Frankenstadt
| Baja | ||
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| Town | ||
Town hall
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 Baja
Location of Baja in Hungary
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| Coordinates: 46°11′00″N 18°57′13″E / 46.1833°N 18.9537°E | ||
| Country | Hungary | |
| Region | Southern Great Plain | |
| County | Bács-Kiskun | |
| Subregion | Baja | |
| Rank | City | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Róbert Fercsák | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 177.61 km2 (68.58 sq mi) | |
| Population (2009) | ||
| • Total | 37,707 | |
| • Density | 210/km2 (550/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 6500 | |
| Area code | +36 79 | |
| KSH code | 03522 | |
| Website | https://www.bajaionkormanyzat.hu/ | |
Baja (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈbɒjɒ]) is a city in Bács-Kiskun County, southern Hungary. It is the second largest city in the county, after the county seat at Kecskemét, and is home to some 37,000 people. Baja is the seat of the Baja municipality.
The environs of Baja have been continuously inhabited since the end of the Iron Age, but there is evidence of human presence since prehistoric times. The settlement itself was most likely established in the 14th century. After the Ottoman Empire conquered Hungary, it grew to prominence more than other nearby settlements, and was granted town rights in 1696.
Today, Baja plays an important role in the life of Northern Bácska as a local commercial centre and the provider of public services such as education and healthcare. It has several roads and a railway connection to other parts of the country, and also offers local Public transport for its residents. Being close to the Danube and the forest of Gemenc, as well as having its own cultural sights, makes it a candidate for tourism, but this is not well established yet.
The city's Hungarian name is derived from a Turkic language. The name means "bull". The Latin name of the town is Francillo. Baja used to have also a German name: Frankenstadt.
The South Slavs, Bunjevci and Serbs, who live in the city call Baja by the same name as Magyars do, but with a slightly different pronunciation ([baja] instead of [bɒjɒ]). Its spelling in Serbian Cyrillic writing is Баја.
The city is first mentioned in 1308. During the Turkish Conquest in the 16th and 17th centuries it was the official center for the region and it possessed a fortification. This era saw the immigration of Bunjevci and Serbs into the town. There was also an active Franciscan mission with monks from Bosnia.
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Wikipedia