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Gyula, Hungary

Gyula (German: Julau, Romanian: Giula, Serbian: Ðula) is a town in Békés county (Romanian: Judeţul Bichiş) in south-eastern Hungary. It lies close to the border with Romania, on the river Fehér-Körös (Romanian: Crişul Alb).

History

The first recorded reference to Gyula was in a document dated 1313 which mentions a monastery called Gyulamonostor (Julamonustra in Latin). By 1332 the settlement around the monastery was being called Gyula / Jula. There are two versions for the origin of the name. One is that following the occupation of the Pannonian Plain by the Magyar tribes, the tribe of the gyula settled in the area. More likely is the version that a lord called Gyula or Jula founded the monastery and its settlement. During Ottoman rule, she was a sandjak center as Göle or Küle in Tamışvar eyalet.

The Holocaust in Hungary is commemorated in Gyula's Germantown at the building that housed the Synagogue; one town among many that formed a once thriving Jewish community in Bekes county. Today, the Gyula Synagogue houses a music school and bears a plaque of remembrance dedicated to the memory of Gyula's Jewish community that perished in Auschwitz and other concentration camps. The plaque reads:

Demographics

As of the census of 2001, the town had 32,967 inhabitants; 94.2% Magyars, 2.3% Romanians, 1.6% Germans, 0.3% Slovaks, 0.4% Roma and 5.4% other.

Romanian Community

Gyula is a center for the small Romanian community of Hungary (2.3% of the inhabitants are ethnic Romanian). Here can be found several organisations of this community:

• The Center for the National Self-governance of Romanians living in Hungary (AŢRU), Gyula, Eminescu Street, no. 1
• The seat of Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Hungary, Gyula, St. Nicholas Square.
• Organizations and Foundations:
  • Romanian-Hungarian Cultural Union (UCRU), e-mail: csotye@usa.net
  • Romanian Researchers and Creators Community from Hungary
  • Pro Musica Foundation

Tourist Attractions

In the middle of the town stands the old fortress (13th century), now a cultural centre and a tourist attraction. Nearby, there are thermal spas known for their therapeutic effects.

In Gyula one may admire "Nicolae Bălcescu" High School designed by Szabó Jen. The architecture resembles that of Transylvanian wooden churches. Not very far is the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, erected in 1867.

Sister cities

• Budrio, Italy, since 1965
• Zalău, Romania, since 1991
• Ditzingen, Germany, since 1991
• Miercurea-Ciuc, Romania, since 1993
• Arad, Romania, since 1994
• Krumpendorf, Austria, since 1995
• Schenkenfelden, Austria, since 1997
• Droitwich, United Kingdom, since 2001

External links

• (Hungarian) (German) Official site
• (Romanian) The National Selfgovernance of The Romanians living in Hungary Center

Coordinates: 46°39′N, 21°17′E