Kisvárda

Kisvárda (pronounced [ˈkiʃvaːrdɒ]; German: Kleinwardein, Yiddish: קליינווארדיין‎ Kleynvardeyn) is a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary near the border of Slovakia and Ukraine. It is the 3rd largest town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg after Nyíregyháza and Mátészalka with a population of 16 669 people. The Subregion of Kisvárda lies between two large landscapes, the Nyírség and the Rétköz. Kisvárda is just 22 km (14 mi) from the border of Ukraine, 30 km (18.6 mi) from Slovakia, 43.9 km (27.3 mi) from Nyíregyháza, 50 km (31 mi) from Ungvár (Uzhorod), 52.1 km (32.4 mi) from Beregszász (Berehove), 52.9 km (32.9 mi) from Sátoraljaújhely and 80 km (50 mi) from Dorolţ, Romania.

Kisvárda

Kleinwardein (in German)
קליינווארדיין / Kleynvardeyn (in Yiddish)
Town
Rétköz Museum
Flag
Coat of arms
Kisvárda
Coordinates: 48°13′N 22°05′E
CountryHungary
CountySzabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg
DistrictKisvárda
Area
 • Total35.91 km2 (13.86 sq mi)
Population
 (2012)
 • Total16,473
 • Density502.03/km2 (1,300.3/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
4600
Area code(+36) 45
Websitewww.kisvarda.hu

Etymology

The name of the town, which means "little castle" in Hungarian, dates back to the Conquest of Hungary. The conquering Hungarians named the town for its earthwork. In the Middle Ages, it occurred like Warda and Warada in documents. The "kis" (meaning little) word part was added to differentiate the town from Nagyvárad (now Oradea, Romania), "nagy" meaning great or large.

Coat of arms

The red and white stripes on the shield symbolize the Árpád Dynasty, the medieval kings of Hungary. The sword with the Sun and green background shows the heroic knights of Kisvárda. The scales represents the town's trade and markets. In the middle of the shield there is the Castle of Kisvárda in gold. There is a winged dragon around the shield biting its tail. This is the insignia of the Order of the Dragon which derives from the Várday family's coat of arms.

History

The conquering Hungarians found a hill fort here in 895 which then they used for their border protection system.

St. Ladislaus defeated the Kuntesk Cuman prince in 1085 in a great fight. In memory of the glorious battle, he had a church established. He dedicated it to St Peter and St Paul Apostles.

In the 12th century, the settlement's importance declined. The castle became the possession of the Swabian-Swedish Gutkeled family. The settlement was the denominator of one branch of the family, the Várdays. The Várday family worked a lot to revive Kisvárda. Shortly the place got their fair housing law.

Pelbárt Várady got permission from the king to build the Castle of Kisvárda in 1415.

In 1421, it became a town. István Várday, the Archbishop of Kalocsa, Matthias Corvinus's chancellor expended the town's autonomy in 1468. At that time, the population of Kisvárda was more than a thousand people. It became the centre of Szabolcs. The first guild was formed in 1591.

Because of the Turkish conquest of Hungary and the economic changes, the town's importance diminished.

Prior to World War II, Kisvárda had a large Jewish community that represented about 30 percent of the town's population. They were confined to a ghetto in 1944, and then deported to Auschwitz. The majority perished there. A small community was re-established after the war, but almost no Jews are left in Kisvárda today. The former synagogue, which remains one of the most imposing structures in Kisvárda, is now a local history museum known as the Rétközi Múzeum.

Economy

Historically, Kisvárda has been a market town for the surrounding agricultural district, and is also has some light industry such as distilling, electrics, and brake pad production. It is on the main railway line from the Hungarian capital of Budapest to Ukraine. Kisvárda also attracts tourists to its thermal springs, and the ruins of a medieval castle.

Notable people
Bertalan Farkas, the first Hungarian astronaut
ByeAlex performing his famous song Kedvesem in a studio
  • Bertalan Farkas, astronaut
  • László Bódi, "Cipő", Hungarian singer, songwriter
  • Krisztina Nyáry (1604-1641)
  • ByeAlex, Hungarian singer, songwriter
  • Sándor Radó, Hungarian psychoanalyst
  • Victor Varconi, Hungarian filmstar who rose to fame in the silent era
  • Arnost Zvi Ehrman (1914-1976), Israeli jurist
  • Belá Hatfalvi (1912-2008), Hungarian medical doctor and oral surgeon

Rabbis
  • Shimon Sofer, Rav of the Hungarian city of Eger
  • Moshe Grunwald Jewish Rabbi, progenitor of the Puppa Hasidic dynasty through his five sons

Politics

Sports

Football

Handball

Other

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Hungary

Twin towns – sister cities

Kisvárda is twinned with:

Sport

References

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