Szombathely (Hungarian: [ˈsombɒthɛj]; German: Steinamanger [ˌʃtaɪnaˈmaŋɐ] ⓘ; also see names) is the 10th largest city in Hungary.

It is the administrative centre of Vas County in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria.

Szombathely lies by the streams Perint and Gyöngyös (literally "pearly"), where the Alpokalja (Lower Alps) mountains meet the Little Hungarian Plain.

The name was coined by German settlers who encountered the ruins of the Roman city of Savaria.

[citation needed] The now dated Slovak name, Kamenec, also stems from the root 'stone' (kameň = stone), similar to the German variant.

He ended the persecution of Christians, which previously claimed the lives of many people in the area, including Bishop St. Quirinus and St. Rutilus.

The emperor reorganised the colonies and made Savaria the capital of the province Pannonia Prima.

This era was the height of prosperity for Savaria: its population grew, and new buildings were erected, among them theatres and churches.

The city suffered during the war between King Sámuel Aba and Holy Roman Emperor Henry III, between 1042 and 1044.

A peaceful period followed the retreat of the Turks until Prince Rákóczi's rebellion against the Habsburgs in the early 18th century.

After such losses throughout the region, the Habsburg Crown recruited Germans to resettle the depopulated areas, particularly along the Danube River.

The new bishop of Szombathely, János Szily, did much for the city: he had the ruins of the castle demolished and had new buildings constructed, including a cathedral, the episcopal palace complex, and a school (opened in 1793).

In 1809, Napoleon's armies occupied the city and held it for 110 days, following a short battle on the main square.

Only 10 kilometres (6 miles) from the new state border, Szombathely ceased to be the centre of Western Hungary.

During World War II, as with many other towns in the region, Szombathely was strategic due to the railway, junction, marshalling yards, local aerodrome, and barracks.

After the war the city grew, absorbing many nearby villages (Gyöngyöshermán, Gyöngyösszőlős, Herény, Kámon, Olad, Szentkirály, Zanat and Zarkaháza).

In 2006, the refurbishing of the city centre's main square was completed, with financial assistance from European Union funds.

[8] In 1567, Emperor Maximilian II granted the town the privilege of allowing none but Catholics to dwell within its walls.

By the 17th and 18th centuries, although the municipal authorities rented shops to Jews, the latter were permitted to remain in the town only during the day, and then only without their families.

[citation needed] The residents of the shtetl Stein-am-Anger dwelt in the outlying districts (now united into one municipality).

In the unrest of the revolution of 1848, many Jews were attacked and their places looted[citation needed]; they were threatened with expulsion.

[citation needed] The founder of the community and its first rabbi was Ludwig Königsberger (d. 1861); he was succeeded in turn by Leopold Rockenstein, Joseph Stier([1]), and Béla Bernstein (called in 1892; [2]).

In World War II, during the occupation of Hungary by Nazi Germany, 4228 Jews were deported (July 4–6, 1944) from Szombathely to Auschwitz.

The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 21 members (1 Mayor, 14 Individual constituencies MEPs and 6 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:[12] List of City Mayors from 1990: Near Szombathely, there is since 1955 at 47°12′02″N 16°39′43″E / 47.20056°N 16.66194°E / 47.20056; 16.66194 (Szombathely Mediumwave Transmitter) a mediumwave broadcasting station operated on 1251 kHz with 25 kW, which uses as antenna two 60 metres tall free-standing radio towers insulated against ground.