Eger

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