Country Hungary Region Northern Hungary Subregion Balassagyarmati Area 29.03 km² Population 16,055 (2013) Area code 35 | Statistical large region Great Plain and North County Nógrád Time zone CET (UTC+1) Founded 1241 Local time Tuesday 9:50 PM Team Balassagyarmati VSE | |
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Weather 10°C, Wind SE at 8 km/h, 65% Humidity Points of interest Palóc Museum, Nyírjesi Füvészkert és Vadas, Orthodox Jewish cemetery, Civitas Fortissima Museum | ||
Balassagyarmat (formerly Balassa-Gyarmath, Slovak: Balašske Ďarmoty, German: Jahrmarkt) is a town in northern Hungary. It was the seat of the Nógrád comitatus.
Contents
- Map of Balassagyarmat 2660 Hungary
- History
- Geography
- Demographics
- Notable people
- Twin towns Sister cities
- References
Map of Balassagyarmat, 2660 Hungary
History
The town's coat-of-arms bears the Latin inscription "Civitas Fortissima" (the bravest city), because in January 1919 Czechoslovak troops crossed the demarcation line delineated in December 1918 in preparation for the Treaty of Trianon, illegally occupying towns south of the line, including Balassagyarmat. The local population managed to push back the Czechoslovak troops in a serious military encounter in which many of the civilian participants lost their lives.
The heroics of the town's people against the illegal and unprovoked invasion has been immortalised in the Kárpátia(hu) song "Civitas Fortissima"
During World War II, May 9, 1944, Germans kept 3,000 Jews from the town and the surrounding villages imprisoned in a ghetto. They are all sent to Auschwitz concentration camp on June 11 and 14, 1944.
Balassagyarmat was captured on 9 December 1944 by Soviet troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the course of the Budapest Offensive.
Geography
The town lies on the left bank of the Ipoly river, which marks the state border with Slovakia.
Demographics
In 2001 Balassagyarmat had 18,474 inhabitants. The population were homogeneous with Hungarian majority (Magyars 98%, Romani 2%), 100% of the total population speak Hungarian as their mother tongue.
Notable people
Twin towns — Sister cities
Balassagyarmat is twinned with: