Hungary is a landlocked state bounded by Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. It is mostly flat, with low mountains in the north. Lake Balaton, a popular tourist destination, is the largest lake in central Europe. The ancestors of the Hungarians were the Magyar tribes, who moved into the Carpathian Basin in 896. Hungary became a Christian kingdom in 1000, after the crowning of Stephen I (later St. Stephen, patron of Hungary). The Hungarian language is very different from its neighbours and is near to Finnish and Estonian. Originally, the Hungarian capital, Budapest, consisted of two separate cities: Buda and Pest. The town that straddles the River Danube, is rich in history and culture and is famous for its curative springs. The republic has a unicameral Parliament (or National Assembly) made up of 386 members, elected every four years. Hungary has some limited natural resources (bauxite, coal and natural gas) and fertile land for agriculture. Hungarian wines are sold throughout Europe. Among the main exports of the country there are the electrical and electronic equipment, machinery, foodstuffs and chemicals. Hungary is a country of great musical traditions, folk music which has inspired many famous composers such as Liszt, Bartók and Kodály. Among the other celebrities there are Albert Szent-Györgyi, the discoverer of vitamin C, the writer and Nobel Prize winner Imre Kertesz and the director and Oscar winner István Szabó.
The name Szombathely is from Hungarian szombat, "Saturday" and holy, "place", referring to the fact that medieval markets were held on Saturday every week. The German name Steinamanger means "stones on a field" (Stein am Anger), and it refers to the ruins of the Roman city Savaria. There is another theory for the name Steinamanger. Some historians think the German name refers to the earthquake of 458 which destroyed the city. The Latin name Savaria or Sabaria comes from Sibaris, the Latin name for the stream Gyöngyös. The root of the word is the Proto-Indo-European word seu, meaning "wet". Other languages: in Austrian Zöbern, a variation of its Latin name, in Croatian Sambotel, in Slovene Sombotel. Szombathely is the oldest city in Hungary. It was founded in 45 AD under the name of Colonia Claudia Savariensum (Claudius' Colony of Savarians) and it was the capital of the Pannonia Superior province of the Roman Empire. It lays close to the important "Amber Road" trade route. Visiting the association of Roman legionaries we wore real armours of the old legionaries: it was nice to find a little of Italian history. The city also had an imperial residence, a public bath and an amphitheatre. Remains of a mithraeum were discovered in 2008. The Emperor Constantine visited Savaria several times. He ended the persecution of Christians, including the Bishop St. Quirinus, St. Rutilus and St. Irenaeus. The emperor reorganised the colonies and made Savaria the capital of the province Pannonia Prima. This was a period of prosperity for Savaria, its population grew, new buildings were erected, mainly theatres and churches. St. Martin of Tours was born here. Visiting Savaria we ate the typical food of St. Martin, two croissants joined in pair that two friends have to divide eating them. It is the symbol of friendship just like the mantle of St. Martin. At the feast of St. Martin we drew the ducks and we ate the soup with boiled duck. After the death of the Emperor Valentinian III the Huns invaded Pannonia and Attila's armies occupied Savaria between 441 and 445. During a demonstration of Magyar arms at school, we tried the archery, it was exciting. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 456. During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary the Ottomans invaded the area twice, first in 1664, when they were defeated at the nearby town Szentgotthárd, and later in 1683, when they wanted to occupy Vienna but were defeated, and pillaged many towns on their way back; but the city walls protected Szombathely both times. After the country was freed from Ottoman rule, peaceful times came, until Prince Rákóczi's rebellion against the Habsburgs came in the early 18th century. During the rebellion the city supported the prince, but was occupied by the Habsburg armies in 1704. It was freed in November 1705 but was occupied again in the beginning of 1706. In the next few years it was occupied a few more times by both armies. In June 1710, more than 2000 people lost their lives in a plague, and on May 3, 1716 the city was destroyed by a fire. New settlers came to replace the dead population, most of them were Germans, and the city had a German majority for a long time. The city began to prosper again, with the support of Ferenc Zichy, the Bishop of Győr a gymnasium was built in 1772, and the Diocese of Szombathely was founded in 1777 by Maria Theresa. The new bishop of Szombathely, János Szily rebuilt the cathedral, the episcopal palace and the school (opened in 1793). In 1809 Napoleon's armies occupied the city and held it for 110 days, then there was short battle on the main square. In 1817, 2⁄3 of the city was destroyed by a fire. In 1813 a cholera epidemic claimed many lives. During the revolution in 1848-49 Szombathely supported the revolution, but there were no fights in the area, because the city remained under Habsburg rule. The years after the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 brought prosperity. In 1885 the nearby villages Ó-Perint and Szentmárton were annexed to the city. In the 1890s, when Gyula Éhen was the mayor, the city developed a lot. Roads were paved, the city was canalized, the tram line was built between the rail station, the downtown and the Calvary Church. Charles IV, in his attempt to get the throne of Hungary back, was greeted with enthusiasm in Szombathely, but he failed. Between the world wars Szombathely prospered, lots of schools were founded, and between 1926 and 1929 the Transdanubian region's most modern hospital was built. During World War II, as with many other towns in the region, Szombathely became part of the logistical military infrastructure supporting Axis forces. Soviet forces came in control of Szombathely on 29 March 1945. After the war the city grew, absorbing many nearby villages (Gyöngyöshermán, Gyöngyösszőlős, Herény, Kámon, Olad, Szentkirály, Zanat and Zarkaháza). During the revolution in 1956 it was occupied by the Soviet army. In the 1970s the city was industrialized, many factories were built. In the 1980s the city prospered, several new buildings were built, including the County Library, public indoor swimming pools, a gallery. In 2006 the refurbishing of the city centre's main square was completed, with financial assistance from EU funds.
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