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{{short description|City with county rights in Tolna, Hungary}}
{{no footnotes|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement <!--more fields are available for this Infobox--See Template:Infobox Settlement-->
| name                    = Szekszárd
| settlement_type         = [[Town with county rights|City with county rights]]
| official_name           = {{lang|hu|Szekszárd Megyei Jogú Város}}
| other_name              = 
| image_skyline           = Szekszárd montage1.jpg
| image_caption           = 
| image_shield            = HUN Szekszárd Címer.svg
| image_flag              = Flag of Szekszárd.svg
| subdivision_type        = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = {{HUN}}
| timezone                = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset              = +1
| timezone_DST            = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST          = +2
| pushpin_map             = Hungary Tolna#Hungary#Europe
| pushpin_relief          = 
| pushpin_label_position  = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption     = 
| pushpin_mapsize         = 
| map=<!--<div style      = "position: relative">[[File:TolnaMegye.png|275px]]<div style="position: absolute; left: 100px; top: 134px">[[File:Red_Dot.gif]]</div></div>-->
| subdivision_type1       = [[Counties of Hungary|County]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Tolna County|Tolna]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[Districts of Hungary|District]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Szekszárd District|Szekszárd]]
| area_total_km2          = 96.27
| elevation_m             = 83
| population_total        = 29889
| population_footnotes    = 
| population_as_of        = 2022 census
| population_density_km2  = 310.47
| postal_code_type        = [[Postal codes in Hungary|Postal code]]
| postal_code             = 7100
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in Hungary|Area code]]
| area_code               = (+36) 74
| coordinates             = {{coord|46.35597|18.70382|region:HU|display=inline,title}}
| website                 = {{URL|https://szekszard.hu/}}
}}

'''Szekszárd''' ({{IPA|hu|ˈsɛksaːrd|lang|Szekszard.ogg}}, formerly also ''Szegzárd''; {{langx|hr|Seksar}}; {{langx|de|Sechshard}} or {{lang|de|Sechsard}}; {{langx|sr|Сексард}}) is a small city in southern [[Hungary]] and the capital of [[Tolna County]]. By population, Szekszárd is the smallest county capital in Hungary; by area, it is the second-smallest (after [[Tatabánya]]).

==Location==
Szekszárd lies at the meeting point of the [[Transdanubian Mountains|Transdanubian Hills]] and the [[Alföld|Great Hungarian Plain]], at the mouth of [[Sió]] into the flood plain of [[Danube]].

== Etymology ==
The Etymological Dictionary of Geographical Names, somewhat differently from the above, derives the name of the locality from the old Hungarian colour name szegszár (sötétsárga, brownish yellow), which could have become a personal name with the diminutive -d and thus could have been a predecessor of the town name.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sárosi |first=Bálint |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.15070 |title=Kiss, Lajos |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |series=Oxford Music Online|doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.15070 }}</ref>

==History==
{{stack|[[File:Felújított_szekszárdi_városháza.jpg|thumb|200px|Town hall]]
[[File:János Garay Statue, Garay Square, Szekszárd.jpg|thumb|200px|City centre]]
[[File:A_szekszárdi_Szentháromság_szobor_és_a_Belvárosi_templom.jpg|thumb|200px|Trinity statue and the catholic church.]]
[[File:Babits Mihály 2 Szekszárd.JPG|thumb|200px|Babits Memorial House]]}}

Szekszárd was first mentioned in 1015. The [[Benedictine]] monastery of the town was founded by King [[Béla I of Hungary|Béla I]] in 1061.

During the reign of [[Matthias Corvinus of Hungary|King Matthias]], Szekszárd was the estate of Bishop John, who was involved in a conspiracy against the king. Because of this, King Matthias ordered the castle of Szekszárd to be demolished.

In 1485, Szekszárd was already a significant town, holding five market days a year, but during the [[Ottoman wars in Europe|Turkish ascendancy]] of Hungary, the town became deserted and the monastery was destroyed.

By the 18th century, Szekszárd was again a significant town, it became a county seat (of Tolna), and got a coat of arms. The town was destroyed by a fire in 1794, but it could not stop the town's development. Most of the important buildings—including the [[town hall]], the [[County Hall]] and several [[Church (building)|churches]]—were built during the 19th century. By this time, Szekszárd already had 14,000 residents.

[[Mihály Babits]], an important Hungarian [[poet]] was born in Szekszárd in 1883.

During [[World War II]], Szekszárd was captured by [[Red Army|Soviet troops]] of the [[3rd Ukrainian Front]] on 30 November 1944 as part of the [[Budapest Offensive]].

In 1994, Szekszárd was granted the rank of city with county rights, in accordance with a new law stating that all county seats are cities with county rights. (Previously only cities with a population over 50,000 were granted county rights, and Szekszárd was one of only two county seats that had a smaller population than 50,000; the other was [[Salgótarján]]).

==Transportation==
Szekszárd lies on a [[railway]] line [[Rétszilas]] - [[Bátaszék]] and on a junction of main roads No. 6, 56, 63 and 65. Motorways [[M6 motorway (Hungary)|M6]] and M9  cross each other near the city. There also are local bus lines for city transportation operated by Volánbusz.

==Main sights==
* Old county hall ([[Classicism|neo-Classical]] style)
* Augusz manor ([[Franz Liszt]] was a guest here)
* [[Deutsche Bühne Ungarn]]
* Birthplace of Mihály Babits, Museums
* Birthplace of Valéria Dienes
* Ruins of Benedictine monastery
* [[János Garay]] Square and statue

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Hungary}}
Szekszárd is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:<ref>{{cite web |title=Szekszárd Megyei Jogú város testvér- és partnervárosai|url=https://szekszard.hu/hu/onkormanyzat/testver-partnertelepulesek|website=szekszard.hu|publisher=Szekszárd|language=hu|access-date=2021-04-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Új testvérvárosa van Szekszárdnak|url=https://tolnavar.hu/uj-testvervarosa-van-szekszardnak|website=tolnavar.hu|publisher=Tolnavár|language=hu|date=2016-06-02|access-date=2021-04-02}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*{{flagicon|SRB}} [[Bečej]], Serbia (1975)
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Bezons]], France (1967)
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Bietigheim-Bissingen]], Germany (1989)
*{{flagicon|ROU}} [[Făget]], Romania (1998)
*{{flagicon|BIH}} [[Jajce]], Bosnia and Herzegovina (2016)
*{{flagicon|ROU}} [[Lugoj]], Romania (1993)
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Province of Ravenna]], Italy (1996)
*{{flagicon|FIN}} [[Tornio]], Finland (1986)
*{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Waregem]], Belgium (1993)
{{div col end}}

==Notable people==
*[[Károly Escher]], photographer
*[[Mihály Babits]], poet
*[[János Garay]], poet
*[[Attila Fiola]], footballer
*[[János Hahn]], footballer
*[[Ferenc Ficza]], racing driver

==Sport==

The women's basketball team [[KSC Szekszárd|Atomerőmű Szekszárd]] play in the [[Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A (women's basketball)|Nemzeti Bajnokság]] is the premier tier of Hungarian basketball. [[Szekszárdi UFC]] play in the [[Nemzeti Bajnokság III]], the third tier of Hungarian football.

==See also==
* [[Gemenc|Gemenc forest]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Szekszárd}}
* {{Official website|http://www.szekszard.hu/}} in Hungarian, English and German
* [http://www.civertan.hu/legifoto/legifoto.php?page_level=687&pageNum_images=1 Aerial photography: Szekszárd]

{{Szekszárd District}}
{{Tolna}}
{{Regional capitals of Hungary}}
{{Cities with county rights (Hungary)}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Szekszard}}
[[Category:County seats in Hungary]]
[[Category:Cities with county rights of Hungary]]
[[Category:Populated places in Tolna County]]
[[Category:Wine regions of Hungary]]