Kiskunhalas

Infobox Settlement
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = HUN
timezone=CET
utc_offset=+1
timezone_DST=CEST
utc_offset_DST=+2
pushpin_

pushpin_label_position =
pushpin_map_caption =Location of Kiskunhalas
pushpin_mapsize =

official_name=Kiskunhalas


subdivision_type1=County
subdivision_name1=Bács-Kiskun
area_total_km2=227.58
population_total=29528|population_footnotes=
population_as_of=2005|population_density_km2=129.74
postal_code_type=Postal code
postal_code=6400
area_code=77
latd=46.43201
longd=19.48850
website= [http://www.kiskunhalas.hu/hu/index.php http://www.kiskunhalas.hu/]

Kiskunhalas is a town in Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary.

Geography

Kiskunhalas is located convert|130|km|mi|0|abbr=on south of Budapest.

Name

Kiskunhalas used to be surrounded by lakes that were rich in fish, "Halas" in Hungarian, and this gave rise to the town's name. The other part of the name comes from the Hungarian kiskun-, meaning Little Cumania (Hungarian: "Kiskunság").

Croats in Hungary call this town as "Olaš" [hr icon [http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/11541 Folia onomastica croatica 14/2005.] Živko Mandić: Hrvatska imena naseljenih mjesta u Madžarskoj, pdf] . The Croat name "Olaš" came as shortening of Hungarian name "Halas", since it was easier for Croat speakers to pronounce it that way.

History

Its history goes back to the 800s. Kiskunhalas has many archaeological artifacts that are on display in the János Thorma Museum. Since 895 several villages existed in the area. The first written documents mentioning "Halas" date back to 1347. After 1596 the town lost much of its population. In the 16th and 17th century, Kiskunhalas welcomed the Protestant Reformation. Until 1754 it was the center of the region, but after that it has been declined its rights because of the local people's support for Protestantism. A Roman Catholic church was built in 1770, and a new Presbyterian one in 1823. In 1910 the population reached 25,000.

Gallery

Education

Culture

Zsolt Daczi, rock, hard rock and heavy metal guitarist was born here on June 12, 1969. His funeral is going to be held here on August 13, 2007, in the Roman Catholic cemetery.

Sports

The town is the birthplace of the highest ranked Hungarian tennis player Ágnes Szávay, currently no. 20 in the world, who won two WTA titles in 2007.

Twin towns

Kiskunhalas is twinned with:

References

External links

* [http://www.kiskunhalas.hu/hu/index.php Official website] in Hungarian