:Győr

The area along the Danube River has been inhabited by varying cultures since ancient times. The first large settlement dates back to the 5th century BCE; the inhabitants were Celts. They called the town Ara Bona "Good altar", later contracted to Arrabona, a name which was used until the eighth century. Its shortened form is still used as the German (Raab) and Slovak (Ráb) names of the city.

Roman merchants moved to Arrabona during the 1st century BCE. Around 10 CE, the Roman army occupied the northern part of Western Hungary, which they called Pannonia. Although the Roman Empire abandoned the area in the 4th century due to constant attacks by the tribes living to the east, the town remained inhabited.

Around 500 the territory was settled by Slavs, in 547 by the Lombards, and in 568–c. 800 by the Avars, at that time under Frankish and Slavic influence. During this time it was called Rabba and later Raab. Between 880 and 894, it was part of Great Moravia, and then briefly under East Frankish dominance.

File:Karmelita_templom_Győrben.jpg church in Győr]]

File:Györ Ufer der Raab 3.JPG at Győr]]The Magyars occupied the town around 900 and fortified the abandoned Roman fortress. Stephen I, the first king of Hungary, founded an episcopate there. The town received its Hungarian name Győr, which likely derives from Old Hungarian personal name Győr, who could be the county's first count.{{Cite book |last1=Bényei |first1=Ágnes |url=https://vmek.oszk.hu/01600/01695/01695.pdf |title=Az Árpád-kori Győr vármegye településneveinek nyelvészeti elemzése |last2=Pethő |first2=Gergely |publisher=Magyar Névarchívum |year=1998 |isbn=9634722857 |editor-last=Hofmann |editor-first=István |location=Debrecen |page=16 |trans-title=The linguistic analysis of Győr county's place names from the age of the House of Árpád}} The town was affected by all the trials and tribulations of the history of Hungary: it was occupied by Mongols during the Mongol invasion (1241–1242) and then was destroyed by the Czech army in 1271.

After the disastrous battle of Mohács, Baron Tamás Nádasdy and Count György Cseszneky occupied the town for King Ferdinand I while John Zápolya also was attempting to annex it. During the Ottoman occupation of present-day central and eastern Hungary{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/511433/Royal-Hungary |title=Royal Hungary (historical region, Hungary) - |encyclopedia=Britannica Online Encyclopedia |access-date=2011-09-16}} (1541 - late 17th century), Győr's commander Kristóf Lamberg thought it would be futile to try to defend the town from the Turkish army. He burned down the town and the Turkish forces found nothing but blackened ruins, hence the Turkish name for Győr, Yanık kale ("burnt castle").

During rebuilding, the town was surrounded with a castle and a city wall designed by the leading Italian builders of the era. The town changed in character during these years, with many new buildings built in Renaissance style, but the main square and the grid of streets remained.

In 1594, after the death of Count János Cseszneky, captain of Hungarian footsoldiers, the Ottoman army occupied the castle and the town. In 1598 the Hungarian and Austrian army took control of it again and occupied it.{{cite book|editor1-last=Sugar|editor1-first=Peter F.|editor2-last=Hanák|editor2-first=Péter|editor3-last=Frank|editor3-first=Tibor|title=A History of Hungary|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofhungary00suga|url-access=registration|date=1990|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofhungary00suga/page/97 97]}} During the Turkish occupation the city was called Yanık Kala (burned place, as a reference to the enormous damages caused by the siege).{{Cite web|url=https://www.arcanum.hu/hu/online-kiadvanyok/Borovszky-borovszky-samu-magyarorszag-varmegyei-es-varosai-1/gyor-varmegye-A041/gyor-varmegye-es-varos-tortenete-irta-reiszig-ede-dr-a-szerkeszto-bizottsag-tagja-a-ref-egyhazra-vonatkozo-reszt-szabo-zsigmond-ref-lelkesz-az-a-A8CD/ii-resz-a-mohacsi-vesztol-a-kiegyezesig-AAE2/2-torok-uralom-gyor-varmegyeben-es-gyorott-ABC4/gyor-ostroma-ABD4/|title=Győr ostroma. {{!}} Borovszky Samu: Magyarország vármegyéi és városai {{!}} Kézikönyvtár|website=www.arcanum.hu|language=hu|access-date=2018-09-26}}

In 1683, the Turks returned briefly, only to leave after being defeated in the Battle of Vienna.

During the following centuries, the town became prosperous. In 1743 Győr was elevated to free royal town status by Maria Theresa. The religious orders of Jesuits and Carmelites settled there, building schools, churches, a hospital, and a monastery.

On 14 June 1809, during the War of the Fifth Coalition, this was the site of the Battle of Győr (Battle of Raab), where the army of Eugène de Beauharnais defeated the Hungarian "noble insurrection" (militia) and an Austrian corps under the Archdukes Joseph and Johann. Napoleon's forces occupied the castle and had some of its walls blown up. The leaders of the town soon realized that the old ramparts were not useful any more. Most of the ramparts were destroyed, allowing the town to expand.

File:Győr, Magyar Vagon és Gépgyár épületeinek bombázása. Fortepan 15923.jpg

In the mid-19th century, Győr's role in trade grew as steamship traffic on the River Danube began. The town lost its importance in trade when the railway line between Budapest and Kanizsa superseded river traffic after 1861. The town leaders compensated for this loss with industrialisation. The town prospered until World War II when several buildings were destroyed. Some large-scale strategic bombing devastated industrial and residential areas as well as the airport. It was targeted because the Rába factory was a main tank (Turán) and aeroplane (Bf 109) producer. One of these raids destroyed some parts of the maternity hospital.{{Cite web|url=https://regigyor.hu/vegyes/az-1944-aprilis-13-gyori-terrorbombazas/|title=Az 1944. április 13-i győri terrorbombázás - Régi Győr|last=Endre|first=Kozma|website=regigyor.hu|language=hu|access-date=2018-09-26}}

{{Historical populations

|1870 | 21767

|1890 | 28175

|1900 | 38094

|1910 | 45083

|1920 | 51268

|1930 | 52456

|1941 | 58431

|1949 | 58431

|1960 | 72060

|1970 | 102600

|1980 | 124147

|1990 | 129331

|2001 | 129412

|2011 | 129527

|2022 |127599|source=népesség.com, [http://nepesseg.com/]{{cite web|title=Census database - Hungarian Central Statistical Office|url=https://nepszamlalas2022.ksh.hu/en/database/#/table/WBS002}}}}

The 1950s and '60s brought more change: only big blocks of flats were built, and the old historical buildings were not given care or attention. In the 1970s the reconstruction of the city centre began; old buildings were restored and reconstructed. In 1989 Győr won the European award for the protection of monuments.{{Citation needed|reason=precise name and awarding body needed|date=April 2009}}

A 100-year-old Raba factory on the River Danube close to the historical centre is to be replaced by a new community called Városrét. The mixed-use community will have residential and commercial space as well as schools, clinics and parks.

The city's main theatre is the National Theatre of Győr, finished in 1978. It features large ceramic ornaments made by Victor Vasarely.

The city has several historical buildings, for example the castle, and the Lutheran Evangelic church.

Győr's climate is classified as oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) closely bordering on a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa). Among them, the annual average temperature is {{convert|11.1|C}}, the hottest month in July is {{convert|21.6|C}}, and the coldest month is {{convert|0.3|C}} in January. The annual precipitation is {{convert|569.6|mm}}, of which July is the wettest with {{convert|64.8|mm}}, while February is the driest with only {{convert|26.9|mm}}. The extreme temperature throughout the year ranged from {{convert|-22.1|C}} on December 28, 1996, to {{convert|40.6|C}} on August 8, 2013.

{{Weather box

|location = Győr, 1991−2020 normals

|width = auto

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|collapsed = yes

|Jan record high C = 17.5

|Feb record high C = 20.5

|Mar record high C = 23.4

|Apr record high C = 31.2

|May record high C = 33.1

|Jun record high C = 36.6

|Jul record high C = 39.6

|Aug record high C = 40.6

|Sep record high C = 33.7

|Oct record high C = 28.1

|Nov record high C = 23.4

|Dec record high C = 17.6

|year record high C = 40.6

|Jan high C = 3.5

|Feb high C = 6.4

|Mar high C = 11.6

|Apr high C = 17.8

|May high C = 22.2

|Jun high C = 26.0

|Jul high C = 28.2

|Aug high C = 27.9

|Sep high C = 22.3

|Oct high C = 16.4

|Nov high C = 9.8

|Dec high C = 4.2

|year high C = 16.4

|Jan mean C = 0.3

|Feb mean C = 2.1

|Mar mean C = 6.3

|Apr mean C = 11.7

|May mean C = 16.2

|Jun mean C = 19.9

|Jul mean C = 21.6

|Aug mean C = 21.1

|Sep mean C = 16.2

|Oct mean C = 10.9

|Nov mean C = 6.0

|Dec mean C = 1.3

|year mean C = 11.1

|Jan low C = -2.7

|Feb low C = -1.6

|Mar low C = 1.7

|Apr low C = 5.9

|May low C = 10.3

|Jun low C = 14.1

|Jul low C = 15.6

|Aug low C = 15.0

|Sep low C = 11.0

|Oct low C = 6.6

|Nov low C = 2.8

|Dec low C = -1.4

|year low C = 6.4

|Jan record low C = -18.4

|Feb record low C = -20.4

|Mar record low C = -15.2

|Apr record low C = -6.1

|May record low C = -1.4

|Jun record low C = 3.6

|Jul record low C = 7.3

|Aug record low C = 6.8

|Sep record low C = 0.5

|Oct record low C = -9.5

|Nov record low C = -11.5

|Dec record low C = -22.1

|year record low C = -22.1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 32.7

|Feb precipitation mm = 26.9

|Mar precipitation mm = 37.5

|Apr precipitation mm = 35.8

|May precipitation mm = 63.1

|Jun precipitation mm = 59.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 64.8

|Aug precipitation mm = 58.4

|Sep precipitation mm = 59.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 48.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 46.4

|Dec precipitation mm = 37.4

|year precipitation mm = 569.6

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 6.3

|Feb precipitation days = 6.2

|Mar precipitation days = 7.1

|Apr precipitation days = 5.6

|May precipitation days = 8.3

|Jun precipitation days = 7.2

|Jul precipitation days = 7.7

|Aug precipitation days = 6.3

|Sep precipitation days = 6.8

|Oct precipitation days = 6.5

|Nov precipitation days = 7.6

|Dec precipitation days = 6.7

|year precipitation days = 82.3

|Jan humidity = 82.2

|Feb humidity = 75.8

|Mar humidity = 68.5

|Apr humidity = 63.2

|May humidity = 66.5

|Jun humidity = 67.0

|Jul humidity = 66.5

|Aug humidity = 68.5

|Sep humidity = 74.1

|Oct humidity = 78.9

|Nov humidity = 82.4

|Dec humidity = 84.0

|year humidity = 73.1

|Jan sun = 60

|Feb sun = 97

|Mar sun = 138

|Apr sun = 189

|May sun = 247

|Jun sun = 250

|Jul sun = 268

|Aug sun = 259

|Sep sun = 188

|Oct sun = 143

|Nov sun = 73

|Dec sun = 51

|year sun = 1963

|source 1 = Meteorological Service of Hungary (sun 1981-2010){{cite web

|publisher = Meteorological Service of Hungary

|url = http://www.met.hu/eghajlat/magyarorszag_eghajlata/varosok_jellemzoi/Gyor/

|title = Győr éghajlati jellemzői

|language = hu

|access-date = 7 December 2015

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230827105842/https://www.met.hu/eghajlat/magyarorszag_eghajlata/varosok_jellemzoi/Gyor/

|archive-date = 2023-08-27}}

|source 2 = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Hungary/CSV/GyorLikocs_12822.csv

|title = Gyor Climate Normals 1991-2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = August 27, 2023

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230827105902/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Hungary/CSV/GyorLikocs_12822.csv

|archive-date = 2023-08-27}}

}}

The ancient core of the city is Káptalan Hill at the confluence of three rivers: the Mosoni-Danube, Rába, and Rábca. Püspökvár, the residence of Győr's bishops, can be easily recognized by its incomplete tower. Győr's oldest buildings are the 13th-century dwelling tower and the 15th-century Gothic Dóczy Chapel. The cathedral, originally in Romanesque style, was rebuilt in Gothic and Baroque style.

Other sights include:

• Town Hall
• Benedictine church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
• Carmelite church
• Museum of Roman Archaeology

The Pannonhalma Archabbey is located some {{convert|20|km|0|abbr=in}} outside the town.

{{unreferenced section|date=June 2018}}

File:Dunakapu Square.jpg

After the year 2000 the city started many big construction and renovation projects.

The bigger changes include:

• The Nádor-underpass, which relieved the Downtown's traffic infrastructure, and made the renovation of the Baross-Bridge possible.
• Renovation of the Baross-Bridge.
• Renovation of the old Soviet barracks and Bus Station by the company Leier.
• Development of the Széchenyi István University, which is in close connection with AUDI Hungária ZRT.
• Newly built Parking Houses which take off the high traffic load of the Downtown area. (e.g. József Attila and Dunakapu garage)
• Renovation of the inner-downtown district. Széchenyi-square, Dunakapu-square, the territory next to the Moson-Danube and Rába.
• Free City Bus which can be used by everyone to get anywhere in the Downtown Area.
• The Győr Arcade at Városliget.
• The Kálóczy Square near the Széchenyi István University.
• The Jedlik Bridge, which enabled traffic & transport between Sziget and Révfalu district.
• The Rába Quelle thermal spa

Audi AG subsidiary company Audi Hungaria Zrt. has a large factory in Győr, where the Audi TT sports car, the A3 Cabriolet,{{cite web|url=http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/news/2007/11/Produktionsstart.html |title=Start of production and world premiere for the Audi A3 Cabriolet in Hungary|work=Volkswagen AG|date=30 November 2007|access-date=30 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120104505/http://www.volkswagenag.com/vwag/vwcorp/info_center/en/news/2007/11/Produktionsstart.html |archive-date=20 November 2008}} A3 Limousine,{{cite web|url=http://www.worldindustrialreporter.com/audi-hungaria-celebrates-start-of-production-of-a3-limousine/|title=World Industrial Reporter – Audi Hungaria Celebrates Start of Production of A3 Limousine|date=2013-06-13|publisher=© 2013 Thomas Publishing Company|access-date=2013-07-17|archive-date=2014-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213012659/http://www.worldindustrialreporter.com/audi-hungaria-celebrates-start-of-production-of-a3-limousine/|url-status=dead}} and many engines (1,913,053 engines in 2007) are built. The factory opened in 1994, at first producing inline-four engines for the Audi marque. Business then grew to assembling the Audi TT Coupé and TT Roadster. Eventually, V6 and V8 engines were also included, and after the acquisition of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., Audi then began to build V10 engines. The V10s for Audi vehicles are fully assembled here, but only the cylinder blocks for the Lamborghini V10.{{cite web|url=http://www.lambocars.com/archive/newl140.htm |title=Lamborghini Cars full specifications - First spyshots of the Lamborghini L140 model|work=LamboCars.com|access-date=30 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050418002240/http://www.lambocars.com/archive/newl140.htm |archive-date=2005-04-18}} Engines are also supplied to other Volkswagen Group marques, but over 90% of Audi vehicle engines are made here.{{cite web |url=http://www.bbj.hu/news/news_35128.html |title=Audi ups Hungarian output |publisher=BBJ.hu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621021618/http://www.bbj.hu/news/news_35128.html |archive-date=2008-06-21 |access-date=2 January 2012}} By 2020, the factory has a 12 MW solar roof, producing 9.5 GWh/year.{{cite web |title=Largest Rooftop Solar System in Europe Goes Online ... on Audi Factory |url=https://cleantechnica.com/2020/10/09/largest-rooftop-solar-system-in-europe-goes-online-on-audi-factory/ |website=CleanTechnica |date=10 October 2020}}

The current mayor of Győr is Bence Pintér.

The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2024 local government elections, is made up of 23 members (1 Mayor, 16 Individual constituencies MEPs and 6 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:{{cite web|title=Városi közgyűlés tagjai 2019-2024 - Győr (Győr-Moson-Sopron megye)|url=https://www.valasztas.hu/telepules-adatlap_onk2019?_onknavigacio_WAR_nvinvrportlet_formDate=32503680000000&p_p_id=onknavigacio_WAR_nvinvrportlet&p_p_lifecycle=1&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_pos=1&p_p_col_count=5&_onknavigacio_WAR_nvinvrportlet_prpVlId=294&_onknavigacio_WAR_nvinvrportlet_prpVltId=687&_onknavigacio_WAR_nvinvrportlet_prpMegyeKod=08&_onknavigacio_WAR_nvinvrportlet_prpTelepulesKod=059&_onknavigacio_WAR_nvinvrportlet_settlement=gy%C5%91r|agency=valasztas.hu|access-date=2019-10-29}}

List of City Mayors from 1990:

• Tamás Bakócz, archbishop
• Miklós Borsos, sculptor
• György Cseszneky, count, castellan
• János Cseszneky, count, infantry commander
• Josef Dobrovský
• Freddie
• Erzsébet Galgóczi, writer
• Anita Görbicz, handball player
• Izidor Guzmics
• Stanley Jaki
• Ányos Jedlik
• Andrew Karpati Kennedy, author and literary critic
• Tamás Kiss, footballer
• Gyula Kőnig
• Margit Kovács
• Raimondo Montecuccoli
• Árpád Orbán (1938–2008), footballer
• Desiderius Orban, painter, one of The Eight; emigrated in 1939 to Australia
• Antal Pusztai
• Zsófia Rácz, footballer
• Alexander Raab, pianist
• Hans Richter, conductor
• Frigyes Riesz, mathematician
• Marcel Riesz, mathematician
• Samuel Aba, king of Hungary
• József Szlávy, prime minister of Hungary
• Miklós Takács de Saár, silviculturist, politician
• Tibor Varga
• Garcilaso de la Vega, poet
• Ibolya Verebics, soprano
• Paul von Werner, Prussian Lieutenant General
• Emil Zuckerkandl

File:Győr A Baross híd.JPG

The city is a national hub for rail and road traffic. The transport-geographical position of Győr is excellent.

Győr railway station has important railway connections via the Eastern Railway and Budapest–Hegyeshalom lines (Vienna–Budapest, operated by RailJet), but the Győr-Sopron railway line owned by the Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurt railway company (GYSEV), as well as the Győr-Celldömölk railway line and the Győr-Veszprém railway run by MÁV

In Győr, several main transport routes meet each other (M1, M19, 1, 14, 81, 82, 83, 85), and the motorway is accessible from several parts of the city. Győr-Pér Airport can be reached from the city on Highway 81, 15 kilometers towards Székesfehérvár. At the {{cvt|1734|km}} section of the Danube lies the port of Győr-Gönyű with its fully equipped 25 hectare serving terminal.

Győr is the home of the Győri ETO Sport Club, which has many sport divisions. The most popular sport in the city is handball, with the Győri ETO KC being the city's main team. ETO won the Champions League in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 and in 2019 and also reached the final in 2009, 2012 and in 2016. In addition, Győr reached the final of the EHF Cup Winners' Cup in 2006 and the final of the EHF Cup in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2005.

WKW ETO FC Győr is a football team, currently (as of 2023/2024) in the Hungarian Second Division.{{Cite web|title=WKW ETO FC GYŐR - MLSZ adatbank|url=https://adatbank.mlsz.hu/club/54/0/22650/16/213562.html|access-date=2020-11-09|website=adatbank.mlsz.hu}}

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Hungary}}

Győr is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Győr testvérvárosi kapcsolatai|url=http://onkormanyzat.gyor.hu/cikk/gyr_testvervarosi_kapcsolatai.html|website=gyor.hu|publisher=Győr|language=hu|access-date=2021-03-23}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{flagicon|ROU}} Brașov, Romania
• {{flagicon|FRA}} Colmar, France
• {{flagicon|GER}} Erfurt, Germany
• {{flagicon|GER}} Ingolstadt, Germany
• {{flagicon|FIN}} Kuopio, Finland
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
• {{flagicon|ISR}} Nof HaGalil, Israel
• {{flagicon|POL}} Poznań, Poland
• {{flagicon|GER}} Sindelfingen, Germany
• {{flagicon|CHN}} Wuhan, China
• {{flagicon|SVK}} Dunajská Streda, Slovakia

{{div col end}}

{{reflist}}

{{notelist}}

{{Commons category|Győr}}

{{Wikivoyage|Győr}}

• {{Official website|http://www.gyor.hu}} in Hungarian, English, and German
• [http://www.civertan.hu/legifoto/legifoto.php?page_level=215&pageNum_images=2 Aerial photography: Győr], civertan.hu, www.legifoto.com, www.latvany-terkep.hu
• [https://www.panoramio.com/photo/7300649 Aerial view of Gyor by Volkan Yuksel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227100749/http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7300649 |date=2017-02-27 }}, Panoramio
• [http://en.funiq.hu/gyor Győr at funiq.hu], with 'zoom in, zoom out' regional map
• [http://www.mycentrope.com/de/home/tag/gyoer Things to see and do in Győr] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307162357/http://mycentrope.com/de/home/tag/gyoer |date=2016-03-07 }}
• [https://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/valley/gyor/index.asp An online exhibition about the Jews of Győr] during World War II, on Yad Vashem website.
• Jewish Encyclopedia: [https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12465-raab "Raab (Hungarian, Györ)"] by Gotthard Deutsch & Moritz Schwarz (1906).

{{Győr District}}

{{Győr-Moson-Sopron}}

{{Regional capitals of Hungary}}

{{Principal cities of Hungary}}

{{Cities with county rights (Hungary)}}

{{Danube}}

{{Hungary's most flowery settlements}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gyor}}

Category:County seats in Hungary

Category:Cities with county rights of Hungary

Category:Populated places in Győr-Moson-Sopron County

Category:Serb communities in Hungary