The Szeged Open Air (Theatre) Festival (first held in 1931) is one of the main attractions, held every summer and celebrated as the Day of the City on 21 May.
It is possible that the nameSzeged is amutated and truncated form of the final syllables ofPartiscum, the name of a Roman colony founded in the 2nd century, on or near the site of modern Szeged. InLatin language contexts,Partiscum has long been assumed to be synonymous withSzeged. The Latin name is also the basis of the city'sGreek nameΠαρτίσκονPartiskon.
However,Szeged might instead have originated (or been influenced by) an oldHungarian word for "corner" (szeg), pointing to the turn of the riverTisza that flows through the city. Others say it derives from the Hungarian wordsziget which means "island". Others still contend thatszeg means "dark blond" (sötétszőkés) – a reference to the color of the water where the riversTisza andMaros merge.[5]
Szeged has a variety of names in languages other than Hungarian. These are usually formed by the addition of a suffix-in to the Hungarian name:Romanian:Seghedin;German:Szegedin orSegedin;Serbo-Croatian:Segedin/Сегедин;Italian:Seghedino;Latvian:Segeda;Lithuanian:Segedas;Polish:Segedyn;Slovak andCzech:Segedín;Turkish:Segedin.
Szeged and its area have been inhabited since ancient times.Ptolemy mentions the oldest known name of the city:Partiscum (Ancient Greek: Πάρτισκον[6]). It is possible thatAttila, king of theHuns had his seat somewhere in this area. The name Szeged was first mentioned in 1183, in a document of KingBéla III.
In the second century AD there was aRomantrading post established on an island in theTisza, and the foundations of the Szeged castle suggest that the structure may have been built over an even earlier fort. Today only one corner of the castle still remains standing.[7]
During theMongol invasion the town was destroyed and its inhabitants fled to the nearby swamps, but they soon returned and rebuilt their town. In the 14th century, during the reign ofLouis the Great, Szeged became the most important town of Southern Hungary, and – as theTurkish armies got closer to Hungary – the strategic importance of Szeged grew. KingSigismund of Luxembourg had awall built around the town. Szeged was raised tofree royal town status in 1498.
Szeged was first pillaged by theOttoman Army on 28 September 1526, but was occupied only in 1543, and became an administrative centre of the Ottomans (seeOttoman Hungary). The town was asanjak centre first inBudin Eyaleti (1543–1596), after inEğri Eyaleti. The town was freed from Turkish rule on 23 October 1686, and regained the free royal town status in 1715. In 1719, Szeged received itscoat of arms (still used today) fromCharles III. During the next several years, Szeged grew and prospered.Piarist monks arrived in Szeged in 1719 and opened a new grammar school in 1721. Szeged also held scientific lectures and theatrical plays. These years brought not only prosperity but also enlightenment. Between 1728 and 1744witch trials were frequent in the town, with theSzeged witch trials of 1728–29 perhaps being the largest. The witch trials were instigated by the authorities, who decided on this measure to remove the problem of the public complaints about the drought and its consequences of famine and epidemics by laying the responsibility on people among them, which had fraternized with the Devil. In 1720, the ethnicHungarian population of the town numbered about 13000 to 16000, while the number of theSerb inhabitants was 1300.[8]
The first printing press was established in 1801, and the old town hall and the civil hospital were built at the same time.[9]
Szeged is known as the home ofpaprika, a spice made from dried, powderedcapsicum fruits. Paprika arrived in Hungary in the second half of the 16th century as an ornamental plant. About 100 years later the plant was cultivated as an herb, and paprika as we know it.[10] Szeged is also famous for theirszekelygulyas, agoulash made withpork,sauerkraut andsour cream.[11] And also famous for theirhalászlé,fish soup made ofcarp andcatfish.
The citizens of Szeged played an important part in theHungarian Revolution of 1848.Lajos Kossuth delivered his famous speech here. Szeged was the last seat of the revolutionary government in July 1849. TheHabsburg rulers punished the leaders of the town, but later Szeged began to prosper again; the railway reached it in 1854, and the town got its free royal town status back in 1860. Mark Pick's shop – the predecessor of today's PickSalami Factory – was opened in 1869.
Szeged during the flood of 1879
Today the inner city of Szeged has wide avenues. This is mainly due to the greatflood of 1879, which wiped away the whole town (only 265 of the 5723 houses remained and 165 people died). EmperorFranz Joseph visited the town and promised that "Szeged will be more beautiful than it used to be". He kept his promise, and during the next years a new, modern city emerged from the ruins, with palaces and wide streets.
After theFirst World War Hungary lost its southern territories toSerbia, as a result Szeged became a city close to theborder, and its importance lessened, but as it took over roles that formerly belonged to the now lost cities, it slowly recovered. Following the Loss ofTransylvania to Romania, University of Kolozsvár (nowCluj-Napoca), moved to Szeged in 1921 (seeUniversity of Szeged). In 1923 Szeged took over the role ofepiscopal seat from Temesvár (nowTimișoara, Romania). It was briefly occupied by theRomanian army duringHungarian-Romanian War in 1919. It also became a center for right-wing forces which would installMiklós Horthy as the country's new leader after the overthrow of theHungarian Soviet Republic.[12] During the 1920s the Jewish population of Szeged grew and reached its zenith.
Swimmers at Szeged, 1939
Szeged suffered heavily duringWorld War II. 6,000 inhabitants of the city were killed, In 1941, there were 4,161 Jews living in Szeged. After, March 19, 1944German occupation, they were confined to aghetto together with the Jews from surrounding villages. In June, 1944, the ghetto was liquidated. TheNazis murdered the larger part of the 8,500 and some were forced intoforced labor in Strasshof Labor camp, Austria.[13] Szeged was captured bySoviet troops of the2nd Ukrainian Front on 11 October 1944 in the course of theBattle of Debrecen. During the communist era, Szeged became a centre oflight industry andfood industry. In 1965,oil was found near the city.[citation needed]
In 1962, Szeged became the county seat ofCsongrád. Whole new districts were built, and many nearby villages (e.g.Tápé,Szőreg, Kiskundorozsma,Szentmihálytelek,Gyálarét) were annexed to the city in 1973 (as was a tendency during theCommunist era).
Today's Szeged is an important university town and a tourist attraction.
TheSzeged Symphony Orchestra (Szegedi Szimfonikus Zenekar) gives regular concerts at the Szegedi Nemzeti Színház.[14]
Szeged is situated near the southern border ofHungary, just to the south of the mouth of theMaros River, on both banks of theTisza River, nearly in the centre of theCarpathian Basin. The Hungarian frontier with Serbia is just outside the town.
Szeged's climate is transitional betweenhumid subtropical (KöppenCfa) andhumid continental (KöppenDfa), with cold winters, hot summers, and fairly low precipitation. Due to the high hours of sunlight reported annually, Szeged is often calledCity of Sunshine (Napfény városa).[15] On 23 July 2022, a maximum temperature of 40.1 °C (104.2 °F) was registered in Szeged.[16]
Attila József Study and Information Centre, the most recent building atUniversity of Szeged
The city of Szeged has 62kindergartens, 32 elementary schools and 18 high schools. The two most prominent high schools (Ságvári Endre Gyakorló Gimnázium andRadnóti Miklós Kísérleti Gimnázium) are in the top fifteen in the country.
Szeged is the higher education centre of theSouthern Great Plain and has built quite a reputation for itself. Thousands of students study here, many of whom are foreigners. TheUniversity of Szeged is according to the number of students thesecond largest and the4th oldest university of Hungary being established in 1581. Ranked as the top university of the country onAcademic Ranking of World Universities – 2005, and in the top 100 in Europe, it offers several programs on different fields of study.
TheELI-ALPS research institute under construction in 2017
TheBiological Research Centre of theHungarian Academy of Sciences, which was built with the help ofUNESCO funds, has also been a considerable source of advanced research. Scientists at this laboratory were first in the world to produceartificial heredity material in the year 2000. The building has served as a home to many well known conferences and continues to make contributions to the world of science.
TheSzent-Györgyi Albert Agóra is a cultural scientific centre of Szeged which gives home to laboratories of the Biological Research Centre and to exhibitions of theJohn von Neumann Computer Society especially their IT historical exposition.
In 2018 the new scientific institution, theELI Attosecond Light Pulse Source (ELI-ALPS) opened in Szeged establishing a unique facility which provides light sources within an extremely broad frequency range in the form of ultrashort pulses with high repetition rate which is needed for different kinds of physical experiments especially in the field ofattosecond physics.[19]
It is also one of the main options for medical students who come from all around Europe to study Medicine in their recognized international campus.
The new office building of theEPAM Systems, completed and opened in September 2017
Szeged is one of the centres of food industry in Hungary, especially known for itspaprika and companies likePick Szeged,Sole-Mizo,Bonafarm etc. Other notable companies having their headquarters in Szeged areAMSY International,[22] RRE – Szeged,[23] Optiwella,[24] Generál Printing House,[25] RotaPack,[26] Sanex Pro,[27] Agroplanta,[28] Karotin,[29] Florin,[30] Quadrotex[31] and Szeplast.[32]
The Budapest-Szeged-rail line is an important rail connection, as well as the railway lines 121 (to Makó), 135 (to Hódmezővásárhely), 136 (to Röszke) and 140 (to Kiskunfélegyháza).[39]
Atram-train system was constructed and inaugurated in November 2021, connecting Szeged with the neighbouringHódmezővásárhely, thus creating the second most populousurban agglomeration in the country, after the capital. There was a proposal for its extension, even through the Serbian border, toSubotica.
The city is also a common stop for national and international long-distance buses.
Public transport in Szeged is provided bySzeged Transport Ltd. (Hungarian:Szegedi Közlekdési Társaság orSZKT), owned by the municipal government, andVolánbusz, owned by the national government. Forming the backbone of SZKT's network are 5tram lines and 6 trolleybus lines, which are supplemented by 38 bus lines.[40]Hungarian State Railways operates regional and intercity trains, as well as international trains toSubotica.
Motorcycle speedway has had a long association with the city. The first track was at the SZEAC athletics stadium (also known as the Felső Tisza-parti Stadion or Városi stadion), which was located where the Pick Aréna is today.[41] The venue hosted finals of theHungarian Individual Speedway Championship.
From 1978, the Volán speedway club moved to a new track built on Napos út at Béke telepi. This venue held important events, including qualifying rounds of theSpeedway World Championship in 1983 and 1984[42][43] and a qualifying round of theSpeedway World Team Cup in 1988 and 1990.[44] The track closed, partly because of noise issues in a residential area, resulting in the speedway moving out of the city, 25 kilometres west, near to Mórahalom (46°10′14″N19°54′49″E / 46.17056°N 19.91361°E /46.17056; 19.91361).
The current mayor of Szeged isLászló Botka (Association for Szeged).
The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the2019 local government elections, is made up of 33 members (1 Mayor, 23 Individual constituencies MEPs and 9 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:[45]
^Klaudios Ptolemaios. Handbuch der Geographie. Griechisch-Deutsch. Herausgegeben von Alfred Stückelberger und Gerd Graßhoff. Schwabe Verlag Basel. 2006, p. 310-311
^Ádám Fejér, Magyarok és szlávok. (Konferencia, Szeged, 1991. május 30-31). Szerk. Fejér Ádám, H. Tóth Imre stb. (Kiad. a JATE Szláv Filológiai Tansz.), József Attila Tudományegyetem, 1993, p. 262,ISBN9789634819929
^Farkas, József (1985).Szeged Története 2 1686-1849 (in Hungarian). p. 699.
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