Zalaegerszeg (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈzɒlɒɛɡɛrsɛɡ] ⓘ; Croatian: Jegersek; Slovene: Jageršek; German: Egersee) is the administrative center of Zala county in western Hungary.

Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the Zala River, close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders, and 220 kilometres (137 miles) west-southwest of Budapest by road.

As Egerszeg lay somewhat distant from Veszprém, however, the taxes paid by the town often ended up in the pockets of such local oligarchs as the Kőszegi family.

In 1421, Egerszeg was granted oppidum status, which meant they could pay taxes once a year and the citizens could elect their own judge.

The population grew quickly, and by the 16th century, Egerszeg became the de facto centre of Zala comitatus.

Taking advantage of the power of the king being weakened, the owners of the surrounding lands attacked the town often, and the Ottomans already began to occupy Hungary after the Battle of Mohács in 1526.

Egerszeg, even though it was on the periphery of the comitatus, became its capital in the 18th century, mostly because the councils were always held there, because of its importance in the Ottoman times and because it wasn't the estate of a local lord, unlike the other towns in Zala.

Until the early 19th century, there were only a few craftsmen and merchants in the town, because they had to pay taxes to the bishop who owned the city.

His successor, Lajos Botfy, decreased the debt and could continue the development of the town, but in the early 20th century Zalaegerszeg was still behind the other county seats in many ways.

The representative at the Hungarian Parliament József Farkas de Boldogfa was a person of deep catholic and monarchist convictions, although he was a very tolerant and also responsible Parliament Representative: On 12 December 1901 József Farkas de Boldogfa led a delegation to Budapest to meet Baron Gyula Wlassics de Zalánkemén (1852–1937) Minister of Religion and Education to seek his support for building a Synagogue on Zalaegerszeg, relying on the fact that the minister, as a Zalaegerszeg native, is well aware of the situation of the local Jews' community.

Many workers were commuting from the nearby villages, because it was almost impossible to find a flat in the city, so several residents of Zalaegerszeg (mostly those who were considered to be opposed to the Socialist system) were forced to relocate.

Several new flats were built, new residents moved into them, and the growing city absorbed many surrounding villages (Csácsbozsok, Botfa, Zalabesenyő, Bazita, Andráshida, and Pózva).