Harkány () is a town in
Baranya county
Baranya (, ; German language, German:Croatian language, Croatian:'' Baranjska županija'') is a Counties of Hungary, county () in southern Hungary. It is part of the Southern Transdanubia statistical region and the historical Baranya (region), B ...
,
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, 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 and ...
.
History
The area has been inhabited since medieval times, the name "Nagh Harkan" was mentioned in a document from the year 1323. The origin and meaning of the name ''harkány'' is unknown, but archaeological findings show that the area was inhabited by
Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...
and
Avars about 1,000 years ago. Until the end of World War II, the majority of the inhabitants were
Danube Swabians
The Danube Swabians ( ) is a collective term for the ethnic German-speaking population who lived in the Kingdom of Hungary in east-central Europe, especially in the Danube River valley, first in the 12th century, and in greater numbers in the 17 ...
, also called locally as ''Stifolder'', because their ancestors arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries from the German district of
Fulda
Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival.
Histor ...
. Most of the former German settlers were expelled to
Allied-occupied Germany
The entirety of Germany was occupied and administered by the Allies of World War II, from the Berlin Declaration on 5 June 1945 to the establishment of West Germany on 23 May 1949. Unlike occupied Japan, Nazi Germany was stripped of its sov ...
and
Allied-occupied Austria
Austria was occupied by the Allies of World War II, Allies and declared independence from Nazi Germany on 27 April 1945 (confirmed by the Berlin Declaration (1945), Berlin Declaration for Germany on 5 June 1945), as a result of the Vienna offen ...
in 1945–1948, consequent to the
Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement () was the agreement among three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union after the war ended in Europe that was signed on 1 August 1945 and published the following day. A ...
.
Few
Germans
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
remain today, the majority of the modern population are the descendants of Hungarians from the
Czechoslovak–Hungarian population exchange The Czechoslovak–Hungarian population exchange was the exchange of inhabitants between Czechoslovakia and Hungary after World War II. Between 45,000 and 120,000 Hungarians were forcibly transferred from Czechoslovakia to Hungary, and their propert ...
. They occupied the houses of the former Danube Swabian inhabitants.
Spa
Medical waters rich in sulfur were discovered by Pogány János in 1823, a well digger who sensed the warm waters had a good effect on his ill leg.
The
medical
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
benefits of the waters are proved in treatment of locomotor disorders, chronic gynaecological inflammations and lymphatic malfunctions and for
psoriasis
Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small localized patches to complete b ...
.
The spa is located in a huge 13.5-hectare primeval park, among hundreds of years old trees, where it awaits visitors who want to relax with a beach bath, spa and slide park. In addition to healing skin diseases, the bath water is also excellent for treating infertility problems.
Tourism
Since the discovery of the medical waters 150 years ago, the number of tourists visiting the spa of Harkány has reached one million people yearly. Harkány is one of the most famous city spas; a lot of places of accommodation and recreation have been built. Most of the hotels are of European standards. Harkány has a hospital for treatment of rheumatic related illnesses.
Demographics
As of 2022, the town was 86.3%
Hungarian, 4.5%
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, 3.8%
Croatian, 1%
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular
**Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans
** Serbian language
** Serbian culture
**Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...
, and 2.6% of non-European origin. The population was 33.3%
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, and 12.1%
Reformed
Reform is beneficial change.
Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to:
Media
* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
Places
* Reform, Al ...
.
Twin towns – sister cities
Harkány is
twinned with:
*
Băile Tușnad, Romania
*
Bačko Petrovo Selo
Bačko Petrovo Selo ( sr-cyr, Бачко Петрово Село; Hungarian language, Hungarian: ''Péterréve'', German language, German: ''Batschko Petrovo Selo'') is a village located in the Bečej Municipality, in the South Bačka District of ...
, Serbia
References
External links
* in Hungarian, English, German, Croatian, Czech and Russian
Harkány at funiq.hu
Additional information about Harkany Thermal Spa
Populated places in Baranya County
Thermal baths in Hungary
{{Baranya-geo-stub