Székesfehérvár

Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and the country's ninth-largest city. It is known as "Fehérvár," which means "white castle." The city is the capital of Central Transdanubia and the center of Fejér County and Székesfehérvár District. It is an important place for travel, sitting between Lake Balaton and Lake Velence.

In the Middle Ages, Székesfehérvár was very important as a royal residence and the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary. The first kings of Hungary were crowned and buried here, following the rules of the Doctrine of the Holy Crown. The city was also a key point on trade routes leading to the Balkans, Italy, Buda, and Vienna. Over time, the city has been controlled by the Ottoman and Habsburg rulers and has been called by many names meaning "white castle" in different languages.

History

Main article: History of Székesfehérvár

The area where Székesfehérvár now stands has been home to people since around the year 500 BCE. During Roman times, it was known as Gorsium and Herculia. The town became an important place for travel and trade between Lake Balaton and Lake Velence, with roads leading to many places like the Balkans, Italy, Buda, and Vienna.

In the year 972, Grand Prince Géza founded the Hungarian town on four islands. He built a small stone castle and later, under King István I, the town grew. It became an important place where kings were crowned and buried. Many kings, including Hungary's first king, St. Stephen, were crowned and buried here.

During different times, the town faced challenges like wars and changes in rulers. It was an important city for trade and travel for many centuries.

Culture

Székesfehérvár has many beautiful buildings and places to explore. You can visit old churches like St Stephen Cathedral and the ruins of a huge medieval basilica. There are also lovely old mansions, a special area for Serbian culture with thatched-roof houses, and a unique castle built by an artist.

The city has statues and memorials, such as one for an important old document called the Golden Bull. There are also interesting museums like the King István Museum and a Doll Museum, as well as a place to see old pharmacy tools.

Population

Székesfehérvár is a city in Hungary with a rich mix of people and beliefs. In a survey from 2001, most of the people living there were Hungarians, making up about 95.7% of the population. Small groups included Germans, Roma, and others.

Many people in Székesfehérvár followed different religions. Over half were Roman Catholic, with smaller groups being Calvinist, Lutheran, and Greek Catholic. Some people followed other Christian or non-Christian beliefs, while many were Atheists or did not answer about their beliefs.

Politics

The current mayor of Székesfehérvár is András Cser-Palkovics from the Fidesz party.

The local Municipal Assembly was elected in the 2019 local government elections. It has 21 members, including the mayor, representatives from different areas, and others from a compensation list. They represent various political parties and alliances.

List of mayors

Here is a list of mayors of the city since 1990:

Economy

Transport

Székesfehérvár is a key point for the Hungarian railway system (MÁV). Trains go to the northern and southern parts of Lake Balaton and toward the capital city. You can also reach the city by regional buses from other big places in the country. Many local buses run every day, all week long, and they are operated by a company that also runs buses in the area, KNYKK Zrt. (Közép-Nyugat Magyarországi Közlekedési Központ).

Sport

The city has an indoor stadium called Alba Regia Sportcsarnok, where many sports clubs play. One of the most famous teams is Alba Fehérvár, which won the Hungarian basketball championship in 2017.

Székesfehérvár is also home to other sports teams, such as:

• Fehérvár FC (football)
• Székesfehérvári MÁV Előre SC (football)
• Fehérvár AV19 (ice hockey)
• Alba Fehérvár KC (handball)
• Fehérvár Enthroners (American football)
• Székesfehérvári Kempo SE (martial arts)
• Profi Kempo Akadémia - PKA

Notable people

Born in Székesfehérvár

Székesfehérvár is the birthplace of many well-known people. Some of them include Béla Balogh, a film director, Katalin Bogyay, a journalist and diplomat, and Bendegúz Bolla, a footballer. Other famous individuals born here are Jenő Bory, a sculptor and architect, and István Deák, a historian. The city also saw the birth of notable figures like George Fisher, a leader in the Texas Revolution, and Ignác Goldziher, an orientalist.

Buried royalty

Many important historical figures from Hungary are buried in Székesfehérvár. This includes Prince Saint Emeric of Hungary, King Saint Stephen, and Coloman the Bookish. Other royalty buried here are Álmos the Blind, Béla the Blind, and Géza II. The city also holds the remains of Stephen IV, Agnes of Antioch, and Béla III, among others.

Fictional

Albert Horn, a character from the film Lacombe, Lucien by Louis Malle, is also linked to Székesfehérvár.

Twin towns – sister cities

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

Székesfehérvár has many friends in other countries. It is twinned with cities such as:

• Alba Iulia, Romania
• Biograd na Moru, Croatia
• Birmingham, United States
• Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
• Bratislava, Slovakia
• Cento, Italy
• Chorley, England, United Kingdom
• Erdenet, Mongolia
• Esztergom, Hungary
• Kemi, Finland
• Kocaeli, Turkey
• Luhansk, Ukraine
• Miercurea Ciuc, Romania
• Opole, Poland
• Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
• Zadar, Croatia
• Sariwon, North Korea