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Zalaegerszeg (; hr, Jegersek; sl, Jageršek; german: Egersee) is the administrative center of Zala county in western Hungary.


Location

Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the
Zala River The Zala is a river in south-western Hungary. Its source is in the hills northwest of Szalafő near the borders with Austria and Slovenia. Its length is and drains water from . Several smaller rivers feed into it, including the Felső-Válic ...
, close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders and west-southwest of Budapest by road.


History

The area was already inhabited in the Upper Paleolithic, according to archaeological findings (the oldest ones in Zala county). Later, the area was inhabited by Celts. The first written mentions of the town are as ''Egerscug'' (1247) and ''Egerszeg'' (1293); the name means "alder-tree corner" and is probably a reference to the town's situation in the angle where two rivers meet. King Béla IV donated the town to the diocese of Veszprém in 1266, so that it became Church property. As Egerszeg lay somewhat distant from Veszprém, however, the taxes paid by the town often ended up in the pockets of such local oligarchs as the Kőszegi family. In the 14th century, Egerszeg was the largest town of the area. Between 1368 and 1389, it was a royal town for a short time, then Sigismund I donated it to the Kanizsai family who traded it for another town with the
bishop of Veszprém A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
. Zalaegerszeg remained their property until 1848. In 1381, the town built a stone church. In 1421, Egerszeg was granted oppidum status, which meant they could pay taxes once a year and the citizens could elect their own judge. The population grew quickly, and by the 16th century, Egerszeg became the ''de facto'' centre of Zala comitatus. In the 1530s, development was brought to a halt. Taking advantage of the power of the king being weakened, the owners of the surrounding lands attacked the town often, and the
Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
already began to occupy Hungary after the
Battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács (; hu, mohácsi csata, tr, Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı) was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, Kingdom of Hungary, between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and its allies, led by Louis II, and those ...
in 1526. From 1568, the town was fortified, a
castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
was built. The Ottomans attacked the town for the first time in the late 1570s, but they failed to capture it. After Kanizsa fell to the
Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
, the strategic importance of Egerszeg grew, but the castle was severely damaged in 1616 and captured by the Ottomans for a short time in 1664. The citizens suffered not only from the war, but from plagues and heavy taxes as well. Egerszeg, even though it was on the periphery of the comitatus, became its capital in the 18th century, mostly because the councils were always held there, because of its importance in the Ottoman times and because it wasn't the estate of a local lord, unlike the other towns in Zala. The county hall was built between 1730 and 1732 in
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
style, and for a long time it was the only significant building of the town. In the 1760s a large church and a barracks was built. Most of the citizens still did not own stone-built houses, and fires often destroyed the town, until 1826, when stone buildings were built. Until the early 19th century, there were only a few craftsmen and merchants in the town, because they had to pay taxes to the bishop who owned the city. By the 1830s 10% of the residents of the mostly Catholic town were Jewish, but even they did not give a boost to trade. Because of this, even though the town was the centre of administration, economically and culturally it wasn't really important. Even though it had about 3,500 residents, it had only two primary schools. The cultural centres of the comitatus were Kanizsa and Keszthely. Zalaegerszeg played only a minor role in the revolution and freedom fight in 1848–49. In 1870, it lost its town status and became a village, which meant a decrease in prestige, even more so, since Nagykanizsa kept its town status. On 31 May 1885 Zalaegerszeg became a town again. In 1887, the village of Ola was annexed to the town. In 1890, the railway line between Ukk and Csáktornya (now Čakovec) connected Zalaegerszeg to the railway system of the country. In 1895, several new buildings were built, including a new secondary school, a town hall, a hotel, a nursery school and a brick factory, but the town ran into debt and the mayor, Károly Kovács had to resign. His successor, Lajos Botfy decreased the debt and could continue the development of the town, but in the early 20th century Zalaegerszeg was still behind the other county seats in many ways. The representative at the Hungarian Parliament József Farkas de Boldogfa was person of deep catholic and monarchist convictions, although he was a very tolerant and also responsible Parliament Representative: On December 12, 1901, József Farkas de Boldogfa led a delegation to Budapest to meet personally Baron
Gyula Wlassics Baron Gyula Wlassics de Zalánkemén (17 March 1852 – 30 March 1937) was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Religion and Education between 1895 and 1903. Description In December 1895 Wlassics passed a law that allowed women, ...
de Zalánkemén (1852–1937) Minister of Religion and Education with the purpose of asking his support for building a
Synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
on Zalaegerszeg, relying on the fact that the minister, as a Zalaegerszeg native, is well aware of the situation of the local Jews' community. A couple of years after these negotiations the Synagogue of Zalaegerszeg was finished in 1904. The 1920s brought prosperity again; new buildings included the new post office, the railway station, the office of the fire department, the police headquarters, the monastery of the Notre Dame Order and a synagogue in Baroque style. The most significant loss in World War II was the deportation of the 1221 Jewish citizens to
Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
. The city was freed from the
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
by the Red Army on 28 March 1945. In the next local elections in 1949, the local branch of the
Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
party got only about 10% of the vote, but they still became the leaders of the city. The 1950s brought important changes. Zalaegerszeg got a more industrial profile with the construction of the textile factory and the discovery of oil resources in 1952. The railway line was expanded, too. Many workers were commuting from the nearby villages, because it was almost impossible to find a flat in the city, so several residents of Zalaegerszeg (mostly those who were considered to be opposed to the Socialist system) were forced to relocate. The citizens took part in the revolution in 1956. The revolution in the city began on 26 October. The communist local government fled to
Körmend Körmend ( sl, Kermendin, Prekmurje Slovene: ''Karmadén,'' ger, Kirment) is a town in Vas county , Western Hungary. Places of interest The town is especially well known for its castle which used to belong to the Batthyány family, one of the mo ...
, and until the arrival of the Soviet troops (November 4) the city was governed by the Revolutionary Council. In the 1960s and 1970s, the city experienced a demographic explosion. Several new flats were built, new residents moved into them, and the growing city absorbed many surrounding villages ( Csácsbozsok, Botfa, Zalabesenyő, Bazita, Andráshida, and Pózva). Albeit at a slower pace, it continues to expand toward the settlements of
Bocfölde Bocfölde is a village in Western Hungary. It has a growing commuter community that works in Zalaegerszeg, the county seat and regional industrial center that is located about to the North. Location, Geography Bocfölde is settled on the left ba ...
and
Bagod Bagod is a proposed village in Zala County, 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 ...
. After the end of Socialism, Zalaegerszeg wasn't affected by economic recession as much as other cities were. The 1990s brought dynamic development to the city. Zalaegerszeg hosted the 1983
World Orienteering Championships The World Orienteering Championships (or WOC for short) is an annual orienteering event organized by the International Orienteering Federation. The first World Championships was held in Fiskars, Finland in 1966. They were held biennially up to 20 ...
. In 2001, Zalaegerszeg hosted the
Central European Olympiad in Informatics The Central European Olympiad in Informatics (CEOI) is an annual informatics competition for secondary school students. Each of the participating central European countries (plus one or two guest countries, and a local team from the host area) sends ...
(CEOI). Zalaegerszeg also hosted the
2004 European Women's Handball Championship The 2004 EHF European Women's Handball Championship was held in Hungary from 9–19 December, it was won by Norway women's national handball team, Norway after beating Denmark women's national handball team, Denmark 27–25 in the final match. Ve ...
preliminary round, the
2005 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship The 2005 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship was the holding of the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship in Hungary from July 20–31, 2005. Russia won this edition of the competition in the final against France. Participating teams Eight national te ...
and the
2005 European Fencing Championships The 2005 European Seniors Fencing Championships were held in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary from 27 June to 3 July 2005. Overview Medal table Results Men Foil individual Épée individual Sabre individual Foil team Épée team Sabre team ...
.


Main sights

* Roman Catholic church (Baroque) * Old county hall (18th century) *
Hevesi Sándor Theatre Hevesi Sándor Theatre (''Hevesi Sándor Színház'') is a theatre in the city of Zalaegerszeg, Hungary. Its building is situated in the city centre, on Kosztolányi street. History Work on the building of the theatre began in the late 1950s, wi ...
* Göcsej Museum and open-air museum * Museum of Oil Industry * Kisfaludi Strobl collection *
Bazita Peak TV Tower Bazita Peak TV Tower is a broadcasting tower in Zalaegerszeg, Hungary. The tower has a antenna atop the main structure and an observation level up the structure. The Alps can be clearly seen from the observation deck. Built in 1975, an eleva ...


Sport

* Zalaegerszegi TE, local football team * Zalakeramia-ZTE KK Professional Basketball team


Demographics

In 2001, Zalaegerszeg had 61,654 inhabitants (95.5% Hungarian, 1%
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 ...
, 0.4%
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
...). The distribution of religions were, 71.1% Roman Catholic, 3.8% Calvinist, 1.6% Lutheran, 11.6%
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 ...
(2001 census).


Politics

The current mayor of Zalaegerszeg is Zoltán Balaicz (''Fidesz-KDNP''). The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 18 members (1 Mayor, 12 Individual constituencies MEPs and 5 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:


Notable people

* Ferenc Deák (1803–1876), member of parliament, minister of justice *
László Dús László Dús (born 14 July 1941, Zalaegerszeg) is an Americanized Hungarian-born visual artist. Dús is known for nonobjective Modernist prints. Several of his prints are in the permanent collections of the U.S. National Gallery of Art. D ...
(1941-), artist * Miklós Gábor (1919–1998), actor *
Dezső Keresztury Dezső Keresztury (6 September 1904 – 30 April 1996) was a Hungarian poet and politician, who served as Minister of Religion and Education between 1945 and 1947. He became a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Acade ...
(1904–1996), critic, literary historian *
Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl Zsigmond Kisfaludi Strobl (1 July 1884 – 14 August 1975) was a Hungarian sculptor and artist. His sculptural style integrated elements of realism and academism Academic art, or academicism or academism, is a style of painting and sculpt ...
(1884–1975), sculptor * Károly Kovács (1839–1904), mayor *
József Mindszenty József Mindszenty (; 29 March 18926 May 1975) was a Hungarian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Esztergom and leader of the Catholic Church in Hungary from 1945 to 1973. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', ...
(1892–1975), cardinal, archbishop of Esztergom *
Lajos Portisch Lajos Portisch (born 4 April 1937) is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik". One of the strongest non-Soviet players from the early 1960s into the late 1980s, he participated ...
(1937-), chess player *
Gyula Wlassics Baron Gyula Wlassics de Zalánkemén (17 March 1852 – 30 March 1937) was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister of Religion and Education between 1895 and 1903. Description In December 1895 Wlassics passed a law that allowed women, ...
(1852–1937), minister of education * Lajos Vajda (1908–1941), painter *
László Andor László Andor (born 3 June 1966 in Zalaegerszeg) is a Hungarian economist. From 2010 to 2014 he was Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion in the Barroso II administration of the European Commission. From 2005 to 2010 h ...
(*1966) EU-Commissioner


Twin towns – sister cities

Zalaegerszeg is twinned with: * Baraolt, Romania * Berehove, Ukraine *
Dobrich Dobrich ( bg, Добрич ; ro, Bazargic, tr, Hacıoğlu Pazarcık) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, 9th most populated city in Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Dobrich Province and the capital of the region of Southern Dobr ...
, Bulgaria * Gorizia, Italy *
Kherson Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers appr ...
, Ukraine * Klagenfurt, Austria * Krosno, Poland * Kusel, Germany * Lendava, Slovenia *
Marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...
, Germany *
Surgut Surgut ( rus, Сургу́т, p=sʊrˈgut; Khanty: Сәрханӆ, ''Sərhanł'') is a city in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the Ob River near its junction with the Irtysh River. It is one of the few cities in Russia to be lar ...
, Russia * Târgu Mureş, Romania * Varaždin, Croatia *
Varkaus Varkaus (before year 1929 ''Warkaus'') is a Middle- Savonian industrial town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region, between city of Kuopio and town of Savonlinna. T ...
, Finland *
Zenica Zenica ( ; ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. Th ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina


References

;Notes


External links


The official website of Zalaegerszeg

Aerial photography: Zalaegerszeg

Zalaegerszeg at funiq.hu
{{Authority control County seats in Hungary Cities with county rights of Hungary Populated places in Zala County