Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city 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, Croa ...

, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary. The Szeged Open Air (Theatre) Festival (first held in 1931) is one of the main attractions, held every summer and celebrated as the Day of the City on 21 May.

Etymology

The name ''Szeged'' might come from an old Hungarian word for 'corner' (), pointing to the turn of the river

Tisza The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and ...

that flows through the city. Others say it derives from the Hungarian word which means 'island'. Others still contend that means 'dark blond' () – a reference to the color of the water where the rivers

and Maros merge. The city has its own name in a number of foreign languages, usually by adding a suffix ''-in'' to the Hungarian name: Romanian ; German or ;

Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia an ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

(''Partiskon''); Italian ;

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

; Latvian ;

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

; Polish ; Slovak and Czech ;

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

History

Szeged and its area have been inhabited since ancient times.

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of import ...

mentions the oldest known name of the city: ''Partiscum'' (

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

: Πάρτισκον)''.'' It is possible that

Attila Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and ...

, king of the

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 par ...

had his seat somewhere in this area. The name Szeged was first mentioned in 1183, in a document of King Béla III. In the second century AD there was a Roman

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

established on an island in the

, and the foundations of the Szeged castle suggest that the structure may have been built over an even earlier fort. Today only one corner of the castle still remains standing. During the Mongol invasion the town was destroyed and its inhabitants fled to the nearby swamps, but they soon returned and rebuilt their town. In the 14th century, during the reign of Louis the Great, Szeged became the most important town of Southern Hungary, and – as the Turkish armies got closer to Hungary – the strategic importance of Szeged grew. King Sigismund of Luxembourg had a

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the su ...

built around the town. Szeged was raised to free royal town status in 1498. Szeged was first pillaged by the Ottoman Army on 28 September 1526, but was occupied only in 1543, and became an administrative centre of the Ottomans (see Ottoman Hungary). The town was a

sanjak Sanjaks (liwāʾ) (plural form: alwiyāʾ) * Armenian: նահանգ (''nahang''; meaning "province") * Bulgarian: окръг (''okrǔg''; meaning "county", "province", or "region") * el, Διοίκησις (''dioikēsis'', meaning "province" ...

centre first in Budin Eyaleti (1543–1596), after in Eğri Eyaleti. The town was freed from Turkish rule on 23 October 1686, and regained the free royal town status in 1715. In 1719, Szeged received its

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

(still used today) from

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

. During the next several years, Szeged grew and prospered. Piarist monks arrived in Szeged in 1719 and opened a new grammar school in 1721. Szeged also held scientific lectures and theatrical plays. These years brought not only prosperity but also enlightenment. Between 1728 and 1744

witch trials A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern per ...

were frequent in the town, with the

Szeged witch trials The Szeged witch trials, which took place in the city of Szeged in Hungary in 1728–1729, was perhaps the largest witch-hunt in Hungary. It led to the death of 14 people by burning, although witch trials had been banned by the decree of King Colom ...

of 1728–29 perhaps being the largest. The witch trials were instigated by the authorities, who decided on this measure to remove the problem of the public complaints about the drought and its consequences of famine and epidemics by laying the responsibility on people among them, which had fraternized with the Devil. In 1720, the ethnic Hungarian population of the town numbered about 13000 to 16000, while the number of the Serb inhabitants was 1300. Szeged is known as the home of paprika, a spice made from dried, powdered

capsicum ''Capsicum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their chili pepper or bell pepper fruit. Etymology and names The generic name may come from Latin , mean ...

fruits. Paprika arrived in Hungary in the second half of the 16th century as an ornamental plant. About 100 years later the plant was cultivated as an herb, and paprika as we know it. Szeged is also famous for their szekelygulyas, a goulash made with

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved ...

, sauerkraut and sour cream. And also famous for their halászlé, fish soup made of

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

and

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

. The citizens of Szeged played an important part in the

Hungarian Revolution of 1848 The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 or fully Hungarian Civic Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 () was one of many European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. Although t ...

Lajos Kossuth Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva (, hu, udvardi és kossuthfalvi Kossuth Lajos, sk, Ľudovít Košút, anglicised as Louis Kossuth; 19 September 1802 – 20 March 1894) was a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, poli ...

delivered his famous speech here. Szeged was the last seat of the revolutionary government in July 1849. The Habsburg rulers punished the leaders of the town, but later Szeged began to prosper again; the railway reached it in 1854, and the town got its free royal town status back in 1860. Mark Pick's shop – the predecessor of today's Pick Salami Factory – was opened in 1869. Szeged, Dugonics tér a nagyárvízkor, szemben a Kálvária-sugárút

Szeged, Dugonics tér a nagyárvízkor, szemben a Kálvária-sugárút

Today the inner city of Szeged has wide avenues. This is mainly due to the great

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

of 1879, which wiped away the whole town (only 265 of the 5723 houses remained and 165 people died). Emperor Franz Joseph visited the town and promised that "Szeged will be more beautiful than it used to be". He kept his promise, and during the next years a new, modern city emerged from the ruins, with palaces and wide streets.

During the 20th century

After the

First World War 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 fig ...

Hungary lost its southern territories to

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...

, as a result Szeged became a city close to the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political bo ...

, and its importance lessened, but as it took over roles that formerly belonged to the now lost cities, it slowly recovered. Following the Loss of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the ...

to Romania, University of Kolozsvár (now Cluj-Napoca), moved to Szeged in 1921 (see University of Szeged). In 1923 Szeged took over the role of

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

seat from Temesvár (now Timișoara, Romania). It was briefly occupied by the

Romanian army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the La ...

during Hungarian-Romanian War in 1919. It also became a center for right-wing forces which would install

Miklós Horthy Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya ( hu, Vitéz nagybányai Horthy Miklós; ; English: Nicholas Horthy; german: Nikolaus Horthy Ritter von Nagybánya; 18 June 1868 – 9 February 1957), was a Hungarian admiral and dictator who served as the regen ...

as the country's new leader after the overthrow of the

Hungarian Soviet Republic The Socialist Federative Republic of Councils in Hungary ( hu, Magyarországi Szocialista Szövetséges Tanácsköztársaság) (due to an early mistranslation, it became widely known as the Hungarian Soviet Republic in English-language sources ( ...

. During the 1920s the Jewish population of Szeged grew and reached its zenith. Szeged suffered heavily during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. 6,000 inhabitants of the city were killed, In 1941, there were 4,161 Jews living in Szeged. After, March 19, 1944

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 193 ...

, they were confined to a

ghetto A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished ...

together with the Jews from surrounding villages. In June, 1944, the ghetto was liquidated. The

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

murdered the larger part of the 8,500 and some were forced into

forced labor Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, violence including death, or other forms of e ...

in Strasshof Labor camp, Austria. Szeged was captured by

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front on 11 October 1944 in the course of the Battle of Debrecen. During the communist era, Szeged became a centre of

light industry Light industry are industries that usually are less capital-intensive than heavy industry and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consumer goods. Most light industry products are produced for ...

and

food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...

. In 1965, oil was found near the city. In 1962, Szeged became the county seat of Csongrád. Whole new districts were built, and many nearby villages (e.g. Tápé,

Szőreg Szőreg ( sr, Сириг, ; hr, Sirik) is a settlement which forms a part of Szeged in Csongrád-Csanád County, in the Banat ( hu, Bánát)) region, Hungary. There are some Serbs living there besides Hungarians. Szőreg has two churches: a Roman ...

, Kiskundorozsma, Szentmihálytelek, Gyálarét) were annexed to the city in 1973 (as was a tendency during the Communist era). Today's Szeged is an important university town and a tourist attraction. The

Szeged Symphony Orchestra The Szeged Symphony Orchestra (''Szegedi Szimfonikus Zenekar'') is an orchestra based in Szeged, Hungary. History The Szeged Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1969 by Viktor Vaszy, and is active both in the concert hall and for operatic performa ...

(Szegedi Szimfonikus Zenekar) gives regular concerts at the Szegedi Nemzeti Színház.

Geography

Szeged is situated near the southern border of

, just to the south of the mouth of the Maros River, on both banks of the Tisza River, nearly in the centre of the

Carpathian 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 ...

. The Hungarian frontier with Serbia is just outside the town.

Climate

Szeged's climate is transitional between oceanic Köppen " Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/

Oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

) and continental (Köppen ''Dfb''), with cold winters, hot summers, and fairly low precipitation. Due to the high hours of sunlight reported annually, Szeged is often called ''City of Sunshine'' (). On 23 July 2022, a maximum temperature of was registered in Szeged.

Education

The city of Szeged has 62

kindergartens Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

, 32 elementary schools and 18 high schools. The two most prominent high schools (''Ságvári Endre Gyakorló Gimnázium'' and ''Radnóti Miklós Kísérleti Gimnázium'') are in the top fifteen in the country. Szeged is the higher education centre of the Southern Great Plain and has built quite a reputation for itself. Thousands of students study here, many of whom are foreigners. The University of Szeged is according to the number of students the second largest and the 4th oldest university of Hungary being established in 1581. Ranked as the top university of the country o
Academic Ranking of World Universities – 2005
and in the top 100 in Europe, it offers several programs on different fields of study. ELI-ALPS research center under construction

ELI-ALPS research center under construction

The '' Biological Research Centre'' of the

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its mai ...

, which was built with the help of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

funds, has also been a considerable source of advanced research. Scientists at this laboratory were first in the world to produce ''artificial heredity material'' in the year 2000. The building has served as a home to many well known conferences and continues to make contributions to the world of science. The ''Szent-Györgyi Albert Agóra'' is a cultural scientific centre of Szeged which gives home to laboratories of the Biological Research Centre and to exhibitions of the John von Neumann Computer Society especially their IT historical exposition. In 2018 the new scientific institution, the '' ELI Attosecond Light Pulse Source'' (ELI-ALPS) opened in Szeged establishing a unique facility which provides light sources within an extremely broad frequency range in the form of ultrashort pulses with high repetition rate which is needed for different kinds of physical experiments especially in the field of

attosecond physics Attosecond physics, also known as attophysics, or more generally attosecond science, is a branch of physics that deals with light-matter interaction phenomena wherein attosecond (10−18 s) photon pulses are used to unravel dynamical processes in ...

. It is also one of the main options for medical students who come from all around Europe to study Medicine in their recognized international campus.

Demographics

Ethnic groups (2001 census): *

Hungarians 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 Ural ...

– 93.5% *

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

– 0.7% *

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

– 0.5% *

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their ...

– 0.2% *

Romanians The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym '' Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Roman ...

– 0.2% *

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...

– 0.1% *

Slovaks The Slovaks ( sk, Slováci, singular: ''Slovák'', feminine: ''Slovenka'', plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovak. In Slovakia, 4.4 ...

– 0.1% * No answer (unknown) – 4.7% Feszület_Szeged_Felsővárosában

Religions (2001 census): *

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

– 54.5% *

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

– 6.7% *

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

– 1.6% * Greek Catholic – 0.6% * Others (Christian) – 1.3% * Others (non-Christian) – 0.4% *

Atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

– 21.8% * No answer (unknown) – 13.1%

Economy

Szeged is one of the centres of food industry in Hungary, especially known for its paprika and companies like Pick Szeged, Sole-Mizo, Bonafarm etc. Other notable companies having their headquarters in Szeged are AMSY International, RRE – Szeged, Optiwella, Generál Printing House, RotaPack, Sanex Pro, Agroplanta, Karotin, Florin, Quadrotex and SZEPLAST. Others, like ContiTech, Duna-Dráva Cement, Szatmári Malom and Europe Match, are not based in the city, but have production facilities there. The Hangár Expo and Conference Centre provides space for international exhibitions and conferences.

Largest employers

Transport

Szeged is the most important transportation hub in the Southern Great Plain. Two motorways, M5 and M43, lie along the city border. Through the M5 Motorway Szeged is connected to

Kecskemét Kecskemét ( , sk, Kečkemét) is a city with county rights central part Hungary. It is the eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's thir ...

, Kiskunfélegyháza and

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

to the north and to Subotica,

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the P ...

and Belgrade in

to the south. The M43 Motorway – which splits from the M5 Motorway near Szeged – connects the city via Makó to Arad and Timișoara in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

. In addition, there are other roads running from the city to Makó and Nagylak (main road 43), to Röszke (main road 5), to Kiskunfélegyháza (main road 5), to

Ásotthalom Ásotthalom ( hr, Zlatara) is a village in Csongrád County, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary, near the border with Serbia. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 3,856 people (2017). Politics The local ...

and Baja (main road 55) and to

Hódmezővásárhely Hódmezővásárhely (; also known by other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, on the Great Hungarian Plain, at the meeting point of the Békés-Csanádi Ridge and the clay grassland surrounding the river Tisz ...

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 ...

and Békéscsaba (main road 47). The Budapest-Szeged-rail line is an important rail connection, as well as the railway lines 121 (to Makó), 135 (to Hódmezővásárhely), 136 (to Röszke) and 140 (to Kiskunfélegyháza). A

tram-train A tram-train is a type of light rail vehicle that meets the standards of a light rail system (usually an urban street running tramway), but which also meets national mainline standards permitting operation alongside mainline trains. This al ...

system was constructed and inaugurated in November 2021, connecting Szeged with the neighbouring

, thus creating the second most populous

urban agglomeration An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

in the country, after the capital. There was a proposal for its extension, even through the Serbian border, to Subotica. The city is also a common stop for national and international long-distance buses.

Motorways

* M5 * M43

Railways

* 121 (to Makó) * 135 (to Hódmezővásárhely) * 136 (to Röszke) * 140 (to Kiskunfélegyháza).

Airport

Szeged Airport Szeged Airport is an airport serving Szeged, a city in Csongrád county, Hungary. The airport is located west of the city centre. Facilities The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one asphalt paved runway d ...

is the international airport of Szeged.

Public transport

As of May 2018 Szeged had 39 local bus lines – 15 in the city centre and 24 in the suburbs. There are also 5 tram lines.

Sport

The most popular sport in the city is handball. The city has one well-known club the

2013–14 EHF Cup The 2013–14 EHF Cup was the 33rd edition of the EHF Cup and the second edition since the merger of the EHF Cup with the EHF Cup Winners' Cup. In the present format, the tournament began in early September with three knockout qualifying rounds, ...

-winner SC Pick Szeged playing in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I. The second most popular sport is football in the city. Szeged had several clubs playing in the top level Hungarian league, the Nemzeti Bajnokság I. These are Szegedi AK,

Szegedi Honvéd SE Szegedi Honvéd SE was a Hungarian football club from the town of Szeged. History Szegedi Honvéd SE debuted in the 1951 season of the Hungarian League and finished tenth. They were dissolved in 1953 and replaced in the Hungarian League by Sze ...

. The only currently operating club, Szeged 2011 play in the Nemzeti Bajnokság II.

Association football clubs

* Szeged 2011, currently competing in the

2018–19 Nemzeti Bajnokság III The 2018–19 Nemzeti Bajnokság III is Hungary's third-level football competition. On 11 July 2018, the three groups of the new season was finalised. Teams Changes Standings West Centre East Season statistics Top goalscorers - West Upda ...

* Szegedi Egységes Oktatási Labdarúgó SC, currently competing in the

* Szegedi VSE, currently competing in the Csongrád county championship *

Szegedi EAC Szegedi EAC (''Szegedi Egyetemi Atlétikai Club'', also known as SZEAC) was a Hungarian football club from the town of Szeged. History The club was founded in 1921 as ''Kitartás Egyetemi Atlétikai Klub''. In 1954 the club took the place of ...

, defunct * Szegedi AK, defunct *

, defunct

Main sights

Politics

The current mayor of Szeged is László Botka (Association for Szeged). The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 33 members (1 Mayor, 23 Individual constituencies MEPs and 9 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:

List of mayors

List of City Mayors from 1990:

Media

The city offers a wide range of media – television and radio stations, and print and online newspapers.

TV stations

* Szeged TV * Tarjáni Kábeltévé Stúdió * TiszapART TV * Telin Televízió

Radio stations

* "Rádió 88" FM 95,4 MHz * All in Party Radio * Rádió Mi, 89,9 MHz * Lánchíd Rádió, FM 100,2 MHz * MR1 Kossuth Rádió, FM 90,3 MHz * MR2 Petőfi Rádió, 104,6 MHz * MR3 Bartók Rádió, 105,7 MHz * Dankó Rádió, 93,1 MHz
Rádió1
87,9 MHz

Daily newspapers and news portals

* Délmagyarország () * * * *

Notable people

Born in Szeged

* Adrián Annus (1975), hammer thrower * Gábor Agárdy (1922–2006), actor * Béla Balázs (1884–1949), writer, poet, film critic * Zsolt Becsey (1964), politician * Joseph Csaky (1888–1971) sculptor *

Krisztián Cser Krisztián Cser (pronounced ristiaːn t͡ʃɛr (born 9 December 1977) is a Hungarian operatic and concert singer (Bass (voice type), bass) and physicist, the soloist of the Hungarian State Opera. Biography Krisztián Cser was born in 1977, ...

(1977) opera singer, physicist * Attila Czene (1974), Olympic champion medley swimmer * János Csonka (1852–1939), engineer, co-inventor of the carburetor *

Mihály Erdélyi Mihály Erdélyi (May 28, 1895 – January 27, 1979) was a Hungarian composer, lyricist, actor, and producer, particularly prolific in the interwar period. Erdélyi was born in Szeged in 1895 and began a career as an actor then a stage producer, ...

(1895–1979), operetta composer * Sophie Evans (1976), adult movie star * Ivan Fellegi (1935), Chief Statistician of Canada * Rajmund Fodor (1976), Olympic champion water polo player * Jenő Huszka (1875–1960), composer *

Éva Janikovszky Éva Janikovszky (April 23, 1926 in Szeged – July 14, 2003 in Budapest) was a Hungarian writer. She wrote novels for both children and adults, but she is primarily known for her children's books, translated into 35 languages. Her first book ...

(1926–2003), writer * Ferenc Joachim (1882–1964), painter * Gyula Juhász (1883–1937), poet *

Esther Jungreis Esther Jungreis (April 27, 1936 – August 23, 2016, 19 Menachem Av, 5776) was a Jewish, Hungarian-born, American author, and public speaker. She was the founder of the international Hineni organization in the United States. A Holocaust survivor ...

, Orthodox Jewish outreach speaker * Judith Karasz (1912–1977), photographer and Bauhaus graduate * (1857?), architect * Géza Maróczy (1870–1951), chess grand master *

Anita Márton Anita Márton (; born 15 January 1989) is a Hungarian shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part ...

(1989), shot putter *

Tamás Molnár Tamás Molnár (born August 2, 1975) is a Hungarian former water polo player, who played on the gold medal squads at the 2000 Summer Olympics, 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics. He is one of ten male athletes who won three Olympic ...

(1975), Olympic champion water polo player * Nickolas Muray (born Miklós Mandl; 1892–1965), Hungarian-born American photographer and Olympic fencer * Róbert Nagy (1967), speedway rider * László Paskai (1927–2015), Archbishop of

Esztergom Esztergom ( ; german: Gran; la, Solva or ; sk, Ostrihom, known by alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the right bank of the river Da ...

* Szilvia Peter Szabo (1982), singer * Willy Pogany (1882–1955), illustrator * György Sebők (1922–1999), pianist *

Julius Stahel Julius H. Stahel-Számwald (born Gyula Számwald; November 5, 1825 – December 4, 1912) was a Hungarian soldier who emigrated to the United States and became a Union general in the American Civil War. After the war, he served as a U.S. diplomat, ...

(1825–1912),

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

general and diplomat * Hanna Tetteh (1967), Foreign minister of the Republic of Ghana * (1983), singer * Attila Vajda (1983), Olympic champion canoer * Vilmos Zsigmond (1930), cinematographer

Lived in Szeged

* Mihály Babits poet, writer *

Lipót Fejér Lipót Fejér (or Leopold Fejér, ; 9 February 1880 – 15 October 1959) was a Hungarian mathematician of Jewish heritage. Fejér was born Leopold Weisz, and changed to the Hungarian name Fejér around 1900. Biography Fejér studied mathematic ...

mathematician * Ferenc Fricsay conductor * Alfréd Haar mathematician *

Attila József Attila József (; 11 April 1905 – 3 December 1937) was one of the most famous Hungarians, Hungarian poets of the 20th century. Generally not recognized during his lifetime, József was hailed during the communist era of the 1950s as Hunga ...

poet * László Kalmár mathematician *

Dezső Kosztolányi Dezső Kosztolányi (; March 29, 1885 – November 3, 1936) was a Hungarian writer, journalist, translator and also a speaker of Esperanto. He wrote in all literary genres, from poetry to essays to theatre plays. Building his own style, he used ...

poet, novelist * Peter Leko chess grandmaster * Immanuel Löw rabbi, Judaic scholar, politician *

Leopold Löw Judah Leib "Leopold" Löw ( he, יהודה לייב לעף, hu, Lőw Lipót; 22 May 1811 – 13 October 1875) was a Hungarian rabbi, regarded as the most important figure of Neolog Judaism. Biography 220px, Portrait of L. Löw Löw was born ...

rabbi, historian and Judaic scholar * Kálmán Mikszáth writer * Ferenc Móra writer, archaeologist * Miklós Radnóti poet * Frigyes Riesz mathematician * Albert Szent-Györgyi Nobel prize winner chemist and biologist * Béla Szőkefalvi-Nagy mathematician * Philip Wodianer communal worker * Adele Zay (1848–1928), teacher and feminist

Twin towns – sister cities

Szeged is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

, England, United Kingdom (1987) *

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it th ...

, Germany (1990) *

Kotor Kotor ( Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, ), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: ), is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrativ ...

, Montenegro (2001) *

Larnaca Larnaca ( el, Λάρνακα ; tr, Larnaka) is a city on the south east coast of Cyprus and the capital of the Larnaca District, district of the same name. It is the third-largest city in the country, after Nicosia and Limassol, with a metro ...

, Cyprus (1994) * Liège, Belgium (2001) *

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...

, Poland (2004) *

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, France (1969) *

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrat ...

, Ukraine (1957) *

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

, Italy (1988) *

Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the ...

, Croatia (2003) * Rakhiv, Ukraine (1939, renewed 1997) * Subotica, Serbia (1966, renewed 2004) *

Târgu Mureș Târgu Mureș (, ; hu, Marosvásárhely ) is the seat of Mureș County in the historical region of Transylvania, Romania. It is the 16th largest Romanian city, with 134,290 inhabitants as of the 2011 census. It lies on the Mureș River, th ...

, Romania (1997) * Timișoara, Romania (1998) *

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

, United States (1990) *

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

, Finland (1971) * Weinan, China (1999)

Gallery

Szeged City Hall.jpg, Szeged city hall Szeged nagy posta.jpg, Posta Palace Szeged-mavig.jpg,

MÁV Hungarian State Railways ( hu, Magyar Államvasutak, MÁV) is the Hungarian national railway company, with divisions "MÁV START Zrt." (passenger transport), "MÁV-Gépészet Zrt." (maintenance), "MÁV-Trakció Zrt." and "MÁV Cargo Zrt" (freig ...

Palace Hungary szeged dome night 5.jpg, Votive Church at night Szeged, alsóvárosi templom, Mátyás király, oldalbejárat.JPG, Matthias Corvinus of Hungary Hungary szeged elisabeth 1.jpg,

Elisabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...

(Sisi) was Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. MagyarEde16KJ.JPG, Unger–Mayer House (1911) Klebelsberg1.JPG, Statue of Kuno von Klebelsberg RaichleMoritzKJ.jpg,

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Moder ...

NagyállomásSzeged.jpg, Szeged Railway Station. ArviziemlékműSF.jpg, The Great Flood (1879) Statue Szeged, Rector building.jpg, Rector's Building, University of Szeged Szeged-egyetem5.jpg, Institute of Informatics & IT Department, University of Szeged Szeged-egyetem4.jpg, Faculty of Sciences (the chemistry building), University of Szeged Hungary szeged dom2.jpg, View from the Votive Church Dome Megyeszékhely - Csongrád megye - Szeged.jpg, Aerial photography Tisza-szeged1.jpg, Belvárosi bridge on the Tisza river Szeged-paprika1.jpg, Capsicum fruits in Szeged Hungary-szeged-museum2.jpg, Móra Ferenc Museum AnnafürdőSzeged06.jpg, Anna Thermal-Bath Szeged, Hungary. Suspended bridge.jpg, Szeged bridge on

Szegedi Fekete-ház.jpg, Fekete-house

Notes

References

External links

Official site with webcam
{{Authority control County seats in Hungary Cities with county rights of Hungary Populated places in Csongrád-Csanád County Roman settlements in Hungary Serb communities in Hungary Tourism in Hungary