Gyula (; ; or ) is a town in

Békés County Békés (, , ) is an administrative division (county or ''vármegye'') in south-eastern Hungary, on the border with Romania. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Csongrád-Csanád, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, and Hajdú-Bihar. The capital ...

, Hungary. The town is best known for its

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

castle and a

thermal bath A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring (hydrology), spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and Hot spring, ...

Ferenc Erkel Ferenc Erkel ( , ; November 7, 1810June 15, 1893) was a Hungarian composer, conductor and pianist. He was the father of Hungarian grand opera, written mainly on historical themes, which are still often performed in Hungary. He also composed t ...

, the composer of the Hungarian national anthem, and Albrecht Dürer the Elder, the father of

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...

, were also born in Gyula.

Name

Gyula is named after the medieval Hungarian warlord

Gyula III Gyula III, also Iula or Gyula the Younger, Geula or Gyla, was an early medieval ruler in Transylvania ( – 1003/1004). Around 1003, he and his family were attacked, dispossessed and captured by King Stephen I of Hungary (1000/1001-1038). The name " ...

.Antal Papp: Magyarország (Hungary), Panoráma, Budapest, 1982, , p. 860, pp. 453-456 Gyula was also a title among the

Hungarian tribes The Magyar or Hungarian tribes ( , ) or Hungarian clans were the fundamental political units within whose framework the Hungarians (Magyars) lived, before the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin and the subsequent establishment of the Prin ...

and still a common male given name. In

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

, the town is known as or , in German as and in Turkish as .

Geography

Gyula is located in the

Great Hungarian Plain The Great Hungarian Plain (also known as Alföld or Great Alföld, or ) is a plain occupying the majority of the modern territory of Hungary. It is the largest part of the wider Pannonian Plain (however, the Great Hungarian Plain was not par ...

on the River Fehér-Körös, southeast from

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

and from the border with

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. The (Szeged-)Békéscsaba-Gyula-Kötegyán railway line and Highway 44 also cross the town. Highway 44 is a four-lane expressway between Gyula and the county seat

Békéscsaba Békéscsaba (; ; see also #Name, other alternative names) is a city with county rights in southeast Hungary, the capital of Békés County. Geography Békéscsaba is located in the Great Hungarian Plain, southeast from Budapest. Highway 44, 47 ...

.Magyarország autóatlasz, Dimap-Szarvas, Budapest, 2004,

History

The first recorded reference to Gyula was in a document dated 1313 which mentions a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

called Gyulamonostora (''Julamonustra'' in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

). By 1332 the settlement around the monastery was called Gyula. The construction of Gyula Castle began in the 14th century but finished only in the mid-16th century. It was the property of the Maróthy family and later

John Corvinus John Corvinus (, Croatian language, Croatian: ''Ivaniš Korvin'', Romanian language, Romanian: ''Ioan Corvin''; 2 April 1473 – 12 October 1504) was the illegitimate son of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, and his ...

, the illegitimate son of

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus (; ; ; ; ; ) was King of Hungary and King of Croatia, Croatia from 1458 to 1490, as Matthias I. He is often given the epithet "the Just". After conducting several military campaigns, he was elected King of Bohemia in 1469 and ...

. In the beginning of July 1566, an Ottoman army of 27,000–30,000 men led by surrounded the 2,000-strong Gyula castle and laid siege to it. The city defenders surrendered after 59–63 days of siege. No other castle in 16th-century Hungary could hold the besieging Ottoman army for such a long time. Despite securing a deal, the defenders who withdrew on 2 September were looted and many of them were slaughtered by the

Janissaries A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted du ...

. Castle captain was also captured and taken to

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, where he was executed in 1567. From 1566, the town became part of

Ottoman Hungary Ottoman Hungary () encompassed the parts of the Kingdom of Hungary which were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire from the occupation of Buda in 1541 until the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699. The territory was incorporated into the empire, under ...

. During Ottoman rule, it was known as ''Göle'' and was an important sanjak in the centre of the

Temeşvar Eyalet The Province of Temeşvar () was a first-level administrative unit (eyalet) of the Ottoman Empire. It existed from 1552 to 1716. Provincial administration was centered in ''Temeşvar'' (today's Timișoara) from 1552 to 1659, and again from 1693 t ...

. At the end of 1693, Gyula remained the only stronghold of the Ottomans north of the Maros river. In 1694, several Turkish letters sent from the castle were intercepted by the imperial troops, in which they requested the delivery of food from the Turkish army stationed in Temesvár. The Turkish military leadership was unable to deliver food to Gyula. In mid-December 1694, the Turkish castle commander indicated his intention to capitulate. On 21 December, a contract was signed on the surrender of the castle and the free retreat of the guard and the population. Gyula's Turkish guard left the castle on 18 January 1695, and after 129 years, the city was liberated by Christian troops. Due to the wars, most of the native Hungarian population fled from Gyula and

became near uninhabited.Károly Kocsis (DSc, University of Miskolc) – Zsolt Bottlik (PhD, Budapest University) – Patrik Tátrai: Etnikai térfolyamatok a Kárpát-medence határon túli régióiban, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia (Hungarian Academy of Sciences) – Földrajtudományi Kutatóintézet (Academy of Geographical Studies); Budapest; 2006.; , CD Atlas The landowner János Harruckern invited German, Hungarian, and Romanian settlers, who re-established the town in the early 18th century. In 1881, the town had 18,046 inhabitants, of which 12,103 were Hungarians, 2,608 Romanians, 2,124 Germans, 400 Slovaks and 811 of other ethnicities. Gyula became a popular tourist destination in the 20th century. The thermal bath was established in 1942 and expanded in 1959, and the castle was restored in 1962.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the population of Gyula was 31,067, of whom there were 25,895 (83.4%)

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

, 974 (3.1%)

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

, 971 (3.1%)

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

and 102 (0.3%)

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

by ethnicity. In Hungary, people can declare more than one ethnicity, so some people declared Hungarian and a minority one together.2011 Hungarian census, Békés county
/ref> Gyula is the center of the small native Romanian community of Hungary. It has its own newspaper published in Gyula, '' Foaia Românească'' ("The Romanian Sheet"). Gyula also has a school for its Romanian population, the Nicolae Bălcescu Romanian Gymnasium, Primary School and College, as well as a Research Institute of the Romanians of Hungary seated in the town. Furthermore, the

Diocese of Gyula The Diocese of Gyula (; , also or ) is the Romanian Orthodox diocese of the Romanians in Hungary. History The diocese was established in 1999 for the Romanian minority of Hungary, forming part of the Metropolis of Banat. Gyula ( or ), a Hung ...

, the

Romanian Orthodox The Romanian Orthodox Church (ROC; , ), or Romanian Patriarchate, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox Christian churches, and one of the nine patriarchates in the Eastern Orthodox Church. S ...

diocese serving the Romanians in Hungary, is seated in Gyula. The town itself hosts two Romanian Orthodox churches, the and the St. Paraskeva Church. There is also a consulate general of Romania in Gyula. In 2011 there were 5,726 (18.4%)

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, 5,560 (17.9%) Hungarian Reformed (

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

), 606 (2.0%) Orthodox and 507 (1.6%)

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

in Gyula. 8,304 people (26.7%) were

irreligious Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, rationa ...

and 453 (1.5%)

Atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, while 9,012 people (29.0%) did not declare their religion.

Tourist attractions

*Gyula Castle (''Gyulai vár'') *Thermal bath (''Gyulai gyógyfürdő'') *100-year-old confectionery (''100 éves cukrászda'') *Town hall, 1861 (''Városháza'') *Birth house of

(''Erkel Ferenc szülőháza'') *Saint Michael Cathedral, 1825 (''Szent Miklós katedrális'') *Roman Catholic church, 1775-1777 (''Római katolikus templom'') *Roman Catholic chapel, 1738–1752, (''Római katolikus kápolna'')

Politics

The current mayor of Gyula is Dr. Ernő István Görgényi of the Fidesz-KDNP party. The local Municipal Assembly has 14+1 members divided into this political parties and alliances:

Sport

The Christián László Municipal Sports Complex is a municipal sports complex, consisting of 13 hectares of sports facilities, which includes the Himer Center field with an athletics track and a football pitch surrounded by a

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

track. In addition, there are two more full size football pitches, tennis courts, basketball and skateboarding facilities.

Notable people

Born in Gyula

* Béla Bánáthy (1919–2003), social scientist and professor * Zoltán Bay (1900–1992), physicist (born in Gyulavári, now part of Gyula) * Imre Bródy (1891–1944), physicist * Albrecht Dürer the Elder (1427–1502), the father of

(1810–1893), composer *

Imre König Imre König (Koenig) aka Mirko Kenig (February 9, 1901, Kula – September 9, 1992, Santa Monica, California) was a chess master representing Yugoslavia and Great Britain. He was born in Kula, and also lived in Austria, England and the USA du ...

(1901–1992), chess player *

László Krasznahorkai László Krasznahorkai (; born 5 January 1954) is a Hungarian novelist and screenwriter known for difficult and demanding novels, often labeled postmodern, with dystopian and melancholic themes. Several of his works, including his novels '' Sat ...

(born 1954), novelist and screenwriter *

Mihály Mező Mihály Mező (born 1 August 1978, in Gyula), better known as Misi Mező, is a Hungarian singer and musician, most well known for being the lead vocalist for the rock band Magna Cum Laude. Life Mező was raised in Doboz with his parents and ...

(born 1978), singer and musician * (1784–1861), Romanian lawyer, professor, translator and writer * George Pomutz (1818–1882), Romanian-American diplomat and general

Lived in Gyula

* (1974–2013), Hungarian bodybuilding champion *

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

(1881–1945), Hungarian composer

Burials in Gyula

* John Corvin (1473–1504), King of Bosnia, illegitimate son of

* Beatrice de Frangepan (1480–1510), wife of John Corvin

Twin Towns - Sister Cities

Gyula is twinned with: * Arad, Romania (1994) *

Bălți Bălți () is a city in Moldova. It is the second-largest city in terms of population, area and economic importance, after Chișinău. The city holds the status of municipiu. Sometimes called "the northern capital", it is a major industrial, cu ...

, Moldova *

Budrio Budrio ( Eastern Bolognese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy; it is east of Bologna. Budrio is the birthplace of Giuseppe Barilli, better known under his pseudonym of Quirico Filopanti, an ...

, Italy (1965) *

Ditzingen Ditzingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Ditzenge'') is a town in the Ludwigsburg (district), district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located approximately 10 km northwest of Stuttgart, and 12 km southwest of Ludwigs ...

, Germany (1991) *

Droitwich Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester. ...

, United Kingdom (2001) * Krumpendorf,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

(1995) *

Miercurea-Ciuc Miercurea Ciuc (; ; ) is the county seat of Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, a mainly Hungarian-speaking ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania, and is situated in the Olt River valley. The city administers three ...

(1993) * Schenkenfelden,

(1997) *

Zalău Zalău (, unofficial and former official name: (; or , , ) is the seat of Sălaj County, Romania. In 2021, its estimated population was 52,359. History Ancient times Zalău is situated in the area inhabited by "Free Dacians", away from the h ...

(1991)

References

External links

* in Hungarian {{Authority control Populated places in Békés County Hungary–Romania border crossings Thermal baths in Hungary Romanian communities in Hungary