Mezőtúr
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mezőtúr is a town in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in Hungary, located 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 88 miles away by rail. It possesses important potteries. Large herds of cattle are reared on the communal lands, which are productive also of wheat, rapeseed and maize. Several well-attended fairs are held here annually.


Location

Mezőtúr lies in the centre of 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 banks of the Hortobágy-Berettyó, near the Budapest–
Szolnok Szolnok (; also known by #Name and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. A city with county rights, it is located on the banks of the Tisza river, in the heart of the Great Hungarian ...
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 ...
railway line.


History

The town was founded in the
Middle Ages 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 global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
and it was called ''Túr'' after the river Berettyó, which was formerly named Túr. Later it was named Mezőtúr (''mező'' means field, referring to the good soil of the Great Plain.) The town was first mentioned under King Andrew II (1205–1235) as ''villa Tur''. The shortest road between
Buda Buda (, ) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and ...
and
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
led through Mezőtúr, which was the only town in the area having a ferry. Because of this advantage the town prospered and King
Louis the Great Louis I, also Louis the Great (; ; ) or Louis the Hungarian (; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. He was the first child of Charles I of Hungary and his wife, Elizabeth of P ...
made it a market town. In the 15th century it held famous markets, and its importance grew. Mezőtúr was a royal estate until 1378, later it had various owners, and under King
Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. Notable people Notable people named Matthias include the following: Religion * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Isca ...
the town was divided into two parts because it was granted to two different people. During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary, Mezőtúr fell under Ottoman rule in 1562 and was freed in 1692. After the expelling of the Ottomans and during the revolution led by Prince Rákóczi the citizens had to leave the town twice (1692–1699 and 1705–1710). In the 18th century the town began to prosper again, mainly as an agricultural town. After the Ottoman occupation until 1918, Mezőtúr was part of the
Austrian monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ( composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it ...
, province of Hungary; (in
Transleithania The Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen (), informally Transleithania (meaning the lands or region "beyond" the Leitha River), were the Hungarian territories of Austria-Hungary, throughout the latter's entire existence (30 March 1867 – 16 ...
after the
compromise of 1867 The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 (, ) established the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, which was a military and diplomatic alliance of two sovereign states. The Compromise only partially re-established the former pre-1848 sovereign ...
) in the
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
. Following World War One and the instability in Hungary, it became a part of the
Hungarian Kingdom The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
. During World War Two, Mezőtúr was occupied by the
German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
before being fought over by the
Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...
, who captured Mezőtúr in late 1944. The city was damaged; the railway bridge over the Hortobágy-Berettyó river was destroyed, requiring the current one to be built after the war. A monument was erected near the city hall to commemorate the fighting during the war. Starting in the 16th century and going throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Mezotur produced pottery. The pottery industry slowed in the 1950s, but still is a cultural landmark. The post-office was opened in 1853.


Travel

Mezőtúr is a large railroad hub, serviced by
MÁV The Hungarian State Railways (, , formally MÁV Magyar Államvasutak Zártkörűen Működő Részvénytársaság (MÁV Zrt.). The full official name of the company is MÁV-csoport () now commonly known as MÁV) is the Hungarian national rail ...
. The railway station and the nearby storage shed are very old. There are five passenger tracks with three platforms, with an additional three freight tracks and a disused storage track. There are daily trains between Mezőtúr and
Szolnok Szolnok (; also known by #Name and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. A city with county rights, it is located on the banks of the Tisza river, in the heart of the Great Hungarian ...
, Mezőtúr and
Orosháza Orosháza is a city situated in the westernmost part of Békés (county), Békés county, Hungary, on the Békés ridge bordered by the rivers River Maros, Maros and River Körös, Körös. Orosháza is an important culture, cultural, educational ...
-
Mezőhegyes Mezőhegyes is a town in Békés county, in the Southern Great Plain region of south-east Hungary. It is home to the Hungarian State Stud (), founded in 1784 and famous for its Nonius, Furioso-North Star and Gidran breeds of horse. Geography ...
, as well as being on the important Budapest Keleti-Szolnok-
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 ...
-
Lőkösháza Lőkösháza () is a village in Békés County, in the Southern Great Plain region of southeast Hungary. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 1804 (2015). An important railway line crosses the Hungarian-Romanian border here ( ...
railway line with daily trains to
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 ...
, among others. There used to be rail service to the nearby town of
Túrkeve Túrkeve is a town in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, in the Northern Great Plain region of Hungary. Geography It covers an area of . Demographics According to the 2011 census, the total population of Túrkeve was 9,008, of whom there were 87.8% H ...
, but this railroad was closed in the 1960s due to low ridership, and the tracks later removed.


Politics

The current mayor of Mezőtúr is Dániel Szűcs (Fidesz-KDNP). The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 12 members (1 Mayor, 8 Individual constituencies MEPs and 3 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:


Twin towns – sister cities

Mezőtúr is twinned with: * Arcuș, Romania *
Blatná na Ostrove Blatná (; ) is a town in Strakonice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 6,700 inhabitants. It is known for a water castle in the centre of a fishpond, and a landscape garden around it. The historic town centr ...
, Slovakia *
Novi Bečej Novi Bečej (, ) is a town and municipality located in the Central Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 10,967, while Novi Bečej municipality has 19,886 inhabitants (2022 census). Name ...
, Serbia *
Valea Crișului Valea Crișului ( ) is a commune in Covasna County, Transylvania, Romania composed of two villages: Calnic (''Kálnok'') and Valea Crișului. In 2004, the village of Arcuș split away from Valea Crișului to form an independent commune. Histo ...
, Romania *
Maków Podhalański Maków Podhalański (known as ''Maków'' until 1930) is a town in southern Poland, on the Skawa river. Population: 5,738 (2006). Since 1999 situated in Sucha County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship Lesser Poland Voivodeship ( ) is a voivodeships of ...
, Poland


Notable people

*
Leslie Gonda Leslie Gonda (August 20, 1919 – March 16, 2018) was a Hungarian-born American businessman, philanthropist, and Holocaust survivor. He was the co-founder (with his son Louis Gonda) of International Lease Finance Corporation. Early life Gonda wa ...
(1919-2018), American businessman, born there as Lászlo Goldschmied


References


External links

* in Hungarian * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mezotur Populated places in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County