47°14N 16°38E, pop (2000e) 83 300. Capital of Vas county, W Hungary, on R Gyöngyös; bishopric; railway; chemicals, textiles, timber; cathedral, 14th-c Franciscan church, 17th-c Dominican church, Garden of Ruins with excavations of 4th-c imperial palace.
Coordinates: 47.23512° 16.62191°
Szombathely| Country: | Hungary |
| County: | Vas |
| Area: | 97.52 km² |
|
Population (2005): - Density: |
80,154 821.92/km² |
| Postal code: | 9700 |
| Area code: | 94 |
| Coordinates: | 47.23512° N 16.62191° E |
Szombathely (Latin: Savaria/Sabaria, German: Steinamanger, Croatian: Sambotel, Slovenian: Sombotel, Slovak: Kamenec, Serbian: Sombathelj or Сомбатхељ) is a city in Hungary.
Location
Szombathely lies by the streams Perint and Gyöngyös, at 47°14′N 16°38′E, where the Alpokalja (Lower Alps) mountains meet the Little Hungarian Plain.
The German name Steinamanger means "stones on a field" (Stein am Anger), and it refers to the ruins of the Roman city Savaria.
The Latin name Savaria or Sabaria comes from Sibaris, the Latin name for the stream Gyöngyös.
History
Savaria, the Roman city
Szombathely is the oldest city in Hungary.
After the death of Emperor Valentianus the Huns invaded Pannonia and Attila's armies occupied Savaria between 441 and 445.
Savaria/Szombathely in the Middle Ages
The city remained inhabited in spite of all the difficulties. Its city walls were restored, many new (although less magnificent) buildings were built using the stones from the destroyed Roman buildings.
In the 6th–8th centuries the city was inhabited by Avar and Slavic tribes.
King Arnulf of the Franks gave the city to the archbishop of Salzburg in 805.
In 1009 Stephen I gave the city to the newly founded Diocese of Győr.
Szombathely was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Hungary in 1241-1242 but was rebuilt shorty after and was granted Free Royal Town status in 1407.
The city prospered until 1605 when it was occupied by the armies of István Bocskai.
Szombathely in modern times
During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary the Ottomans invaded the area twice, first in 1664, when they were defeated at the nearby town Szentgotthárd, and later in 1683, when they wanted to occupy Vienna but were defeated, and pillaged many towns on their way back; but the city walls protected Szombathely both times.
During the revolution the city supported the prince, but was occupied by the Habsburg armies in 1704.
In June 1710 2000 people lost their lives in a plague, and on May 3, 1716 the city was destroyed by a fire. New settlers came to replace the dead population, most of the were Germans, and the city had a German majority for a long time. The city began to prosper again, with the support of Ferenc Zichy, the Bishop of Győr a gymnasium was built in 1772, and the Diocese of Szombathely was founded in 1777 by Maria Theresa. The new bishop of Szombathely, János Szily did much for the city, he had the ruins of the castle demolished and had new buildings to be built, including a cathedral, the episcopal palace complex and a school (opened in 1793.)
In 1809 Napoleon's armies occupied the city and held it for 110 days, following a short battle on the main square.
During the revolution in 1848-49 Szombathely supported the revolution, but there were no fights in the area, because the city remained under Habsburg rule. The railway line reached the city in 1865, and in the 1870s Szombathely became a major railway junction.
In the 1890s, when Gyula Éhen was the mayor, the city developed a lot.
During the mayoralty of Tóbiás Brenner the prospering continued, the museum and the public bath, the monasteries and several new downtown mansions were built, a school of music was founded and the city got an orchestra.
Szombathely in the 20th and 21st centuries
After the Treaty of Trianon Hungary lost many of its western territories to Austria, and Szombathely, being only 10 kilometres from the new state border, ceased to be the centre of Western Hungary.
Between the world wars Szombathely prospered, lots of schools were founded, and between 1926 and 1929 the Transdanubian region's most modern hospital was built.
During World War II when the Nazis began to lose power, they fled to Western Hungary, the part of the country that was closest to Germany, and they used Szombathely as one of their bases. Szombathely was among the five cities that were most damaged by the war.
After the war the city grew, absorbing many nearby villages (Gyöngyöshermán, Gyöngyösszőlős, Herény, Kámon, Olad, Szentkirály, Zanat and Zarkaháza).
In the 1970s the city was industrialized, many factories were built. In the 1980s the city prospered, several new buildings were built, including the County Library, public indoor swimming pools, a gallery.
History of Szombathely's Jewish communities
In 1567 Emperor Maximilian II.
Szombathely's Twin towns
Twin towns of Szombathely are:
Ferrara (Italy) Kaufbeuren (Bavaria, Germany) Lappeenranta (Finland) Maribor (Slovenia) Ramat-Gan (Israel) Joskar-Ola (Russia)
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