Kisvárda

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kisvárda
Kleinwardein (in German)
קליינווארדיין / Kleynvardeyn (in Yiddish)
Town
Rétköz Museum
Rétköz Museum
Flag of Kisvárda
Flag
Coat of arms of Kisvárda
Coat of arms
Kisvárda is located in Hungary
Kisvárda
Kisvárda
Coordinates: 48°13′N 22°05′E / 48.217°N 22.083°E / 48.217; 22.083
CountryHungary
CountySzabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg
DistrictKisvárda
Area
 • Total35.91 km2 (13.86 sq mi)
Population
 (2012)
 • Total16,473
 • Density502.03/km2 (1,300.3/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
4600
Area code(+36) 45
Websitewww.kisvarda.hu

Kisvárda (pronounced [ˈkiʃvaːrdɒ]; German: Kleinwardein, Yiddish: קליינווארדיין‎ Kleynvardeyn) is a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary near the border of Slovakia and Ukraine. It is the 3rd largest town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg after Nyíregyháza and Mátészalka with a population of 16 669 people. The lies between two large landscapes, the Nyírség and the . Kisvárda is just 22 km (14 mi) from the border of Ukraine, 30 km (18.6 mi) from Slovakia, 43.9 km (27.3 mi) from Nyíregyháza, 50 km (31 mi) from Ungvár (Uzhorod), 52.1 km (32.4 mi) from Beregszász (Berehove), 52.9 km (32.9 mi) from Sátoraljaújhely and 80 km (50 mi) from Dorolţ, Romania.

Etymology[]

The name of the town, which means "little castle" in Hungarian, dates back to the Conquest of Hungary. The conquering Hungarians named the town for its earthwork. In the , it occurred like Warda and Warada in documents. The "kis" (meaning little) word part was added to differentiate the town from Nagyvárad (now Oradea, Romania), "nagy" meaning great or large.

Coat of arms[]

The red and white stripes on the shield symbolize the Árpád Dynasty, the medieval kings of Hungary. The sword with the Sun and green background shows the heroic knights of Kisvárda. The scales represents the town's trade and markets. In the middle of the shield there is the in gold. There is a winged dragon around the shield biting its tail. This is the insignia of the Order of the Dragon which derives from the 's coat of arms.

History[]

The conquering Hungarians found a hill fort here in 895 which then they used for their border protection system.

St. Ladislaus defeated the Kuntesk Cuman prince in 1085 in a great fight. In memory of the glorious battle, he had a church established. He dedicated it to St Peter and St Paul Apostles.

In the 12th century, the settlement's importance declined. The castle became the possession of the Swabian-Swedish Gutkeled family. The settlement was the denominator of one branch of the family, the . The family worked a lot to revive Kisvárda. Shortly the place got their fair housing law.

got permission from the king to build the in 1415.

In 1421, it became a town. , the Archbishop of Kalocsa, Matthias Corvinus's chancellor expended the town's autonomy in 1468. At that time, the population of Kisvárda was more than a thousand people. It became the centre of Szabolcs. The first guild was formed in 1591.

Because of the and the economic changes, the town's importance diminished.

Prior to World War II, Kisvárda had a large Jewish community that represented about 30 percent of the town's population. They were confined to a ghetto in 1944, and then deported to Auschwitz. The majority perished there. A small community was re-established after the war, but almost no Jews are left in Kisvárda today. The former synagogue, which remains one of the most imposing structures in Kisvárda, is now a local history museum known as the .

Economy[]

Historically, Kisvárda has been a market town for the surrounding agricultural district, and is also has some light industry such as distilling, electrics, and brake pad production. It is on the main railway line from the Hungarian capital of Budapest to Ukraine. Kisvárda also attracts tourists to its thermal springs, and the ruins of a medieval castle.

Notable people[]

Bertalan Farkas, the first Hungarian astronaut
ByeAlex performing his famous song Kedvesem in a studio
  • Bertalan Farkas, astronaut
  • , Hungarian singer, songwriter
  • Krisztina Nyáry (1604-1641)
  • ByeAlex, Hungarian singer, songwriter
  • Sándor Radó, Hungarian psychoanalyst
  • Victor Varconi, Hungarian filmstar who rose to fame in the silent era
  • Arnost Zvi Ehrman (1914-1976), Israeli jurist
  • (1912-2008), Hungarian medical doctor and oral surgeon

Rabbis[]

  • Moshe Grunwald (1853–1910), progenitor of the Pupa Hasidic dynasty through his five sons
  • Shimon Sofer (1850–1944), Rav of the Hungarian city of Eger
  • Tibor Rosenbaum (1923–1980), rabbi and businessman

Politics[]

  • Attila Tilki (1967-), politician
  • Péter Kozma (1959-2017), politician
  • Dr. Miklós Seszták (1968-), jurist, politician, Minister of National Development(2014-), vice president of KDNP
  • József Tóbiás (1970-), politician, former leader of the MSZP (2014-2016)
  • Dov Gruner, Hungarian-born Zionist activist, member of the Irgun

Sports[]

Football[]

Handball[]

Other[]

Twin towns – sister cities[]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Hungary

Kisvárda is twinned with:[1]

Sport[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Testvérvárosaink". kisvarda.hu (in Hungarian). Kisvárda. Retrieved 2021-04-02.

External links[]

Coordinates: 48°13′N 22°05′E / 48.217°N 22.083°E / 48.217; 22.083

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