Kaposvár (; also known by other alternative names) is a

city with county rights A city with county rights (or urban county, Hungarian: ''megyei jogú város'', MJV) is a level of administrative subdivision in Hungary. Since 1994 all county seats are automatically awarded this status, and since 2012 this is the only way a new ...

in the southwestern part of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

, south of

Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and ...

. It is one of the leading cities of

Transdanubia Transdanubia ( hu, Dunántúl; german: Transdanubien, hr, Prekodunavlje or ', sk, Zadunajsko :sk:Zadunajsko) is a traditional region of Hungary. It is also referred to as Hungarian Pannonia, or Pannonian Hungary. Administrative divisions Trad ...

, the capital of

Somogy County Somogy ( hu, Somogy megye, ; hr, Šomođska županija; sl, Šomodska županija, german: Komitat Schomodei) is an administrative county (comitatus or ''megye'') in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary. Somogy County lies ...

, and the seat of the

Kaposvár District Kaposvár ( hu, Kaposvári járás) is a district in the central-eastern part of Somogy County. ''Kaposvár'' is also the name of the town where the district and county seat is found. The district is located in the Southern Transdanubia Statistica ...

and the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Kaposvár The Diocese of Kaposvár ( la, Dioecesis Kaposvarensis) is a Latin Rite suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Veszprém, in southwestern Hungary. Its cathedral episcopal, Our Lady of the Assumption ...

Etymology and names

The name ''Kaposvár'' is derived from the Hungarian words ''kapu'' (gate) and ''vár'' (castle). Variants of the city's name include ''Ruppertsburg'' / ''Ruppertsberg'' / ''Kopisch'' (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

), ''Kapoşvar'' ( Turkish), ''Rupertgrad'' ( Slovene), and ''Kapošvar'' ( Croatian).

Symbols

The shield of Kaposvár features a castle with a rounded arch port surmounted by three

battlements A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

with loopholes on a hill of green grass. The flag of Kaposvár consists of the coat of arms placed over a yellow background.

Geography

Kaposvár is surrounded by the hills of the outer Somogy area around the Kapos river and the forests of Zselic. It lies southwest of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

. Historically, Kaposvár was a crossroads for trade which arrived by the Kapos river. The river also posed a hazard to the river valley region, and flood defense mechanisms were constructed to reduce the threat. Today, the city is a growing junction for railways and other transportation, such as the European Railway line from Budapest towards the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

History

Pre-Hungarian conquest

According to legend, the area of Kaposvár has been inhabited since around 5,000 BCE and the city itself was founded on seven hills. By around 400 BCE, Celtic tribes populated most of the area. From around 9 AD to 433 AD, it was a part of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

province of Pannonia. After the Roman withdrawal, tribes of

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

Illyrians The Illyrians ( grc, Ἰλλυριοί, ''Illyrioi''; la, Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, a ...

, and other groups inhabited the area. By 900 AD, there were Slavic and German villages in the area.

Middle Ages

The name of the settlement was first recorded in 1009 as Kapos in

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

's memorandum of association, which established the borders of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Pécs The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pécs ( Hungarian: ''Pécsi Egyházmegye'', la, Dioecesis Quinque Ecclesiensis) is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Hungary. The Cathedral of Pécs is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint P ...

. In 1061,

Atha ''Atha'' is a monotypic moth genus in the family Oecophoridae. Its only species, ''Atha trimacula'', is found in Chile. Both the genus and species were described by John Frederick Gates Clarke in 1978. The wingspan The wingspan (or just spa ...

, the lord lieutenant of Somogy, founded a Benedictine

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

in the settlement. The first castle in Kapos was built in the 1200s by King

Béla IV Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá, derived from ''bílá'' (''wh ...

in response to the Mongol invasion of Hungary.

Ottoman Rule

In the decades after the

Battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács (; hu, mohácsi csata, tr, Mohaç Muharebesi or Mohaç Savaşı) was fought on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, Kingdom of Hungary, between the forces of the Kingdom of Hungary and its allies, led by Louis II, and thos ...

, Ottoman troops of Suleiman occupied the area, capturing the city's castle in September 1555 after a five day siege. The Ottomans occupied the city for 131 years, using it as a military camp and small administrative center. In 1686, Habsburg troops reconquered the castle, city, and its surrounding area from the Ottomans.

Habsburg Rule

At the beginning of the 18th century, the city entered into a period of decline. The castle of Kapos was razed by the Habsburgs in 1702, and the remaining structures were destroyed in Rákóczi's War of Independence. The

Esterházy family The House of Esterházy, also spelled Eszterházy (), is a Hungarian noble family with origins in the Middle Ages. From the 17th century, the Esterházys were the greatest landowner magnates of the Kingdom of Hungary, during the time that it ...

was responsible in part for the reconstruction and resettlement of the city. Kaposvár gained the right to hold markets in 1703, the first school was built in 1715, and a new church was built in 1748. In 1749, it was designated as the county seat and since then it has been the chief town of its county. Between 1710 and 1780, the population of the city doubled. In the 1800s, Kaposvár developed into an industrial hub, in part because of its location on the railway line between Buda and

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

. Also during the 19th century, new medical and cultural institutions were founded in the city such as a pharmacy, general hospital, and county library. The

city center A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

also developed during this period, with the construction of the county hall and town hall.

Hungarian Revolution

The citizens of Kaposvár supported the

Hungarian Revolution of 1848 The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 or fully Hungarian Civic Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 () was one of many European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. Although t ...

, and the city rose up against the Habsburgs. The city was initially occupied by the Habsburgs, but the insurrectionists eventually took control. The sheriff of Kaposvár, Gáspár Noszlopy, led a territorial army and took control of Somogy County for three months. However, the independence movement failed and the city again fell under foreign rule.

Austro-Hungarian Rule

Under Austro-Hungarian rule, Kaposvár continued to grow and develop. The Donner district was established on the south side of the Kapos river, and a newspaper and casino were established in 1866. In 1872, a rail line was finished which ran through the city, as opposed to previous lines which only reached its outskirts. By the turn of the 20th century, numerous industrial companies were based in the city, including a large sugar factory and grain processing plant. The city shifted from agricultural production, and its urban area grew. The first planned city development was constructed while István Németh was mayor of the city from 1895 to 1911. Kaposvár Nagyboldogasszony Székesegyház

The cultural portfolio of the city grew at this time as well. The ''Somogyi Hírlap'', its first daily newspaper, was first issued in April 1904. In September 1911, a new theater opened, which was the largest and most modern theater in Hungary at the time. Additionally, film prospered in the city, and three cinemas were opened in the first decade of the 1900s.

20th century

During World War I, Kaposvár experienced hardship, and strikes and left wing ideas gained traction in the city. During the period of Revolutions and interventions from 1918 to 1920, agricultural associations were formed and industrial plants were socialized. However, the revolution ultimately failed and the city again fell into recession. In the 1930s, Kaposvár transitioned from an industrial city to a commercial and administrative center. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

reached the city, almost one thousand inhabitants were killed or disappeared. In March 1944, German soldiers entered the city and deported its Jewish population. In December 1944, Soviet troops captured the city. After World War II, Kaposvár was able to recover quickly because the war did not cause much infrastructural destruction. New political parties formed, such as the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

and Country Party. Under Communist rule, socialist industrialization commenced, with a new textile factory, meat plant, and electrical site. However, much of the small industry in the city disappeared. In 1956, Kaposvár joined the Hungarian revolution against the Soviets, but on 4 November Soviet tanks put down the insurrection in the city. After the 1956 revolution, the city's administrative border grew, and it incorporated several neighboring municipalities including Kaposszentjakab in 1950, Kaposfüred and Toponár in 1970, and Töröcske in 1973.

Tourism

Kaposvár is home to numerous tourist sites, including: * Cathedral of Kaposvár *

Csiky Gergely Theatre The Gergely Csiky Theatre is a theatre in Kaposvár, Hungary. Opening in 1911, the theatre became a major cultural center in Somogy County, with its company achieving their greatest successes between 1970–1985. The building Designed by the w ...

- one of the biggest theatres in Hungary * Ruins of

Zselicszentjakab Abbey The Zselicszentjakab Abbey was a Benedictine monastery established at Zselicszentjakab (now Kaposszentjakab) in Somogy County in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1061. Its founder was the Palatine Otto of the Győr clan. The monastery was dedicated to ...

( Romanesque and

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

) *

Stadion Kaposvár Rákóczi Stadion (Greek , Latin ''stadium'', nominative plural ''stadia'' in both Greek and Latin) may refer to: People * Christoph von Stadion (1478–1543), Prince-Bishop of Augsburg * Johann Philipp Stadion, Count von Warthausen (1763–1824), Austrian ...

University of Kaposvár The University of Kaposvár is a university in Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the no ...

* Lake Deseda

Demographics

Kaposvár is the most populous city in

and the second most populous city in Southern Transdanubia after Pécs. The majority of its population is Hungarian people, Hungarian (85.6%) according to the 2011 census. The largest minority ethnic group is the Romani people in Hungary, Roma (2.2%), the second largest are the Hungarian Germans, Germans (1.1%) and third are the Croats in Hungary, Croats (0.2%). Religious affiliation of the citizens show a significant Catholic Church in Hungary, Roman Catholic (44.7%) and Hungarian Greek Catholic Church, Greek Catholic (0.2%) and considerable Reformed Church in Hungary, Calvinist (5.4%) and Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary, Lutheran (1.5%) communities. 18.1% are Non-religious.KSH - Kaposvár, 2011
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Economy

Kaposvár is still an industrial city and is home to companies such as the Austrian house construction company Wolf System, the Hungarian agricultural company KITE, Turkish textile producer Metyx''.'' and only sugar factory in the country Magyar Cukor Zrt.

Politics

The current mayor of Kaposvár is Károly Szita (''Fidesz–KDNP, Fidesz-KDNP''). The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 Hungarian local elections, 2019 local government elections, is made up of 18 members (1 Mayor, 12 Individual constituencies MEPs and 5 Compensation List MEPs) divided into these political parties and alliances:

Sports

Kaposvár is a "National City of Sport" in Hungary. The most popular sports in the city are football, volleyball, and basketball. The most popular sports team in the city is Kaposvári Rákóczi FC who play in the

Notable residents

Twin Towns – Sister Cities

Kaposvár is Sister city, twinned with: * Bath, Somerset, Bath, England, United Kingdom * Cần Thơ, Vietnam * Darkhan (city), Darkhan, Mongolia * Glinde, Schleswig-Holstein, Glinde, Germany * Koprivnica, Croatia * Miercurea Ciuc, Romania * Rauma, Finland, Rauma, Finland * Saint-Sébastien-sur-Loire, France * Schio, Italy * Tver, Russia * Üsküdar, Turkey

Partnerships

Kaposvár also cooperates with: * Cixi, Zhejiang, Cixi, China * Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Villach, Austria

Gallery

File:Kaposvár.jpg, The city centre File:Kaposvár Csiky Gergely Színház.JPG,

File:Kaposvár pénzügyi palota.JPG, Palace of Finances of Kaposvár File:Rippl-Rónai múzeum.jpg, The County Hall of Somogy and the Rippl-Rónai Museum File:Kaposvár Bors Napkerék.JPG, A statue in the city centre File:Kaposvár Mária oszlop.JPG, The Rococo Maria Column is one symbol of the city File:Kaposvár 1956 emlékmű.JPG, Monument of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 File:Kaposvár Berzsenyi Dániel Általános Iskola.JPG, Dániel Berzsenyi Elementary School File:Kaposvár Temesvár utca.jpg, Temesvár street File:Kaposvar House of Rippl-Ronai.jpg, House of József Rippl-Rónai File:Kaposvári Egyetem 2011.JPG,

References

;Notes