Gara, Hungary

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 Gara, Hungary
pushpin_mapsize =

official_name=Gara


subdivision_type1=County
subdivision_name1=Bács-Kiskun
area_total_km2=59.96
population_total=2686|population_footnotes=
population_as_of=2001|population_density_km2=44.8
postal_code_type=Postal code
postal_code=6522
area_code=79
latd=46.034
longd=19.040
website= [http://gara.dox.hu/ http://gara.dox.hu/]

Gara is a village in Bács-Kiskun county, near Baja, in Hungary.

History

The village is first mentioned in a 1290 document. The name is derived from the "Garai" family name. The most commonly accepted theory claims that the word "Gara" originates from a Slavic word meaning "hill." (The original village was situated on a small hill, at a distance of 4 kilometers from its current location.)

According to Turkish tax listings, the village had 25 houses under Ottoman rule. The original village was destroyed. After the Kingdom of Hungary regained its lost territories, Gara was rebuilt. In 1731, the village's population reached 277. In 1734, Germans settled the place. The first school there was opened in 1755 (by János Bary). In 1895, Gara was connected to the national railroad system. This line was closed in 1971 as traffic declined (the Treaty of Trianon had made this line unnecessary, and after fifty years, the train company decided to end service to Gara).

Demographics

Existing ethnicities:
* Magyars
* Croats (from Bunjevci group)
* Germans
* Székely Magyars

Notable persons from Gara

*Antun Karagić, Croatian writer

External links

* [http://gara.dox.hu/ A site about the village]