Kaposvár (; also known by

alternative names Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...

) is a

city with county rights A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in southwestern

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 ...

, south of

Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater rift lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the larges ...

. It is one of the leading cities of

Transdanubia Transdanubia ( ; , or ', ) is a traditional region of Hungary. It is also referred to as Hungarian Pannonia, or Pannonian Hungary. Administrative divisions Traditional interpretation The borders of Transdanubia are the Danube River (north and ...

, the capital of

Somogy County Somogy (, ; ; , ) is an administrative county (Counties of Hungary, comitatus or ''vármegye'') in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary. Somogy County lies in south-western Hungary, on the border with Croatia's Koprivnica- ...

, and the seat of the

Kaposvár District Kaposvár () is a district in the central-eastern part of Somogy County in Hungary. ''Kaposvár'' is also the name of the town where the district and county seat are located. The district is in the Southern Transdanubia, Southern Transdanubia Stati ...

and the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kaposvár The Diocese of Kaposvár () is a Latin suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Veszprém, in southwestern Hungary. Its cathedral episcopal, Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, is dedicated to the Bl ...

Etymology and names

The name ''Kaposvár'' is derived from the Hungarian words ''kapu'' (gate) and ''vár'' (castle). Variants of the city's name include ''Ruppertsburg'' / ''Ruppertsberg'' / ''Kopisch'' (

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 ...

), ''Kapoşvar'' ( Turkish), ''Rupertgrad'' ( Slovene), and ''Kapošvar'' ( Croatian).

Symbols

The shield of Kaposvár features a castle with a rounded arch port surmounted by three

battlements A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...

with loopholes on a hill of green grass. The flag of Kaposvár consists of the coat of arms placed over a yellow background.

Geography

Kaposvár is surrounded by the hills of the outer Somogy area around the Kapos river and the forests of Zselic. It lies southwest of

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. Historically, Kaposvár was a crossroads for trade which arrived by the Kapos river. The river also posed a hazard to the river valley region, and flood defense mechanisms were constructed to reduce the threat. Today, the city is a growing junction for railways and other transportation, such as the European Railway line from Budapest towards the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

Climate

Kaposvár's climate is classified as

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cfb'') closely bordering on a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

''Cfa''). Among them, the annual average temperature is , the hottest month in July is , and the coldest month is in January. The annual precipitation is , of which June is the wettest with , while January is the driest with only . The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from on February 8, 2012 to on July 20, 2007.

History

Pre-Hungarian conquest

According to legend, the area of Kaposvár has been inhabited since around 5,000 BCE and the city itself was founded on seven hills. By around 400 BCE,

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

tribes populated most of the area. From around 9 AD to 433 AD, it was a part of the

Roman 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

province of

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by Noricum and upper Roman Italy, Italy, and on the southward by Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia and upper Moesia. It ...

. After the Roman withdrawal, tribes of

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 ...

Illyrians The Illyrians (, ; ) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan languages, Paleo-Balkan populations, alon ...

, and other groups inhabited the area. By 900 AD, there were

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

and German villages in the area.

Middle Ages

The name of the settlement was first recorded in 1009 as Kapos in

Saint Stephen Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity."St ...

's memorandum of association, which established the borders of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Pécs The Diocese of Pécs ( Hungarian: ''Pécsi Egyházmegye'', ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic church in Hungary. The Cathedral of Pécs is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Secular offices connected to the bishopric The Bishops ...

. In 1061, Atha, the

lord lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ov ...

of Somogy, founded a Benedictine

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

in the settlement. The first castle in Kapos was built in the 1200s by King

Béla IV Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá may refer to: Places in the Cze ...

in response to the Mongol invasion of Hungary.

Ottoman Rule

In the decades after the

Battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács (; , ) took place on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was fought between the forces of Hungary, led by King Louis II of Hungary, Louis II, and the invading Ottoman Empire, commanded by Suleima ...

, Ottoman troops of

Suleiman Suleiman (; or dictionary.reference.comsuleiman/ref>) is the Arabic name of the Jewish and Quranic king and Islam, Islamic prophet Solomon (name), Solomon. Suleiman the Magnificent (1494–1566) was the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman E ...

occupied the area, capturing the city's castle in September 1555 after a five-day siege. The Ottomans occupied the city for 131 years, using it as a military camp and small administrative center. In 1686,

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

troops reconquered the castle, city, and its surrounding area from the Ottomans.

Habsburg Rule

At the beginning of the 18th century, the city entered into a period of decline. The castle of Kapos was razed by the Habsburgs in 1702, and the remaining structures were destroyed in

Rákóczi's War of Independence Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711) was the first significant attempt to topple the rule of the Habsburgs over Royal Hungary, Hungary. The war was conducted by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by F ...

. The

Esterházy family The House of Esterházy, also spelled Eszterházy (), is a Hungarian nobility, Hungarian noble family with origins in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century, the Esterházys were the greatest landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, durin ...

was responsible in part for the reconstruction and resettlement of the city. Kaposvár gained the right to hold markets in 1703, the first school was built in 1715, and a new church was built in 1748. In 1749, it was designated as the county seat and since then it has been the chief town of its county. Between 1710 and 1780, the population of the city doubled. In the 1800s, Kaposvár developed into an industrial hub, in part because of its location on the railway line between

Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...

and

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. Also during the 19th century, new medical and cultural institutions were founded in the city such as a pharmacy, general hospital, and county library. The

city center A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms that exist in ...

also developed during this period, with the construction of the county hall and town hall.

Hungarian Revolution

The citizens of Kaposvár supported the

Hungarian Revolution of 1848 The Hungarian Revolution of 1848, also known in Hungary as Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 () was one of many Revolutions of 1848, European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in ...

, and the city rose up against the Habsburgs. The city was initially occupied by the Habsburgs, but the insurrectionists eventually took control. The sheriff of Kaposvár,

Gáspár Noszlopy Gáspár is a Hungarian language, Hungarian masculine given name, equivalent to English Jasper (name), Jasper, and may refer to: *Gáspár Bekes (1520–1579), Hungarian nobleman *Gáspár Boldizsár (floruit, fl. 1990s), Hungarian sprint canoer *G ...

, led a territorial army and took control of Somogy County for three months. However, the independence movement failed and the city again fell under foreign rule.

Austro-Hungarian Rule

Under Austro-Hungarian rule, Kaposvár continued to grow and develop. The Donner district was established on the south side of the Kapos river, and a newspaper and casino were established in 1866. In 1872, a rail line was finished which ran through the city, as opposed to previous lines which only reached its outskirts. By the turn of the 20th century, numerous industrial companies were based in the city, including a large sugar factory and grain processing plant. The city shifted from agricultural production, and its urban area grew. The first planned city development was constructed while István Németh was mayor of the city from 1895 to 1911. The cultural portfolio of the city grew at this time as well. The ''Somogyi Hírlap'', its first daily newspaper, was first issued in April 1904. In September 1911, a new theater opened, which was the largest and most modern theater in Hungary at the time. Additionally, film prospered in the city, and three

cinemas A movie theater (American English) or cinema (Commonwealth English), also known as a movie house, cinema hall, picture house, picture theater, the movies, the pictures, or simply theater, is a business that contains auditoriums for viewing fi ...

were opened in the first decade of the 1900s.

20th century

During World War I, Kaposvár experienced hardship, and strikes and left wing ideas gained traction in the city. During the period of Revolutions and interventions from 1918 to 1920, agricultural associations were formed and industrial plants were socialized. However, the revolution ultimately failed and the city again fell into recession. In the 1930s, Kaposvár transitioned from an industrial city to a commercial and administrative center. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

reached the city, almost one thousand inhabitants were killed or disappeared. In March 1944, German soldiers entered the city and deported its Jewish population. In December 1944, Soviet troops captured the city. After World War II, Kaposvár was able to recover quickly because the war did not cause much infrastructural destruction. New political parties formed, such as the Communist Party and Country Party. Under Communist rule, socialist industrialization commenced, with a new textile factory, meat plant, and electrical site. However, much of the small industry in the city disappeared. In 1956, Kaposvár joined the Hungarian revolution against the Soviets, but on November 4 Soviet tanks put down the insurrection in the city. After the 1956 revolution, the city's administrative border grew, and it incorporated several neighboring municipalities including

Kaposszentjakab Kaposszentjakab (formerly called Zselicszentjakab) is the site of a ruined Benedictine monastery. The monastery site and the surrounding village is now a suburb of the city of Kaposvár in southwestern Hungary. History The village was the place o ...

in 1950,

Kaposfüred Kaposfüred (officially Kaposvár-Kaposfüred) is located on the north side of Kaposvár. Before 1970, it was an independent village. History The first written documents of the existence of the city are from 1192, when Béla III of Hungary stak ...

and Toponár in 1970, and Töröcske in 1973.

Tourism

Kaposvár is home to numerous tourist sites, including: *

Cathedral of Kaposvár A cathedral is a church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations with an episcop ...

Csiky Gergely Theatre The Gergely Csiky Theatre is a theatre in Kaposvár, Hungary. Opening in 1911, the theatre became a major cultural center in Somogy County, with its company achieving their greatest successes between 1970–1985. The building Designed by the ...

- one of the biggest theatres in Hungary * Ruins of

Zselicszentjakab Abbey The Zselicszentjakab Abbey was a Benedictine monastery established at Zselicszentjakab (now Kaposszentjakab) in Somogy County in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1061. Its founder was the Palatine Otto of the Győr clan. The monastery was dedicated to t ...

( Romanesque and Gothic) * Stadion Kaposvár Rákóczi *

University of Kaposvár The University of Kaposvár is a university in 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 ...

Lake Deseda Deseda is a lake located in 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 s ...

Demographics

Kaposvár is the most populous city in

and the second most populous city in

Southern Transdanubia Southern Transdanubia ( ) is a subdivision of Hungary as defined by the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS). It is one of the eight classified NUTS-2 statistical regions of Hungary. The region incorporates the south-western pa ...

after

Pécs Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...

. The majority of its population is Hungarian (85.6%), according to the 2011 census. The largest minority ethnic group is the

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

(2.2%), the second largest are the

(1.1%) and third are the

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

(0.2%). Religious affiliation of the citizens show a significant

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 ...

(44.7%) and

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

(0.2%) and considerable

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

(5.4%) and

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

(1.5%) communities. 18.1% are

Non-religious Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ration ...

Economy

Kaposvár is still an industrial city and is home to companies such as the Austrian house construction company Wolf System, the Hungarian agricultural company KITE, Turkish textile producer Metyx''.'' and the only sugar factory in the country Magyar Cukor Zrt.

Politics

The current mayor of Kaposvár is

Károly Szita Károly () is a common Hungarian male given name. It is also sometimes found as a Hungarian surname. Károly is considered the equivalent of English Karl or Charles (because the Latin Carolus is very close to Károly).Fercsik Erzsébet – Raátz ...

('' 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 these political parties and alliances:

Sports

Kaposvár is a "National City of Sport" in Hungary. The most popular sports in the city are football, volleyball, and basketball. The most popular sports team in the city is

Kaposvári Rákóczi FC Kaposvári Rákóczi FC is a football club in Kaposvár, Hungary. Their home stadium is Rákóczi Stadion. The team is named after Francis II Rákóczi, a Transylvanian prince and national hero and they are also often referred to be the nic ...

who play in the Stadion Kaposvár Rákóczi.

Notable residents

Twin Towns – Sister Cities

Kaposvár is twinned with: *

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Cần Thơ Cần Thơ () is the List of cities in Vietnam, fourth-largest city in Vietnam, and the largest city along the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam. It is noted for its floating markets, rice paper-making village, and picturesque rural canals. It has ...

, Vietnam * Darkhan, Mongolia * Glinde, Germany *

Koprivnica Koprivnica () is a city in Northern Croatia, located 70 kilometers northeast of Zagreb. It is the capital and the largest city of Koprivnica-Križevci County. In 2011, the city's administrative area of 90.94 km2 had a total populati ...

, Croatia *

Miercurea Ciuc Miercurea Ciuc (; ; ) is the county seat of Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, a mainly Hungarian-speaking ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, and is situated in the Olt River valley. The city administers three ...

, Romania *

Rauma Rauma may refer to: Places * Rauma, Finland, a town and municipality in the Satakunta region of western Finland * Rauma Municipality, a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway * Rauma (river), a river in the Romsdalen valley in Møre og Ro ...

, Finland *

Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire (, ; ) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Nantes, and is adjacent to it on the southeast, across the river Loire. It has two railway stati ...

, France *

Schio Schio () is a town and comune in the province of Vicenza (region of Veneto, northern Italy) situated north of Vicenza and east of the Lake Garda. It is surrounded by the Little Dolomites (Italian Prealps) and Mount Pasubio. History Its name c ...

, Italy *

Tver Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

, Russia *

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...

, Turkey

Partnerships

Kaposvár also cooperates with: *

Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara clan who effectively but periodically controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 ...

, China *

Mostar Mostar () is a city and the administrative centre of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is situated on the Neretva Riv ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina *

Villach Villach (; ; ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Austria and the second-largest in the federal state of Carinthia. It is an important traffic junction for southern Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 61,887. Together wit ...

, Austria

Gallery

File:Kaposvár.jpg, The city centre File:Kaposvár Csiky Gergely Színház.JPG,

File:Kaposvár pénzügyi palota.JPG, Palace of Finances of Kaposvár File:Rippl-Rónai múzeum.jpg, The County Hall of Somogy and the Rippl-Rónai Museum File:Kaposvár Bors Napkerék.JPG, A statue in the city centre File:Kaposvár Mária oszlop.JPG, The

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

Maria Column is one symbol of the city File:Kaposvár 1956 emlékmű.JPG, Monument of the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

File:Kaposvár Berzsenyi Dániel Általános Iskola.JPG,

Dániel Berzsenyi Dániel Berzsenyi (; 7 May 1776 in Hetye (now Egyházashetye) – 24 February 1836 in Nikla) was a Hungarian poet.Trencsenyi, Balazs & Michal Kopecek, eds. ''Discourse of Collective Identity in Central and Southeast Europe.'' New York: Central E ...

Elementary School File:Kaposvár Temesvár utca.jpg, Temesvár street File:Kaposvar House of Rippl-Ronai.jpg, House of

József Rippl-Rónai József Rippl-Rónai (23 May 1861 – 25 November 1927) was a Hungarian painter. He was among the first Hungarian exponents of artistic modernism. Biography He was born in Kaposvár. After his studies at the high school there, he went to ...

File:Kaposvári Egyetem 2011.JPG,

References

;Notes