The area along theDanube River has been inhabited by varying cultures since ancient times. The first large settlement dates back to the 5th century BCE; the inhabitants wereCelts. They called the townAra Bona "Good altar", later contracted toArrabona, a name which was used until the eighth century. Its shortened form is still used as the German (Raab) and Slovak (Ráb) names of the city.
Roman merchants moved to Arrabona during the 1st century BCE. Around 10 CE, the Roman army occupied the northern part of Western Hungary, which they calledPannonia. Although the Roman Empire abandoned the area in the 4th century due to constant attacks by the tribes living to the east, the town remained inhabited.
Around 500 the territory was settled bySlavs, in 547 by theLombards, and in 568–c. 800 by theAvars, at that time underFrankish andSlavic influence. During this time it was calledRabba and laterRaab. Between 880 and 894, it was part ofGreat Moravia, and then briefly underEast Frankish dominance.
TheMagyars occupied the town around 900 and fortified the abandoned Roman fortress.Stephen I, the first king of Hungary, founded anepiscopate there. The town received its Hungarian nameGyőr, which likely derives from Old Hungarian personal name Győr, who could be the county's firstcount.[8] The town was affected by all the trials and tribulations of the history of Hungary: it was occupied by Mongols during theMongol invasion (1241–1242) and then was destroyed by theCzech army in 1271.
After the disastrousbattle of Mohács, BaronTamás Nádasdy and CountGyörgy Cseszneky occupied the town for KingFerdinand I whileJohn Zápolya also was attempting to annex it. During theOttoman occupation of present-day central and eastern Hungary[9] (1541 - late 17th century), Győr's commander Kristóf Lamberg thought it would be futile to try to defend the town from the Turkish army. He burned down the town and the Turkish forces found nothing but blackened ruins, hence the Turkish name for Győr,Yanık kale ("burnt castle").
During rebuilding, the town was surrounded with a castle and a city wall designed by the leading Italian builders of the era. The town changed in character during these years, with many new buildings built inRenaissance style, but the main square and the grid of streets remained.
In 1594, after the death of CountJános Cseszneky, captain of Hungarian footsoldiers, the Ottoman army occupied the castle and the town. In 1598 the Hungarian and Austrian army took control of it again and occupied it.[10] During the Turkish occupation the city was called Yanık Kala (burned place, as a reference to the enormous damages caused by the siege).[11]
In 1683, the Turks returned briefly, only to leave after being defeated in theBattle of Vienna.
During the following centuries, the town became prosperous. In 1743 Győr was elevated tofree royal town status byMaria Theresa. The religious orders ofJesuits andCarmelites settled there, building schools, churches, a hospital, and a monastery.
On 14 June 1809, during theWar of the Fifth Coalition, this was the site of the Battle of Győr (Battle of Raab), where the army ofEugène de Beauharnais defeated the Hungarian "noble insurrection" (militia) and an Austrian corps under the ArchdukesJoseph andJohann. Napoleon's forces occupied the castle and had some of its walls blown up. The leaders of the town soon realized that the old ramparts were not useful any more. Most of the ramparts were destroyed, allowing the town to expand.
Allied bombing raid against Győr, late 1944
In the mid-19th century, Győr's role in trade grew assteamship traffic on the River Danube began. The town lost its importance in trade when the railway line between Budapest andKanizsa superseded river traffic after 1861. The town leaders compensated for this loss with industrialisation. The town prospered until World War II when several buildings were destroyed. Some large-scalestrategic bombing devastated industrial and residential areas as well as the airport. It was targeted because theRába factory was a main tank (Turán) and aeroplane (Bf 109) producer. One of these raids destroyed some parts of the maternity hospital.[12]
The 1950s and '60s brought more change: only big blocks of flats were built, and the old historical buildings were not given care or attention. In the 1970s the reconstruction of the city centre began; old buildings were restored and reconstructed. In 1989 Győr won the European award for the protection of monuments.[citation needed]
A 100-year-old Raba factory on the River Danube close to the historical centre is to be replaced by a new community called Városrét. The mixed-use community will have residential and commercial space as well as schools, clinics and parks.
Győr's climate is classified asoceanic climate (KöppenCfb) closely bordering on ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa). Among them, the annual average temperature is 11.1 °C (52.0 °F), the hottest month in July is 21.6 °C (70.9 °F), and the coldest month is 0.3 °C (32.5 °F) in January. The annual precipitation is 569.6 millimetres (22.43 in), of which July is the wettest with 64.8 millimetres (2.55 in), while February is the driest with only 26.9 millimetres (1.06 in). The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from −22.1 °C (−7.8 °F) on December 28, 1996, to 40.6 °C (105.1 °F) on August 8, 2013.
The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: theMosoni-Danube,Rába, andRábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr's bishops, can be easily recognized by its incomplete tower. Győr's oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the 15th-century Gothic Dóczy Chapel. The cathedral, originally inRomanesque style, was rebuilt inGothic andBaroque style.
The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the2024 local government elections, is made up of 23 members (1 Mayor, 16 Individual constituencies MEPs and 6 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:[23]
In Győr, several main transport routes meet each other (M1, M19, 1, 14, 81, 82, 83, 85), and the motorway is accessible from several parts of the city.Győr-Pér Airport can be reached from the city on Highway 81, 15 kilometers towards Székesfehérvár. At the 1,734 km (1,077 mi) section of theDanube lies the port of Győr-Gönyű with its fully equipped 25 hectare serving terminal. However, the airport is not currently operating any passenger flights. The nearest passenger airports areBratislava Airport which is 90 km away andVienna International Airport which is 117 km away from Győr. Budapest'sFerenc Liszt International Airport is also at a reasonable distance, it is located 159 km away from the city.
Győr is the home of the Győri ETO Sport Club, which has many sport divisions. The most popular sport in the city is handball, with theGyőri ETO KC being the city's main team. ETO won theChampions League in2013,2014,2017,2018,2019 and in2024 and also reached the final in2009,2012 and in2016. In addition, Győr reached the final of theEHF Cup Winners' Cup in 2006 and the final of theEHF Cup in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005. The men's handball team,ETO-SZESE Győr FKC also plays in thefirst division.
