Nyírbátor

Nyírbátor (Hungarian: [ˈɲiːrbaːtor]) is a town in Szabolcs–Szatmár–Bereg County, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary. The town contains 15th and 16th century ecclesiastic and secular architectural heritage.

Nyírbátor
Town
Szabadság Square
Flag Coat of arms
Nyírbátor
Coordinates: 47°50′N 22°08′E
Country	Hungary
County	Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg
District	Nyírbátor
Area
• Total	66.73 km2 (25.76 sq mi)
Population  (2015)
• Total	12,259[1]
• Density	183.7/km2 (476/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	4300
Area code	(+36) 42
Website	nyirbator.hu

Geography

It covers an area of 66.73 km² (26 sq mi) and has a population of 12,259 (2015).^[1] The town forms the largest and most important population centre of the southern Nyírség region of Hungary.

History

The first written record of the settlement dates from 1279. Its name is derived from the Old Turkish word 'batir', or Mongolian 'bator' (originally meaning a 'good hero' and corresponding to 'bátor' in modern Hungarian). At that time, the ancestors of the Báthory's, the Gutkeled clan, already owned the land. The town became the administrative centre of their estates and also the family burial site. The family owned the town until the death of Gabriel Báthory,^[2] Prince of Transylvania, in 1613.

In 1549, the legates of King Ferdinand I and Isabella ceded Transylvania to the Kingdom of Hungary. During the decades that followed there was a lasting dispute over ownership of the town, with the local aristocrats more inclined to recognize the sovereignty of the ruling prince of Transylvania.

By the 18th century, the town had become impoverished. In the course of the 1872 reorganization of public administration it lost its city status, which it regained in 1973.

Sights

The town is the site of several heritage buildings, the most well-known of which is what is now the Reformed Church. Built between 1488 and 1511, which is considered an example of International Gothic structures in Hungary. The late Renaissance-style belfry next to it is the largest wooden bell tower in the country.

Franciscan friars built their friary church around 1480 in a late Gothic style. Standing near the church is the building which now houses the István Báthori Museum. Originally a Baroque Minorite friary, it was built on the site of an earlier monastery.

Sport

The association football club, Nyírbátori FC, is based in Nyírbátor.

Photo gallery

• 
  Báthory Castle
• 
  István Báthori Museum
• 
  Our Lady church
• 
  Reformed church
• 
  Reformed belfry
• 
  Town hall

Notable people

• Elizabeth Bathory (1560–1614), Hungarian countess and prolific female serial killer
• Meshulam Gross (1863–1947), Hungarian American entrepreneur

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Hungary

Nyírbátor is twinned with:^[3]

• Carei, Romania
• Khust, Ukraine
• Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland
• Șimleu Silvaniei, Romania
• Vynohradiv, Ukraine

See also

• Wooden Belfry of Nyírbátor