Nagykálló | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of Nagykálló | |
| Coordinates:47°53′N21°51′E / 47.883°N 21.850°E /47.883; 21.850 | |
| Country | |
| County | Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg |
| District | Nagykálló |
| Area | |
• Total | 68.55 km2 (26.47 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
• Total | 10,483 |
| • Density | 152.9/km2 (396.1/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 4320 |
| Area code | (+36) 42 |
| Website | nagykallo |
Nagykálló (Yiddish:קאלוב,romanized: Kaliv) is a smalltown inSzabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in theNorthern Great Plainregion of easternHungary. BeforeWorld War II it belonged toSzabolcs county.
14 km (9 mi) from county seatNyíregyháza.
Nagykálló was already anoppidum (market town) in the 14th century. Its name probably comes from the old wordkálló meaning "gathering place".Nagy means "large"; this prefix was used to differentiate between Nagykálló and the nearby Kiskálló ("small Kálló"), which later became a part of Nagykálló.
In 1315 KingCharles Robert granted the town rights to hold a market, later the county councils were held here, thus the town became the centre of the region. After the Ottomans burnt the town in 1556, the citizens built a stone castle for defence. In 1603István Bocskai settledHajdúk in the town. After his death they moved toHajdúböszörmény, but Nagykálló remained an important industrial centre. It was the property of the Kállay de Nagy-Kálló family.
In 1630George II Rákóczi occupied the town and issued the Proclamation of Independence here.Francis II Rákóczi attacked the castle on July 29, 1703 (first battle of the war for freedom) and occupied it the following day. In 1704 he ordered the castle to be destroyed (it was destroyed only later, in 1709). In 1747 the town became the county seat of Szabolcs county, but this role was taken over by Nyíregyháza in 1867. Nagykálló was granted town status again in 1989.