Plain is more widely used for roughly the same region though with a somewhat different sense, with only the ...
. (However, the Great Hungarian plain was not part of the ancient Roman province
Pannonia
Pannonia (, ) was a province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia. Pannonia was located in the territory that is now wes ...
). Its territory significantly shrank due to its eastern and southern boundaries being rewritten by the new political borders created after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
when the
Treaty of Trianon
The Treaty of Trianon (french: Traité de Trianon, hu, Trianoni békeszerződés, it, Trattato del Trianon) was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference and was signed in the Grand Trianon château in ...
was signed in 1920.
Boundaries
Its boundaries are the
Carpathians
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The ...
in the north and east, the
Transdanubian Mountains __NOTOC__
The Transdanubian Mountains (sometimes also referred to as ''Bakony Forest, Dunántúl Highlands, Highlands of Dunántúl, Highlands of Transdanubia, Mountains of Dunántúl, Mountains of Transdanubia, Transdanubian Central Range, Tra ...
and the
Dinaric Alps
The Dinaric Alps (), also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and Southcentral Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herz ...
in the southwest, and approximately the
Sava
The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally th ...
river in the south.
Geography
Plain in Hungary
Its territory covers approximately of Hungary, approximately 56% of its total area of . The highest point of the plain is
Hoportyó (); the lowest point is the
Tisza
The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders.
The Tisza be ...
River. The terrain ranges from flat to rolling plains.
The most important Hungarian writers inspired by and associated with the plain are
Ferenc Móra
Ferenc Móra (19 July 1879 – 8 February 1934) was a Hungarian novelist, journalist, and museologist.
Life
Ferenc Móra was born in Kiskunfélegyháza, into a financially poor family. His father Márton Móra was a tailor, and his mother ...
and
Zsigmond Móricz
Zsigmond Móricz (; 29 June 1879, Tiszacsécse – 4 September 1942) was a major Hungarian novelist and Social Realist.
Biography
Zsigmond Móricz was born in Tiszacsécse in 1879 to Bálint Móricz and Erzsébet Pallagi. On his mother's ...
, as well as the poets
Sándor Petőfi and
Gyula Juhász.
Hungarian scientists born on the plain include
Zoltán Bay Zoltán () is a Hungarian masculine given name. The name days for this name are 8 March and 23 June in Hungary, and 7 April in Slovakia.
Zoltána is the feminine version.
Notable people
* Zoltán of Hungary
* Zoltan Bathory, guitarist of heavy ...
, physicist;
János Irinyi
János Irinyi (sometimes also spelled ''János Irínyi''; ; 18 May 1817 – 17 December 1895) was a Hungarian chemist and inventor of the noiseless and non-explosive match. He achieved this by mixing the yellow (also called white) phosphorus wi ...
, chemist, inventor of the noiseless match;
János Kabay
János or Janos may refer to:
* János, male Hungarian given name, a variant of John
Places
* Janos Municipality, a municipality of Chihuahua
** Janos, Chihuahua, town in Mexico
** Janos Biosphere Reserve, a nature reserve in Chihuahua
* Janos ...
, pharmacologist;
Gábor Kátai Gábor (sometimes written Gabor) may refer to:
* Gábor (given name)
* Gabor (surname)
* Gabor sisters, the three famous actresses, Eva, Magda and Zsa Zsa
* Several scientific terms named after Dennis Gabor
** Gabor atom
** Gabor filter, a linear f ...
, physician and pharmacist; and
Frigyes Korányi, physician and pulmonologist.
The most important river of the plain is the
Tisza
The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders.
The Tisza be ...
.
The notable cities and towns with medicinal baths are
Debrecen
Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...
,
Berekfürdő
Berekfürdő is a village in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary.
Geography
It covers an area of .
Population
It has a population of 1010 people (2015).
References
External links
Official s ...
,
Cserkeszőlő
Cserkeszőlő is a village in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary.
Cserkeszőlő is a dynamically developing bath resort in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the south part of Northern Great Plains ...
,
Gyula,
Hajdúszoboszló
Hajdúszoboszló () is a town in Hajdú-Bihar county, Hungary, southwest of county seat Debrecen. It is the third largest town in Hajdú-Bihar county.
Etymology
The name comes from a Slavic personal name Soběslav (see e.g. Soběslav, Soběsl ...
,
Orosháza
Orosháza is a city situated in the westernmost part of Békés county, Hungary, on the Békés ridge bordered by the rivers Maros and Körös. Orosháza is an important cultural, educational and recreational centre of the region.
Main sigh ...
,
Szentes and
Szolnok.
Among the cultural festivals and programmes characteristic of the region are the ' (
Csángó Festival) in
Jászberény, the ' (
Sweet Cherry
''Prunus avium'', commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry, gean, or bird cherryWorld Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition'. CRC Press; 19 April 2016. . p. 833–. is a species of cherry, a flowering plant in the rose family, ...
Festival) in
Nagykörű
Nagykörű is a village in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of central Hungary.
Location
The village is located on the right bank of River Tisza, 25 kilometres away to the northeast from Szolnok. It can be appro ...
, the ' (
Goulash Festival) in
Szolnok, the ' (Bridge Fair) in
Hortobágy National Park, the ' at
Ópusztaszer
Ópusztaszer (till 1974 Sövényháza) is a village in Csongrád county, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary. It is most known as the location of the Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park.
Geography
It covers an area of and ha ...
, the ' (Open-air Theater) in
Szeged, the ' (Castle Games) in
Gyula, the ' (Flower Carnival) in
Debrecen
Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...
and the ' (Fisherman's Soup Boiling Festival) in
Baja.
The part of the plain located in Hungary comprises the following areas:
*
Mezőföld
*
Sárrét
*
Sárköz
*
Drávamellék
*
Kiskunság
Kiskunság ("Little Cumania", la, Cumania Minor) is a historical and geographical region in Hungary situated in the current between Kalocsa and Szeged. Its territory is 2,423 km2. Like other historical European regions called Cumania, it is na ...
*
Jászság
*
Pest Plain
*
Heves Plain
*
Borsodi-Mezőség
*
Bodrogköz
*
Tiszahát
*
Szatmár Plain
*
Maros-Körös köze
*
Körös-vidék
*
Nagykunság
Nagykunság ("Greater Cumania", la, Cumania Major) is a historical and geographical region in Hungary situated in the current Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county between Szolnok and Debrecen. Like other historical European regions called Cumania, it ...
*
Hortobágy National Park
*
Hajdúság
Hajdúság is a historical and geographical region in Hungary, located in the Great Hungarian Plain around Debrecen. It consists of six ''hajdú towns'' ( hu, hajdúvárosok), named Hajdúböszörmény, Hajdúdorog, Hajdúnánás, Hajdúhadház, ...
*
Nyírség
Plain in Serbia
The term is used in Serbia to denote the Hungarian portion of the
Pannonian plain.
The portion of the Pannonian plain in Serbia is mostly divided into 3 large geographical areas:
Bačka
Bačka ( sr-cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska () is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary ...
,
Banat
Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...
and
Srem (
Syrmia
Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exce ...
), most of which are located in the
Vojvodina province.
Plain in Croatia
The term is rarely used in Croatia, and is usually associated there with the geography of Hungary.
Parts of Pannonian Croatia can be considered an extension of ''Alföld'', particularly eastern
Slavonia
Slavonia (; hr, Slavonija) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria, one of the four historical regions of Croatia. Taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with five Croatian counties: Brod-Posavina, Osijek-Baranja ...
and the connected parts of
Syrmia
Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exce ...
.
Plain in Slovakia
The portion of the plain located in Slovakia is known as the
Eastern Slovak Lowland.
Plain in Ukraine
The part of the plain located in Ukraine is known as the
Transcarpathian Lowland
Zakarpattia Lowland ( uk, Закарпа́тська низовина́ / ''Transcarpathian Lowland''; hu, Kárpátaljai-alföld) or Upper Tysa Lowland is a lowland in the southwestern portion of the Zakarpattia Oblast in the drainage basin of T ...
.
Plain in Romania
In Romania, the plain (Rom. câmp or câmpia, from Lat. campus) includes the regions of
Banat
Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...
and
Crişana. It is referred to in
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
as ''The Western Plain'' ().
History
Prehistoric culture
During the prehistoric era, the Great Hungarian Plain was a place of cultural and technological changes, as well as an important meeting point of cultures of Eastern and Western Europe. It is a region of great archaeological importance to major European cultural transitions.
Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
began in the Great Hungarian Plain with the Early
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
Körös culture
The Körös () or Criș () (German: ''Kreisch'') is a river in eastern Hungary and western Romania. Its length is from the confluence of its two source rivers Fehér-Körös (''Crișul Alb'') and Fekete-Körös (''Crișul Negru'') to its outflo ...
, located in present-day Serbia, 6.000-5.500 B.C.E. followed 5.500 B.C.E. by the
Linear Pottery culture
The Linear Pottery culture (LBK) is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic period, flourishing . Derived from the German ''Linearbandkeramik'', it is also known as the Linear Band Ware, Linear Ware, Linear Ceramics or Inci ...
(LBK) which later became the dominant agricultural culture of Europe. The LBK was followed by the
Lengyel culture in the Late Neolithic 5000-3400 BC.
During the Early
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
(2.800 - 1.800 BC), the growing demand for metal ores in Europe resulted in the new pan-European and intercontinental trade networks. During that period cultures of the Great Hungarian Plain incorporated many elements from the other cultures of Bronze Age Near Eastern, Steppe and Central Europe
During the early
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
(first millennium BC), a variant of the Central European
Hallstatt culture
The Hallstatt culture was the predominant Western Europe, Western and Central European Archaeological culture, culture of Late Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age (Hallstatt A, Hallstatt B) from the 12th to 8th centuries BC and Early Iron Age Europe ...
inhabited
Transdanubia, while pre-Scythian and later
Scythian cultures were found in the eastern region of the Great Hungarian Plain.
In 2014, a major study of DNA from burials in the Great Hungarian Plain was published.
The 5,000-year record indicated significant genomic shifts at the beginning of the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, with periods of stability in between. The earliest Neolithic genome was similar to other European hunter-gatherers and surprisingly there was no evidence of
lactase persistence
Lactase persistence is the continued activity of the lactase enzyme in adulthood, allowing the digestion of lactose in milk. In most mammals, the activity of the enzyme is dramatically reduced after weaning. In some human populations, though, lact ...
at that period. The most recent samples, from the Iron Age, showed an eastern genomic influence contemporary with introduced Steppe burial rites. There was also a transition towards lighter pigmentation.
Nomadic migrations and conquests
The Hungarian plain became the heartland of the
Eurasian nomads, being in its natural environment similar to the
Pontic–Caspian steppe
The Pontic–Caspian steppe, formed by the Caspian steppe and the Pontic steppe, is the steppeland stretching from the northern shores of the Black Sea (the Pontus Euxinus of antiquity) to the northern area around the Caspian Sea. It extends ...
. The plain had formed the base for
Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...
,
Avars,
Magyars
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic ...
,
Cumans
The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian language, Russian Exonym and endonym, exonym ), were a Turkic people, Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confede ...
,
Jasz people
The Jász (''Latin'': Jazones) are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group who have lived in Hungary since the 13th century. They live mostly in a region known as ''Jászság'', which comprises the north-western part of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county. ...
and other nomadic tribes from the
Eurasian Steppe
The Eurasian Steppe, also simply called the Great Steppe or the steppes, is the vast steppe ecoregion of Eurasia in the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome. It stretches through Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Transnistri ...
.
See also
*
Berehove Raion
*
Eurasian Steppe
The Eurasian Steppe, also simply called the Great Steppe or the steppes, is the vast steppe ecoregion of Eurasia in the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome. It stretches through Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Transnistri ...
*
Little Hungarian Plain
The Little Hungarian Plain or Little Alföld ( Hungarian: ''Kisalföld'', Slovak: ''Malá dunajská kotlina'', German: ''Kleine Ungarische Tiefebene'') is a plain (tectonic basin) of approximately 8,000 km² in northwestern Hungary, south- ...
*
Pannonian Basin
The Pannonian Basin, or Carpathian Basin, is a large Sedimentary basin, basin situated in south-east Central Europe. The Geomorphology, geomorphological term Pannonian Plain is more widely used for roughly the same region though with a somewh ...
*
Pannonian Steppe
*
Steppe Route
The Steppe Route was an ancient overland route through the Eurasian Steppe that was an active precursor of the Silk Road. Silk and horses were traded as key commodities; secondary trade included furs, weapons, musical instruments, precious stones ...
*
Vienna Basin
References
External links
*
Körös Regional Archaeological Project Neolithic and Copper Age archaeology in the Great Hungarian Plain
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Hungarian Plain
Eurasian Steppe
Historical regions in Hungary
Historical regions in the Kingdom of Hungary
Geography of Vojvodina
Plains of Croatia
Plains of Hungary
Plains of Romania
Plains of Serbia
Plains of Slovakia
Plains of Ukraine
Pannonian Plain