Kiskunhalas (; german: Hallasch) is a city in the county of
Bács-Kiskun, Hungary.
Railroad
The city is an important railway junction. It crosses the Budapest-Subotica-Belgrade railway line. The Kiskunfélegyháza railway ends in Kiskunhalas.
Geography
Kiskunhalas is located south 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 ...
. On 20 July 2007, Kiskunhalas recorded a temperature of , which is the highest temperature to have ever been recorded in Hungary.
Name
Kiskunhalas used to be surrounded by lakes that were rich in fish, ''Halas'' in
Hungarian, and this gave rise to the town's name. The other part of the name comes from the Hungarian kiskun-, meaning
Little Cumania
Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt
* ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film
*The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
(Hungarian: ''Kiskunság''); Kun was what the Hungarians called the
Cuman people.
Croats
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...
in Hungary call this town as ''Olaš''. The Croat name came as shortening of its Hungarian name, as it was easier for Croat speakers to pronounce it that way.
History
Its known history goes back to the 9th century. Kiskunhalas has many
archaeological artifacts. These are displayed in the
János Thorma Museum, established in honor of an early 20th-century painter who was born and grew up here.
Several villages were known to have been in the area from 895. The place became significant when the Cumans arrived. Its name is derived from the Hungarian word, ''Kun,'' for the Cumans. The first written documents mentioning ''Halas'' date to 1347.
After 1596, the town lost much of its population due to warfare during the
Ottoman invasion and plague.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Kiskunhalas welcomed the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...
. Until 1754 the city was the center of the region, but after that, its significance declined under Catholic rulers because of the local people's support for Protestantism. A Roman Catholic church was built in 1770. A new Reformed (now called
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
) church was built in 1823.
In 1910 the population reached 25,000.
Gallery
File:Kiskunhalas városháza.JPG
File:Lakóház, részben irodákkal, Kvártélyház (2303. számú műemlék).jpg
File:Sáfrik-féle szélmalom (2302. számú műemlék) 2.jpg
File:Sáfrik-féle szélmalom (2302. számú műemlék) 3.jpg
File:Kiskunhalas kórház Hírnök.JPG
File:Kiskunhalas-református templom.JPG
File:Csipkemúzeum Kiskunhalas.JPG
File:Lace Museum, aerial, Kiskunhalas.jpg
File:Water tower, Kuruc vitézek tere, aerial, Kiskunhalas.jpg
Notable natives and residents
*
János Thorma (1870–1937), a painter and founding member of the influential
Nagybanya artists' colony, was born and grew up here.
*
Zsolt Daczi (1969–2007), hard-rock guitarist, was born here.
*
Erika Miklósa
Sports
The town is the birthplace of the highest ranked Hungarian tennis player
Ágnes Szávay
Ágnes Szávay ( hu, Szávay Ágnes, ; born 29 December 1988) is a former professional tennis player from Hungary. The 2007 WTA Newcomer of the Year achieved her career-high ranking of world No. 13 in April 2008.
Personal life
Szávay was bor ...
(at one time ranked 13th in the world), who has won five
WTA titles.
Twin towns – sister cities
Kiskunhalas is
twinned with:
*
Aizkraule, Latvia
*
Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary
*
Kanjiža
Kanjiža ( sr-Cyrl, Кањижа, pronounced ) formerly Stara Kanjiža ( sr-cyrl, Стара Кањижа; yi, קניזשא; hu, Magyarkanizsa, formerly ''Kanizsa'') is a town and municipality located in the North Banat District of the autonomou ...
, Serbia
*
Kronach
Kronach ( East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach.
Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well ...
, Germany
*
Nowy Sącz, Poland
*
Sfântu Gheorghe
Sfântu Gheorghe (; hu, Sepsiszentgyörgy or ''Szentgyörgy'' ; yi, סנט דזשארדזש; English lit.: ''Saint George'') is the capital city of Covasna County, Romania. Located in the central part of the country and in the historical regio ...
, Romania
*
Subotica, Serbia
See also
*
Cuman people
References
External links
* in Hungarian
{{Authority control
Populated places in Bács-Kiskun County
Towns in Hungary