Gyöngyös | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Saint Bartholomew Church | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Gyöngyös Location in Hungary | |
| Coordinates:47°47′07″N19°55′32″E / 47.78528°N 19.92556°E /47.78528; 19.92556 | |
| Country |  Hungary |
| County | Heves |
| District | Gyöngyös |
| First mentioned | 1261 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Péter Szókovács (Fidesz–KDNP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 54.69 km2 (21.12 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 27,957 |
| • Density | 510/km2 (1,300/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 3200, 3221, 3232, 3233 |
| Area code | 37 |
| Website | www.gyongyos.hu |
Gyöngyös is a town inHeves County,Hungary, beside of the Gyöngyös creek, under theMátra mountain ranges. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 27,957 (see Demographics). The town is located 8.4 km from theM3 motorway and 80.8 km fromBudapest. Gyöngyös is terminus of the (Nr. 85)Vámosgyörk–Gyöngyös railway line and themain road 3 lead across the town. Gyöngyös have a train station and a stop on thestandard-gauge railway line and twonarrow-gauge railways also start from here to the mountains for tourist purposes.
The settlement got its name from the stream that crosses the town, which may refer to themistletoe that often occurs on the waterfront, or to thepearly water. According to one theory, one ofÁrpád's daughters was Gyöngyös, who was buried here. From the 11th to the 14th century, the area belonged to theAba family. It is mentioned for the first time in documents in 1261 asGyngus.King Charles I donated the town and its countryside toThomas Szécsényi in 1327, and raised it to the rank ofmarket town in 1334. The city is located at the junction oftrade routes, on the border of the lowlands and the uplands, so trade and industry also played an important role in addition toviticulture. The first church in the town is theRomanesqueSt. Bartholomew's Church, which was rebuilt in theGothic style in the 15th century. TheFranciscans arrived in Gyöngyös in the 14th century, and their church was also built in the Gothic style. After theOttoman conquest in the 16th century, the town becamekhas town [hu]. TheJesuits established agymnasium in 1634 with the permission of the Bey of Hatvan. Due to the increase in the number of Balkan merchants settling in the 17th century, the proportion ofOrthodox people increased.Duke Francis Rákóczi negotiated about peace withPál Széchényi, Archbishop of Kalocsa in Gyöngyös in 1704, summarizing his demands in 25 points. The general of the insurgents,János Bottyán, was buried in the Franciscan church in 1709.
TheBaroque style became dominant in the 18th century: theSt. Bartholomew Church, the Franciscan Church and Monastery were rebuilt, theSt. Urban Church, the OrthodoxSt. Nicholas Church and, theSt. John of Nepomuk Chapel with its triangular layout on the banks of the Gyöngyös creek were built in 1736. The building of the Jesuit gymnasium was built next to the church of St. Bartholomew in 1751-52, which was taken over by theFranciscans in 1773. The castle of theOrczy family [fr] was rebuilt inclassicist style by Lőrinc Orczy in 1824, and the new building of the stategymnasium was built opposite it in 1899, and amusic school operates in the old one. Financial institutions became important in addition to handicrafts and grape production in the 19th century. The economic role of theJews was strengthened, and they built severalsynagogues. At the same time, thephylloxera epidemic dealt a significant blow to grape production.
Gyöngyös was destroyed by fire on May 21, 1917. 580 houses burned down, 40% of the population became homeless. Two days later,King Charles IV andQueen Zita visited the city. Due to changes in thecountry's border after 1920, theMátra's tourist importance increased. The mayor of the town at the time, Árpád Puky, primarily supported the development ofMátrafüred, so in 1926 the town built anarrow-gauge railway line to Mátrafüred for tourist purposes, which was classified as a resort in 1935. On the Pipis hill created a grass airport (ICAO: LHGY) forgliding in 1931, what is the highest airport (350 m) in Hungary. Anew synagogue built up in 1930, but in the summer of 1944, the town's Jewish population of 2,000 wasdeported and most of them murdered. After 1945, severalhousing estates and a 20-story residential tower were built, and the town's population doubled. The narrow-gauge railway also started passenger transport in the direction ofGyöngyössolymos. The Mátra Museum was opened in the former castle of theOrczy family [fr], with anatural science andhunting exhibition. An other exhibition was opened in the former house of theAlmásy family [fr] from the treasury of the St. Bartholomew church, which also includes 43 pieces ofgoldsmith's work from the 15th and 16th centuries. TheGyöngyösi KK handball team founded in 1975. The local campus ofAgricultural University was built after 1980. Theindustrial park established in 2000 provides the largest number of jobs nowadays. It is home to many food factory, including dairy and sausage factories.[1][2]
According the 2022 census, 88.3% of the population were of Hungarian ethnicity, 2.9% wereGypsies, 0.7% wereUkrainians, and 10.9% were did not wish to answer. The religious distribution was as follows: 34.7%Roman Catholic, 3.4%Calvinist, 14.2% non-denominational, and 43.9% did not wish to answer. TheGypsies and theRuthenians have a local nationality government. 844 people live inMátrafüred, 80 live inMátraháza and 14 live inKékestető other inner areas, furthermore 56 people live in 6 other outskirts. Mátrafüred (3232), Mátraháza (3233) and Kékestető (3221) have a postal code.[3]
Population by years:[4]
| Year | 1870 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1941 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,622 | 16,843 | 16,950 | 17,301 | 19,422 | 19,647 | 21,213 | 24,053 |
| Year | 1949 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2001 | 2011 | 2022 |
| Population | 21,969 | 28,573 | 30,306 | 36,282 | 36,404 | 32,975 | 30,728 | 27,957 |
Mayors since 1990:
Lendava, Slovenia (2019)
Luohe, China (2019)
Manisa, Turkey (2012)
Pieksämäki, Finland (2000)
Ringsted, Denmark (1973)
Sanok, Poland (2016)
Shusha, Azerbaijan (2013)
Štip, North Macedonia (2002)
Târgu Secuiesc, Romania (1995)
Zeltweg, Austria (1993)
| Towns (2) |
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| Villages (23) | ||
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