Eger ( , ; ; also known by other alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights. Eger is best known for its medieval castle, thermal baths, baroque buildings, the northernmost Ottoman minaret, and red wines. Its population of around 53,000 (2017) makes it the 19th largest centre of population in Hungary according to the census. The town is located on the Eger Stream (a tributary of the Tisza river), on the hills between the Mátra and Bükk mountains.
Names and etymology
The origin of its name is still unknown. One suggestion is that the place was named after the alder ( in Hungarian) which grew so abundantly along the banks of the Eger Stream. This explanation seems to be correct because the name of the town reflects its ancient natural environment, and also one of its most typical plants, the alder, large areas of which could be found everywhere on the marshy banks of the Stream although they have since disappeared. The German name of the town: Erlau, from Erlen-au ('elder grove'), also speaks in favour of this supposition. And there is another theory which says that Eger's name comes from the Latin word: ager ('field'). This theory comes from more recent researchers who think that during the 11th and 12th centuries settlers with a Walloon origin (latins in Hungarian) moved to this territory. The basin of Eger and the hilly region around it have always been very suitable for human settlements, and there are many archaeological findings from the early ages of history, which support this fact.
The other names of the town are in Latin Agria, in Serbian and Croatian Jegar / or Jegra / , in Czech and Slovene Jager, in Slovak Jáger, in Polish Jagier, and in Turkish Eğri. Nickname: the Hungarian Athens
Coat of arms
The shield of Eger developed from the shield of Bishop György Fenesy (1686–1689) after an agreement which was made with him in 1694. The bastion with the three gates on it refers to the existence of the fortress. The rampant unicorn between the two bastions on the side of the shield came from the bishop's shield. The sword in the fore-feet of the unicorn symbolises the manorial power of life and death. The snake twisting on the sword stands for the defeat of treachery and hatred by faith. The star and the sun symbolise the alternation of days and nights. And finally, the eagle with a gospel in its clutches refers to apostle and evangelist Saint John who is the patron saint of the Archdiocese of Eger.
History
Eger has been inhabited since the Stone Age.
Reign of Saint Stephen
Today's Eger was formed in the 10th century by St. Stephen (997–1038), the first Christian king of Hungary, who founded an episcopal see in Eger. The first cathedral of Eger was built on Castle Hill, within the present site of Eger Castle. Eger grew around this cathedral, and remains an important religious centre in Hungary.
This settlement took up an important place among the Hungarian towns even in the early Middle Ages. The natural fundamentals of the surroundings (meeting of plains and hills) made it possible to establish economic and cultural relations between the different parts of the country.
During the 11th and 12th centuries, Walloon settlers came from the areas beyond the Rhine. They settled with the kings' permission, bringing western culture to this region and acclimating the viticulture. The development of the town accelerated with their presence.
Mongol invasion
This development was blocked for a short time by the Mongol invasion in 1241, when the town was ransacked and burned down during the episcopacy of Cletus Bél.
After the withdrawal of the Mongols, Eger began to flourish all over again. Lampert, the bishop of Eger, received a permit from Béla IV for building a stone fortress. So the nearly destroyed town revived and reached the peak of its medieval development in the 14th and 15th centuries. During this period the forests which spread to the limits of the town were cleared for the most part, and vines were planted in their place. More and more town-houses were built in the settlement. Roads were constructed among which the ones in the inner town were narrow and twisting but those leading to the northern mining towns were wider. The various surrounding settlements such as Almagyar and Czigléd were built up along with Eger.