Kiskőrös (, ''Kishkerish'', , ) is a town in Bács-Kiskun,

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 ...

. Kiskőrös is situated between the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

and

Tisza The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa (see below) is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. It was once called "the most Hungarian river" because it used to flow entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national bo ...

rivers at around .

Sándor Petőfi Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; ; ; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet and Classical Liberalism, liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary's national poet, and was one of the key figures of the Hungari ...

, the

national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbol, to be distinguished ...

of Hungary, was born here.

Geography

Kiskőrös is the sixth biggest city in Bács-Kiskun county by population. It is located in the center of the county, east from the river

and south 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 ...

. About north of the town lies the nature reserve area (since 1974) of Szücsi Forest as part of the Kiskunság National Park. The flora includes close to 300 protected plant species, one of them a special species of orchid, which blossoms here in April. Moreover, there are 98 registered, protected bird species. Many of them are songbirds that coexist with birds of prey like kestrels, sparrow-hawks and hobbies.

Climate

Kiskőrös has a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

combined with a high number of yearly sunlight. The hours of annual sunlight is over 2,000 hours.

History

Prehistory and Ancient History

Kiskőrös has been populated since the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

. In the first half of the second millennium BC it was populated by the Vatya-culture which developed around the central area of the Danube basin between 2000 and 1500/1400 BC. Archeologists unearthed 161 metal objects (11 of which were made of gold) in the vicinity of Kiskőrös in 2016, representing the biggest ever Middle Bronze Age found - both quantity and quality - in the areas between the Danube and Tisza (in Hungarian: Duna-Tisza köze). In addition to bronze and gold jewellery, daggers, spears, axes as well as goldsmith tools were found.

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 ...

coins from the Late Iron Age (4th century B.C.) have also been found. In the first century

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 ...

(i.e. Pannonia) was invaded by the Romans and its population ran away and settled in the area. Archaeological evidence suggests that Scythian-Sarmatians were settled here along the border region, to protect the "limes", who continued to be present up to the 5th century AD. Seven

Sarmatian The Sarmatians (; ; Latin: ) were a large confederation of Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Iranian Eurasian nomads, equestrian nomadic peoples who dominated the Pontic–Caspian steppe, Pontic steppe from about the 5th century BCE to the 4t ...

cemeteries have been found so far within the perimiter of Kiskőrös. In the graves of a Jazig-Sarmatian cemetery a necklace of pearls in gold setting and other rare polished jewellery were found. In the 1930s five Avar

villages A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

and seven

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many dead people are buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ) implies th ...

have been discovered. The archeological findings strongly suggest a strong connection between the Sarmatians living in the area and the Roman provinces. Only a few relics were have been found from the Hun-period (420-454). Nine Avar cemeteries have been dug so far. Their characteristic metal buckles with a griffin fitting are strikingly similar to those found in the Caucasus and along the River Volga. The most beautiful findings of all, a necklace of 5 oval almandine pendants in gold setting and 6 gold pendants were uncovered in a princes's grave.

Post-Roman History

The first written documents mentioning Kiskőrös date back to 1277 issued by the "Kuman"

László IV Ladislaus IV (, , ; 5 August 1262 – 10 July 1290), also known as Ladislaus the Cuman, was King of Hungary and List of rulers of Croatia, Croatia from 1272 to 1290. His mother, Elizabeth the Cuman, Elizabeth, was the daughter of a chieftai ...

and referred to as "Keurus". By 1433 Kőrös was an independent town. The peaceful life of the town came to an end in the 16th century when the Turkish army occupied the region. A letter was written on 11 April 1529 by Mihály Pósa warning the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Kalocsa about the attacks of the Turks. He informed the bishop that Kiskőrös was ruined by the Turks on 8 April, together with other settlements in the area. The town ceased to exist during the occupation and referred to as "puszta" (lat. desertum). In 1702 documents show that the area was not fully uninhabited. The rebirth of Kiskőrös is the work of the Wattay family. For their contribution to defeat the Turks, Leopold I gave the family the land and the surrounding areas. On 19 May 1718, 700 Slovak farmers moved to Kiskőrös. The population has reached 5,000 by 1785. On 1 January 1823

was born in Kiskőrös. In the 20th century, Hungary lost both

world wars A world war is an international conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I (19 ...

and during the years of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

the economy of the village suffered greatly. Kiskőrös was occupied by the

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

in 1944. After World War II, most of the town's income came from agriculture (wine and fruit production). In the 1950s, when drilling for oil, salty-iodous-brominous medicinal thermal water of 56 °C was found, forming the basis of the popular thermal bath and swimming pool. Kiskőrös began to develop rapidly in the 1970s and infrastructure, educational, healthcare and welfare institutions were built. Kiskőrös regained town status in 1973.

Economy

The largest part of the economy is provided by the service sector (family enterprises) and agriculture (mainly related to winegrowing and fruits). Wine Kiskőrös is situated in the middle of Hungary largest wine producing region, the "Kunsági borvidék" and its history is intimately entwined with wine-making. The sandy soil and high sunshine hours provide the perfect conditions for grape. Viticulture in Kiskőrös is first mentioned in written documents from the XIII. century. For over 200 years there has been a deep tradition of grape production and winemaking in this region. As such, a large percentage of the town workforce has been devoted to the grape and wine industry. Kiskőrös is known for and the local population has strong ties to its wine-growing and winemaking. Winemaking in the town has been more or less a family-based business and multigenerational family winemaking has been an important part of the local culture and self-identity as well as a defining part of family tradition in many local families. The most well-known traditional grapes are: „ Kövidinka” – “ Ezerjó” – "Sárfehér", "Bianca" and the " Kadarka".

Demographics

Kiskőrös had 15,348 residents in 2001. The population is homogeneous with a Hungarian majority. (95.8%

Magyars Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common culture, language and history. They also have a notable presence in former parts of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Hungarian language belongs to the ...

, 3.1%

Slovaks The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...

, 1.4% Romani, 0.7%

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 ...

etc.). The distribution of religions were: 46.4%

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 ...

, 27.5%

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 ...

, 4.5%

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 ...

etc.).

Personalities

(1823–1849), a Hungarian national poet and liberal revolutionary. * Jenő Lasztovicza (1961–2015), a Hungarian horticultural engineer, politician and member of the National Assembly. * Melinda Vincze (born 1983), a Hungarian former handballer

Buildings and structures

The museum at Sandor Petőfi's birth place is one of the most frequented museums in Kiskőrös. It has been a museum since 1880. Kiskőrös City Mayor's Office was built in 1893. East of Kiskőrös, there is a tall concrete tower used for

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

and television broadcasting.

Twin towns – sister cities

Kiskőrös is twinned with: * Krimpen aan den IJssel, Netherlands *

Lapua Lapua (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland's South Ostrobothnia regions of Finland, region. It is located next to the Lapua River. The town has a population of () and cov ...

, Finland *

Liptovský Mikuláš Liptovský Mikuláš (; until 1952 ''Liptovský Svätý Mikuláš'', ; ) is a town in northern Slovakia, on the Váh River, about from Bratislava. It lies in the Liptov region, in Podtatranská kotlina, Liptov Basin near the Low Tatra and Tat ...

, Slovakia *

Marghita Marghita (; ; ; ''Margaretin'') is a city in Bihor County, Romania. It administers two villages, Cheț (''Magyarkéc'') and Ghenetea (''Genyéte''). Geography Marghita is located in the northern part of the county, north-east of the county sea ...

, Romania * Nesvady, Slovakia * Stadtlengsfeld (Dermbach), Germany *

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It is a major rail junction, located on the strategic east– ...

, Poland *

Zhenjiang Zhenjiang, alternately romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou (to its north) and ...

, China

Gallery

File:Szent József katolikus templom, Petőfi Sándor tér Kiskőrös2.jpg File:Kiskőrös3.jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiskoros Populated places in Bács-Kiskun County Slovak communities in Hungary Jewish communities in Hungary