Zalaegerszeg (Egersee in German, Jegersek or Jagersek in
Croatian; common abbreviation: “Zeg”) is the seat of Zala County, a
town with county status. As the center of the Zalaegerszeg district,
many settlements belong to its catchment area. It is the 17th most
populated city in Hungary.
Its first written mention dates
from 1247 as Egurscug, and in 1293 it is already called Egerszeg.
After the fall of Kanizsa in 1600, its role grew, it gradually
became the center of Zala County, and in today's terms it became a
county seat in the 18th century. The prosperity of the city began in
the 1920s, under the office of Mayor Mátyás Czobor, nearly 40 new
streets were opened, a new public cemetery, a row of love houses and
rental flats were built, and the public hospital was expanded. In
1929, Zalaegerszeg became a county town.
One of the most
flowery, greenest cities in Hungary, in 2008 it won the highest
prize of the Organizing Committee for a Flowery Hungary, the Golden
Rose Prize.
Geographical coordinates of Zalaegerszeg é. s. 46.84538 ° and k. h. 16.84721 °. It is the seat of Zala county, a city with county status. It is located in Western Transdanubia, on both banks of the river Zala, at approximately equal distances (50–70 km) from the Austrian, Slovenian and Croatian borders, in the Zala Hills region, on the edge of the Göcsej micro-region. It has an average elevation of 156 meters above sea level. Lake Balaton is 45 km east of it. Its distance from Budapest is 213 kilometers by road and 239 kilometers by rail. The nearest motorway exit is 50 km away, next to Nagykanizsa on the M7 motorway.
The thickness of the earth's crust here is
25-27 km, that of the lithosphere 60-80 km. Throughout the history
of the earth, marine and terrestrial sedimentation in the area have
alternated during periods of ascent and descent. The most important
event of the Pliocene age was the formation of gravel areas from
river embankment. During the Pleistocene, loess covered large areas.
Almost exclusively the youngest rocks are found on the surface, but
upper Pannonian rocks can also appear on the valley bottoms.
The city is located in the northern part of the Zala Hills, on the
border of three micro-regions. The south-western parts of the city
already extend into the territory of Göcsej, so there are
characteristic “mountains” of 200-250 meters high, with varying
exposures. The north-eastern and eastern slopes are the steepest,
descending to the south-southwest, gradually decreasing, formed by
derasis and gel solifluction. The northern and central parts are
located in the tectonically predicted and funnel-like widening to
the east in the Upper Zala Valley. On the right side of the valley
were deep, narrow valleys, hard-to-recognize terraces, Old Holocene
sediments associated with Pannonian clay, and sloping, sloping
slopes covered on the left. However, human activity has almost
completely transformed them into more suitable forms for settlement.
The eastern parts of the city stretch on smaller meridional lines
connecting to the Söjtöri ridge of the East Zala Hills.
The
duration of sunlight varies between 1950 and 2000 hours / year,
which is the lowest value compared to Hungarian areas in the same
latitude. This is due to the average annual cloud cover of 56-62%
caused by the strength of the Atlantic impact. Among the wind
directions, the most common are north and south, totaling approx.
30%, the meridional valleys help to maintain their direction.
Windless periods are also common, about 25%.
The annual
rainfall is around 800 mm. The average number of snow-covered days
is 45.
In the clayey, clayey parts there are opportunities
for the formation of a dense water network, which is one of the
densest in Hungary. In this context, the valley density is also very
high. The formation of the valleys was also facilitated by the loose
surface rock and the Quaternary uplift of the area. However, the
fragmentation of the topography is not conducive to the formation of
large watercourses, so the largest one, Zala, is only in the
vicinity of the stream-sized Zalaegerszeg. As the erosion base of
the area, it collects water from smaller ditches. These include
Válicka, which flows from the south to Zala. There are several small
and large lakes in the city. The most significant is Lake Gébárti,
artificially created in 1975. Pose in a part of town after the
abandonment of gravel mines, fishing lakes were established.
Around Zalaegerszeg, there are two types of plant associations: the
valleys are characterized by waterfront meadows, willow and alder
groves. In the higher areas there are hornbeam and sessile oaks,
Zala beeches, and oak trees, and the occurrence of sweet chestnuts
is common. Within the city, only parks show the memory of the old
rich forests. (Peace Park, Dózsa Park, Park Forest)
The
livestock associated with the Zala flora is not different from the
Hungarian average, it typically consists of large game (deer, roe
deer, wild boar) and is home to few special animal species. This
game is of economic importance, both for game meat and for hunting.
The deer trophies of Zala are famous, they have already won several
world championship medals.
Poor quality soils have developed
around the city, the most significant of which are clay-washed brown
forest soils. Due to this feature, large areas are utilized even
within the city limits for vineyards, where more undemanding
varieties are created.
Prehistory and Ancient Times
Archaeological evidence shows human
presence in the area as far back as the Upper Paleolithic, with the
oldest finds in Zala County coming from local excavations. Stone tools
and other artifacts indicate early hunter-gatherer activity. The region
was later inhabited by Celts before Roman influence reached nearby areas
(though Zalaegerszeg itself has limited direct Roman ruins, evidence of
Roman settlements exists in the broader vicinity).
Medieval
Period (13th–15th Centuries): Founding and Growth
The first written
records appear in 1247 (Egerscug) and 1293 (Egerszeg), referring to a
settlement in the river angle. In 1266, King Béla IV donated the town to
the Diocese of Veszprém, making it church property. Because it was
distant from Veszprém, local oligarchs (such as the Kőszegi family)
often diverted its taxes.
By the 14th century, Egerszeg was the
largest settlement in the area. It briefly held royal town status
(1368–1389) before Sigismund I transferred it to the Kanizsai family,
who traded it back to the bishop of Veszprém; the Kanizsai retained
ownership until 1848. A stone church was built in 1381, and in 1421 the
town gained oppidum status (market town privileges: annual lump-sum
taxes and the right to elect its own judge). Population grew rapidly,
and by the early 16th century it was the de facto center of Zala
Comitatus (county).
Ottoman Wars and Frontier Defense (16th–17th
Centuries)
The Battle of Mohács (1526) and the Ottoman advance halted
development. Local landowners raided the town in the 1530s amid weakened
royal authority. From 1568, Egerszeg was fortified with a palisade
castle to serve as a Habsburg border stronghold. The Ottomans first
attacked in the late 1570s but failed to capture it permanently. After
the fall of nearby Kanizsa to the Turks, Egerszeg’s strategic importance
grew, though the castle was badly damaged in 1616 and briefly held by
the Ottomans in 1664. The town endured repeated raids, plagues, and
heavy taxes but was never permanently occupied by the Ottomans—unlike
many other Hungarian settlements.
18th–Early 19th Century: County
Seat and Baroque Development
In the 18th century, despite lying on
the periphery of the comitatus, Egerszeg became the county
capital—largely because county councils met there, it had gained
importance during the Ottoman era, and it was not the private estate of
a local lord. The Baroque County Hall (1730–1732) was the town’s first
major building. In the 1760s, a large church and barracks were added.
Most residents still lived in wooden houses vulnerable to frequent
fires; stone construction became widespread only after 1826.
Economically, the town lagged because citizens paid taxes directly to
the bishop. By the 1830s, about 10% of the (mostly Catholic) population
was Jewish, but trade remained limited. Culturally and economically,
Nagykanizsa and Keszthely overshadowed it. Zalaegerszeg played only a
minor role in the 1848–49 Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence.
Late 19th–Early 20th Century: Modernization and Jewish Community
In 1870 the town temporarily lost its municipal status (becoming a
village), but regained it on 31 May 1885. The village of Ola was annexed
in 1887. The railway arrived in 1890 (Ukk–Csáktornya line), spurring
growth. New buildings in the 1890s–1900s included a secondary school,
town hall, hotel, nursery, and brick factory. A prominent local
politician, József Farkas de Boldogfa, helped secure permission for the
Zalaegerszeg Synagogue (completed 1904 in Baroque style), which served
the growing Jewish community (first documented in the early 18th
century).
The 1920s brought further prosperity: a new post office,
railway station, fire department, police headquarters, Notre Dame
monastery, and the synagogue’s full operation. The Jewish population
reached about 1,221 by the 1940s (roughly 10–15% of the town at various
points).
World War II and the Holocaust
Zalaegerszeg suffered
relatively little physical destruction but catastrophic human loss. In
1944, the entire Jewish community—1,221 people—was deported to
Auschwitz. The synagogue stood empty and damaged for decades afterward.
The Red Army liberated the city on 28 March 1945 (some sources cite 29
March).
Communist Era (1945–1989): Industrialization and
Revolution
In the 1949 local elections, the Communist Party received
only about 10% of the vote but still took control. The 1950s transformed
the town into an industrial center with a new textile factory and the
1952 discovery of oil (leading to a refinery and the later Museum of Oil
Industry). Railway lines expanded. Housing shortages forced many
residents to commute from villages; some “class enemies” were forcibly
relocated.
The 1956 Hungarian Revolution reached Zalaegerszeg on 26
October. The local Communist leadership fled to Körmend, and a
Revolutionary Council governed until Soviet troops arrived on 4
November. The 1960s–1970s saw explosive population growth through new
apartment blocks and the absorption of nearby villages (Csácsbozsok,
Botfa, Zalabesenyő, Bazita, Andráshida, Pózva). Expansion continues
today toward Bocfölde and Bagod.
Zalaegerszeg hosted international
events such as the 1983 World Orienteering Championships, reflecting
growing cultural prominence.
Post-Communist Era (1989–Present)
Unlike many Hungarian cities, Zalaegerszeg weathered the post-Socialist
economic transition relatively well and experienced dynamic development
in the 1990s. The former synagogue was repurposed as a concert hall in
the 1980s and later restored with a permanent exhibit on local Jewish
history. The Göcsej Museum (with Paleolithic artifacts, Bronze Age
finds, and ethnographic collections) and the adjacent open-air Göcsej
Village Museum (30+ relocated traditional buildings, including a working
water mill) preserve the region’s folk heritage. The city also maintains
an Oil Industry Museum tied to its 1950s petroleum boom.
Today,
Zalaegerszeg blends its medieval roots, Baroque landmarks (twin-spired
parish church 1750–60, County Council House Chapel 1761–77),
19th–20th-century civic buildings, and modern infrastructure. It remains
a regional center known for its thermal baths, cultural festivals, and
proximity to the Slovenian and Austrian borders.