Nyíregyháza | ||
---|---|---|
City | ||
Main square
|
||
|
||
Location of Nyíregyháza | ||
Coordinates: 47°57′11″N 21°43′38″E / 47.95306°N 21.72713°ECoordinates: 47°57′11″N 21°43′38″E / 47.95306°N 21.72713°E | ||
Country | Hungary | |
County | Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg | |
District | Nyíregyháza | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Dr. Ferenc Kovács (Fidesz) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 274.46 km2 (105.97 sq mi) | |
Elevation | 116 m (381 ft) | |
Population (1 January 2016) | ||
• Total | 118,058 | |
• Rank | 7th in Hungary | |
• Density | 425.92/km2 (1,103.1/sq mi) | |
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
Postal code | 4400 – 4433 | |
Area code(s) | (+36) 42 | |
Website | www |
Nyíregyháza (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈɲiːrɛchaːzɒ], Yiddish: נירעדהאז Niredhaz) is a city in northeastern Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. With a population of 118,000, it is the seventh-largest city in Hungary and is one of the leading cities of Northern Hungary and of the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld). Its development has been ongoing since the 18th century, making it the economic and cultural center of the region. Its zoo, exhibiting more than 300 species including real rarities, is recognized throughout Europe.
Nyíregyháza is located in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County in the northern Plain region (Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, Hajdú-Bihar county, and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County). It is the most important city of Northern Hungary, in all respects the center of the region. It is located in the center of Nyírség as an agricultural town. The boundaries of the city are often understood as a very broad frame, because generally the near suburbs are included in them. It is located at the intersections of routes 4, 41, 36, and 38, therefore the city is easy to reach by road. Sub-Carpathia and Transylvania cannot be reached without passing the city.
The first written mentions of Nyíregyháza date back to 1209, although it was then called simply Nyír ('birch'), after the Nyírség, the greater region in which the city lies. A source from 1326 mentions that by then the city already had a church, hence the second part of the name, egyház (meaning 'church'). In the middle of the 15th century the town had about 400 inhabitants. In the 16th century, during the Turkish occupation of Hungary, Nyíregyháza became deserted; it was resettled only in the 1630s – 1640s.