Szeged

Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary. The Szeged Open Air (Theatre) Festival (first held in 1931) is one of the main attractions, held every summer and celebrated as the Day of the City on 21 May. Etymology It is possible that the name Szeged is a mutated and truncated form of the final syllables of Partiscum, the name of a Roman colony founded in the 2nd century, on or near the site of modern Szeged. In Latin language contexts, has long been assumed to be synonymous with Szeged. The Latin name is also the basis of the city's Greek name Partiskon. However, Szeged might instead have originated (or been influenced by) an old Hungarian word for "corner", pointing to the turn of the river Tisza that flows through the city. Others say it derives from the Hungarian word which means "island". Others still contend that means "dark blond" – a reference to the color of the water where the rivers Tisza and Maros merge.