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Székesfehérvár (; ; ; ; Serbian language: Стони Београд; ), known colloquially as Fehérvár (), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér County and Székesfehérvár District. The area is an important rail and road junction between Lake Balaton and Lake Velence.
Székesfehérvár, a royal residence (székhely), szék meaning "seat", i.e. "throne") as capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, held a central role in the Middle Ages. As required by the Doctrine of the Holy Crown, the first kings of Hungary were crowned and buried here. Significant trade routes led to the Balkans and Italy, and to Buda and Vienna. Historically the city has come under Ottoman Empire and Habsburg control, and was known in many languages by translations of "white castle" – , , etc.
István I, Grand Prince of the Hungarians, granted town rights to the settlement, surrounded the town with a plank wall, and founded a school and a monastery.Previously rendered as "provosty"; there is no such word in English but there is in German, see [1] Under his rule the construction of the Romanesque art Székesfehérvár Basilica began (it was built between 1003 and 1038). The settlement had about 3,500 inhabitants at this time and was the royal seat for hundreds of years. 43 kings were crowned in Székesfehérvár (the last one in 1526) and 15 kings were buried here (the last one in 1540), including King St. Stephen I, Hungary's first monarch. In the past few decades, archaeologists have excavated Medieval Hungary, including those of the Romanesque basilica and the mausoleum of King István I; they can now be visited.
In the 12th century, the town prospered; churches, monasteries, and houses were built. It was an important station on the pilgrim route to the Holy Land. András II issued the Golden Bull here in 1222. The Bull included the rights of nobles and the duties of the king, and the Constitution of Hungary was based on it until 1848. It is often compared to England's Magna Carta.
During the Mongol invasion of Hungary (1241–1242), the invaders could not get close to the castle: Kadan ruled Mongol warriors could not get through the surrounding because of flooding caused by melting snow. In the 13th–15th centuries, the town prospered, and several palaces were built. In the 14th century, Székesfehérvár was surrounded by city walls.
After the death of King Mátyás (1490), the German army of 20,000 men led by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I invaded Hungary. They advanced into the heart of Hungary and captured the city of Székesfehérvár, which they sacked, as well as the tomb of King Mátyás, which was kept there. His were still unsatisfied with the plunder and refused to go for taking Buda. He returned to the Empire in late December and the Hungarian troops liberated Székesfehérvár in the next year.
Except for a short period in 1601, when Székesfehérvár was reconquered by an army led by Lawrence of Brindisi, the city remained under Ottoman Hungary for 145 years, until 1688, with the Ottomans being preoccupied with the Morean War. They renamed the city Beograd ("White city", from Serbian Beograd) and built mosques. In the 16th–17th centuries, it looked like a Muslim Europe. As a result, most of the original Hungarian population fled. It became a sanjak centre in the Budin Eyalet, known as İstolni Beograd during Ottoman rule.
Ottoman expansion in Europe ended with their defeat in the Great Turkish War in 1699. The Treaty of Karlowitz forced them to surrender the region of Hungary under Ottoman control and portions of present-day Croatia, Romania, Slovakia, and Serbia to the Habsburg Empire, which pushed the Great Migrations of the Serbs to the southern regions of the Kingdom of Hungary (though as far in the north as the town of Szentendre, in which they formed the majority of the population in the 18th century, but to smaller extent also in the town of Komárom) and Habsburg-ruled Croatia. (2025). 9781850654773, C. Hurst & Co.. ISBN 9781850654773
By 1702, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was blown up,Ferenc Glatz: Magyar történeti kronológia thus destroying the largest cathedral in Hungary at that time, and the coronation temple. By the Doctrine of the Holy Crown, all kings of Hungary were obliged to be crowned in this cathedral, and to take part in coronation ceremony in the surroundings of the cathedral. The coronations after that time were held in Pozsony (now Bratislava).
In 1703, Székesfehérvár regained the status of a free royal town. In the middle of the century, several new buildings were erected (Franciscan church and monastery, Jesuit churches, public buildings, Baroque palaces). Maria Theresa made the city an episcopal seat in 1777.
By the early 19th century, the German language population was assimilated. On 15 March 1848, the citizens joined the revolution. After the revolution and war for independence, Székesfehérvár lost its importance and became a mainly agricultural city. In 1909 The Times Engineering Contract List noted a bridge construction contract valued at £12,000 to be overseen by the Chief Magistrate.The Times (London, England), 15 December 1909; pg. 18
In December 1944, Fehérvár came under Russian artillery fire, and stiff fighting broke out as the Red Army advanced on the city."Red Army Eight Miles From Budapest". The Times 11 December 1944; pg. 4 The Germans had chosen to concentrate their forces to protect the 15-mile gap between Fehérvár and Lake Balaton. Whereas most of the gap consisted of marsh and difficult ground, Fehérvár was the node for eight highways and six railways."Drive Towards The Danube". The Times (London, England), 27 December 1944; pg. 4 Despite the heavy German defences, a Soviet flying column broke through and occupied the city on 23 December; Outflanking Budapest. The Times (London, England), 9 December 1944; pg. 4 the Germans were able to push them out on 22 January 1945. East Prussia Or Silesia?. The Times, 23 January 1945 In March 1945, the area was the battleground for the last major German offensive of World War II; but following its failure Marshal Tolbukhin broke through the German lines once more and recaptured the city on 22 March. Progress Towards Györ, The Times (London, England), Monday, Mar 26, 1945; pg. 4 A Soviet airfield was established at nearby Szabadbattyán. Forced Labour Units In Hungary. The Times, 2 January 1952
In the aftermath of World War II, the city was subject to industrialization, like many other cities and towns in the country. The most important factories were the Ikarus Bus factory, the Videoton radio and TV factory, and the Könnyűfémmű (colloquially Köfém) aluminium processing plant, since acquired by Alcoa. By the 1970s, Székesfehérvár had swelled to more than 100,000 inhabitants (in 1945 it had only about 35,000). Several housing estates were built, but the city centre preserved its Baroque atmosphere. The most important Baroque buildings are the cathedral, the episcopal palace and the city hall.
After the end of the Communist regime in Hungary (1989), the planned economy was abandoned in favor of the implementation of a free market system; all the important factories were on the verge of collapse (some eventually folded) and thousands of people lost their jobs. However, the city profited from losing the old and inefficient companies, as an abundance of skilled labour coupled with excellent traffic connections, and existing infrastructure attracted numerous foreign firms seeking to invest in Hungary. Székesfehérvár became one of the prime destinations for multinational companies setting up shop in Hungary (Ford and IBM are some of them), turning the city into a success story of Hungary's transition to a market economy. A few years later Denso, Alcoa, Philips, and Sanmina-SCI Corporation also settled in the city.
Religions (2001 census):
The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 21 members (1 Mayor, 14 Individual constituencies MEPs and 6 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:
| Fidesz | 14 | M | Opposition coalition | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 |
List of mayors
Economy Transport
Sport Other city sports clubs include:
Notable people Born in Székesfehérvár
Buried royalty
Fictional
Twin towns – sister cities
See also
Notes
External links
Categories: County Seats In Hungary, Cities With County Rights Of Hungary, Populated Places In Fejér County, 972 Establishments, Former Capitals Of Hungary, Populated Places Established In The 10th Century, Serb Communities In Hungary, 10th-century Establishments In Hungary
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