Seged
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): The Sun City, The Poor Man's Cambridge
Seged Location of Seged
Coordinates: 46°15′18″N 20°08′42″E / 46.255°N 20.145°E / 46.255; 20.145Coordinates: 46°15′18″N 20°08′42″E / 46.255°N 20.145°E / 46.255; 20.145
Country	Hungary
County	Csongrád
Government
• Mayor	László Botka (MSZP)
Area
• Total	280.84 km2 (108.43 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	170,285
• Density	606.34/km2 (1,570.4/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Area code(s)	62
Website	http://www.szegedvaros.hu/

Szeged (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈsɛɡɛd] ( listen); German: Szegedin; Romanian: Seghedin; Serbo-Croatian: Segedin, Сегедин; 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 town of Csongrád county. The University of Szeged is one of the most distinguished universities in Hungary.

The famous Open Air Plays of Seged (first held in 1931) are one of the main attractions; they are held every summer. Seged celebrates the Day of the city on May 21.

Etymology[link]

The name Seged might come from an old Hungarian word for corner (szeg), pointing to the turn of the river Tisza that flows through the city. Others say it derives from the Hungarian word sziget which means 'island'. Others still contend that szeg means 'dark blond' (sötétszőkés) – a reference to the color of the water where the rivers Tisza and Maros merge.^[1]

The city has its own name in a number of foreign languages: Serbo-Croatian, Segedin (Сегедин); Romanian, Seghedin; Bulgarian, Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian, Сегед (Seged); German, Szegedin / Segedin; Italian, Seghedino; Latin, Partiscum; Latvian, Segeda; Lithuanian, Segedas; Polish, Segedyn; Slovak, Segedín; Turkish, Segedin.

History[link]

"Happy Guietude Times"

Seged and its area have been inhabited since ancient times. Ptolemy mentions the oldest known name of the city: Partiscum. It is possible that Attila, king of the Huns had his seat somewhere in this area. The name Seged was first mentioned in 1183, in a document of King Béla III.

During the Mongol invasion the town was destroyed and its inhabitants fled to the nearby swamps, but they soon returned and rebuilt their town. In the 14th century, during the reign of Louis the Great, Seged became the most important town of Southern Hungary, and – as the Turkish armies got closer to Hungary – the strategic importance of Szeged grew. King Sigismund of Luxembourg had a wall built around the town. Szeged was raised to free royal town status in 1498.

Szeged was first pillaged by the Turkish army on 28 September 1526, but was occupied only in 1543, and became an administrative centre of the Ottomans (see Ottoman Hungary). She was a sanjak centre at first in Budin Eyaleti (1543–1596), after in Eğri Eyaleti. The town was freed from Turkish rule on 23 October 1686, and regained the free royal town status in 1715. In 1719 Szeged got its coat of arms (still used today) from Charles III. During the next years Szeged grew and prospered. Piarist monks arrived in Szeged in 1719 and opened a new grammar school in 1721. They also held scientific lectures and theatrical plays. However, these years brought not only prosperity and enlightenment; between 1728 and 1744 witch trials were frequent in the town; in 1728-29, the perhaps largest Hungarian witch trial was held here. In 1720, the population of the city totalled 193 households, of which 99 were Serbian.

Klauzál Square

Szeged is known as the home of paprika, a spice made from dried, powdered capsicum fruits. Paprika arrived in Hungary in the second half of the 16th century as an ornamental plant. About 100 years later the plant was cultivated as a herb, and paprika as we know it was born.^[2] Szeged is also famous for their Szekelygulyas, a goulash made with pork, sauerkraut and sour cream.^[3] And also famous for their Halászlé, fish soup made of carp and catfish.

The citizens of Szeged played an important part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Lajos Kossuth delivered his famous speech here. Szeged was the last seat of the revolutionary government in July 1849. The Habsburg rulers punished the leaders of the town, but later Szeged began to prosper again, the railway reached it in 1854, and the town got its free royal town status back in 1860. Mark Pick's shop – the predecessor of today's world famous Pick Salami Factory – was opened in 1869.

Today the inner city of Szeged has beautiful buildings and wide avenues. This is mainly due to the great flood of 1879, which literally wiped away the whole town (only 265 of the 5723 houses remained and 165 people died). Emperor Franz Joseph visited the town and promised that "Szeged will be more beautiful than it used to be". He kept his promise. During the next years a new, modern city emerged from the ruins, with palaces and wide streets.

During the twentieth century[link]

Reök Palace

After the first World War Hungary lost its southern territories to Romania and Serbia, thus Seged became a city close to the border, and its importance lessened, but as it took over roles that formerly belonged to the now lost cities, it slowly recovered. The University of Kolozsvár (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania) moved to Seged in 1921 (see University of Seged). In 1923 Seged took over the role of episcopal seat from Temesvár (now Timişoara, Romania). It was briefly occupied by Romanian army during Hungarian-Romanian War in 1919. During the 1920s the Jewish population of Seged grew and reached its zenith.

Seged suffered heavily during the World War II. 6,000 inhabitants of the city were killed, the Jewish citizens were confined to ghettos, then taken to death camps, and the Soviet Army occupied the city in late-1944. During the Communist-era, Seged became a centre of light industry and food industry. In 1965 oil was found near the city; the area now satisfies 67% of the country's oil demand.

In 1962 Seged became the county seat of Csongrád. Whole new districts were built, and lots of nearby villages (e.g. Tápé, Sőreg, Kiskundorozsma, Sentmihálytelek, Gyálarét) were annexed to the city in 1973 (as was a tendency during the Communist era).

Today's Seged is an important university town and a popular tourist attraction.

Geography[link]

Szeged is situated near the southern border of Hungary, just to the south of the mouth of the Maros River, on both banks of the Tisza River.

Climate[link]

Seged's climate is transitional between oceanic (Köppen Cfb) and continental (Köppen Dfb), with cold winters, hot summers, and fairly low precipitation.

Due to the high number of sunshine hours annually, Seged is often called City of Sunshine.

Education[link]

The University of Szeged

The city of Szeged has 62 kindergartens, 32 elementary schools, 18 high schools and a university, which were established by the unification of the past existing higher education centres. The two most prominent high schools (Ságvári Endre Gyakorló Gimnázium and Radnóti Miklós Kísérleti Gimnázium) are among the fifteen best in the country.

Szeged is the higher education centre of southern Hungary and has built quite a reputation for itself. Thousands of students study here, many of whom are foreign students from all around the world. The Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, which was built with the help of UNESCO funds, has also been a considerable source of advanced research. Scientists at this laboratory were first in the world to produce artificial heredity material in the year 2000. The building has served as a home to many well known conferences and continues to make contributions to the world of science. The University of Szeged was ranked as the best university of the country on Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2005, and one of the best 100 in Europe.

Demographics[link]

Ethnic groups (2001 census):

• Hungarians - 93.5%
• Roma - 0.7%
• Germans - 0.5%
• Serbs - 0.2%
• Romanians - 0.2%
• Croats - 0.1%
• Slovaks - 0.1%
• No answer (unknown) - 4.7%

Religions (2001 census):

• Roman Catholic - 54.5%
• Calvinist - 6.7%
• Lutheran - 1.6%
• Greek Catholic - 0.6%
• Others (Christian) - 1.3%
• Others (non-Christian) - 0.4%
• Atheist - 21.8%
• No answer (unknown) - 13.1%

Economy[link]

Szeged is one of the centres of the food industry in Hungary, especially known for its paprika,^[2] Szekelygulyas,^[3] Szegedi Halászlé and Pick salami.

Main sights[link]

City centre, Dóm tér ("Cathedral Square") with the Votive Church		Church of Grey Friars (Gothic, 15th century)		The Water Tower
Dömötör Tower (13th century)		Ferenc Móra Museum		Reök Palace
Szeged Synagogue		Szeged City Hall		National Theatre of Szeged
Gróf-palace (1913)		Minorite Church		Fekete Ház "Black House", Museum of Currency

Famous people[link]

Born in Szeged[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

A memorial of the Golden Team, the legendary football team of Hungary

• Adrián Annus (1975), hammer thrower
• Laurenz "Loz" Lipworthz, Scally Manc
• Gábor Agárdy (1922–2006), actor
• Béla Balázs (1884–1949), writer, poet, film critic
• Zsolt Becsey (1964), politician
• Joseph Csaky (1888-1971) sculptor
• Attila Czene (1974), Olympic champion medley swimmer
• János Csonka (1852–1939), engineer, co-inventor of the carburetor
• Sophie Evans (1976), adult movie star
• Ivan Fellegi (1935), Chief Statistician of Canada
• Rajmund Fodor (1976), Olympic champion water polo player
• Jenő Huszka (1875–1960), composer
• Éva Janikovszky (1926–2003), writer
• Ferenc Joachim (1882–1964), painter
• Gyula Juhász (1883–1937), poet
• Esther Jungreis, Orthodox Jewish outreach speaker
• Géza Maróczy (1870–1951), chess grand master
• Tamás Molnár (1975), Olympic champion water polo player
• Robert Nagy (1967), speedway rider
• László Paskai (1927), Archbishop of Esztergom
• Willy Pogany (1882–1955), illustrator
• György Sebők (1922–1999), pianist
• Julius Stahel (1825–1912), American Civil War general and diplomat
• Ágnes Péter (1983), famous singer

• Attila Vajda (1983), Olympic champion canoer
• Vilmos Zsigmond (1930), cinematographer

Who lived in Szeged[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

• Mihály Babits poet, writer
• Lipót Fejér mathematician
• Alfréd Haar mathematician
• Attila József poet
• László Kalmár mathematician
• Dezső Kosztolányi poet, novelist
• Leopold Löw rabbi, historian and Judaic scholar
• Immanuel Löw rabbi, Judaic scholar, politician
• Kálmán Mikszáth writer
• Ferenc Móra writer, archaeologist
• Miklós Radnóti poet
• Frigyes Riesz mathematician
• Albert Szent-Györgyi Nobel prize winner chemist and biologist
• Béla Szőkefalvi-Nagy mathematician

Gallery[link]

Twin towns - Sister cities[link]

Szeged is twinned with:

• Cambridge, United Kingdom, since 1977
• Darmstadt, Germany, since 1990^[5]
• Nice, France, since 1969
• Odessa, Ukraine, since 1977
• Rakhiv, Ukraine, since 1939 and 1997
• Parma, Italy, since 1988
• Liège, Belgium, since 2001
• Kotor, Montenegro, since 2001
• Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Târgu Mureş, Romania, since 1997
• Subotica, Serbia, since 1966 and 2004
• Timişoara, Romania, since 1998
• Toledo, United States, since 1990
• Turku, Finland, since 1971
• Łódź, Poland, since 2004
• Weinan, China, since 1999
• Larnaca, Cyprus, since 1994
• Pula, Croatia, since 2003
• Varna, Bulgaria, since 2010
• İzmir, Turkey, since 2010

See also[link]

• Public transport in Szeged
• Szeged Symphony Orchestra
• National Theatre of Szeged

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Szeged

• Szeged travel guide from Wikitravel
• Szeged(photo album) (English)
• Szeged, city of sunshine (English)
• Panoramas
• Szeged in Pictures (English)
• Official site with webcam (Hungarian) (English)
• Another site (English)
• Official site of the Open Air Festival
• Official site of Young Summer Festival
• Local Radio Station - Radio Plusz
• Aerial photography: Szeged
• Pick Salami and Szeged Paprika Museum
• SZTE Congress Center

v t e Csongrád County County seat: Szeged Cities and towns Csanádpalota Csongrád Hódmezővásárhely Kistelek Makó Mindszent Mórahalom Sándorfalva Szentes Villages Algyő Ambrózfalva Apátfalva Árpádhalom Ásotthalom Baks Balástya Bordány Csanádalberti Csanytelek Csengele Derekegyház Deszk Domaszék Dóc Eperjes Fábiánsebestyén Felgyő Ferencszállás Forráskút Földeák Királyhegyes Kiszombor Klárafalva Kövegy Kübekháza Magyarcsanád Maroslele Mártély Nagyér Nagylak Nagymágocs Nagytőke Óföldeák Ópusztaszer Öttömös Pitvaros Pusztamérges Pusztaszer Röszke Ruzsa Szatymaz Szegvár Székkutas Tiszasziget Tömörkény Újszentiván Üllés Zákányszék Zsombó Other topics History Geography Government Economy Culture Tourism

v t e Counties of Hungary Counties Bács-Kiskun Baranya Békés Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén Csongrád Fejér Győr-Moson-Sopron Hajdú-Bihar Heves Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Komárom-Esztergom Nógrád Pest Somogy Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg Tolna Vas Veszprém Zala Urban counties Békéscsaba Budapest (capital) Debrecen Dunaújváros Eger Érd Győr Hódmezővásárhely Kaposvár Kecskemét Miskolc Nagykanizsa Nyíregyháza Pécs Salgótarján Sopron Szeged Székesfehérvár Szekszárd Szolnok Szombathely Tatabánya Veszprém Zalaegerszeg

Will Smith
Smith in 2011
Born	Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. (1968-09-25) September 25, 1968 (age 43) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Other names	The Fresh Prince
Occupation	Actor, producer, rapper
Years active	1985–1993, 1997–2005 (rapping), 1990–present (acting)
Spouse	Sheree Zampino (m. 1992–1995) «start: (1992)–end+1: (1996)»"Marriage: Sheree Zampino to Will Smith" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Will_Smith) Jada Pinkett Smith (m. 1997) «start: (1997)»"Marriage: Jada Pinkett Smith to Will Smith" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Will_Smith)
Children	Trey Smith Jaden Smith Willow Smith
Website
www.willsmith.com

Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. (born September 25, 1968),^[1] also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood.^[2] Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won multiple Grammy Awards.

In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for nearly six years (1990–1996) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. In the mid-1990s, Smith moved from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office and the only one to have eight consecutive films in which he starred open at #1 spot in the domestic box office tally.^[3]

Fourteen of the nineteen fiction films he has acted in have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million, and four took in over $500 million in global box office receipts. As of 2011, his films have grossed $5.7 billion in global box office.^[4] His most financially successful films have been Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Independence Day, Men in Black, Men in Black II, I, Robot, I Am Legend, Hancock, Wild Wild West, Enemy of the State, Shark Tale, Hitch and Seven Pounds. He also earned critical praise for his performances in Six Degrees of Separation, Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness, receiving Best Actor Oscar nominations for the latter two.

Family and early life[link]

Born and raised in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia, Smith also lived in Germantown in Northwest Philadelphia. His mother, Caroline (née Bright), was a school administrator who worked for the Philadelphia school board, and his father, Willard Christopher Smith, Sr., was a refrigeration engineer.^[5][6] He was raised Baptist.^[7] His parents separated when he was thirteen,^[8] and did not actually divorce until around 2000.^[9]

It is untrue, though widely reported, that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); he never applied to the school,^[10] although he was admitted to a "pre-engineering program" there.^[9] According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college."^[11]

Recording and acting career[link]

Smith at the Emmy Awards in 1993

Early work (1985–1995)[link]

Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes as turntablist and producer,^[12] as well as Ready Rock C (Clarence Holmes) as the human beat box. The trio was known for performing humorous, radio-friendly songs, most notably "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime".^[12] They gained critical acclaim and won the first Grammy awarded in the Rap category (1988).^[12]

Smith had a line in "Voices That Care", a 1991 Persian Gulf War song by a celebrity group. Smith spent money freely during his early career and underpaid his income taxes.^[12] The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against Smith, took many of his possessions, and garnished his income.^[13] Smith was nearly bankrupt in 1990, when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him.^[12]

The show was successful and began his acting career. Smith set for himself the goal of becoming "the biggest movie star in the world," studying box office successes' common characteristics.^[8] His first major roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action film Bad Boys (1995) which he starred opposite of Martin Lawrence.

Breakthrough (1996–2000)[link]

In 1996, Smith starred as part of an ensemble cast in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. The film was a massive blockbuster, becoming the second highest grossing film in history at the time and establishing Smith as a prime box office draw.^[14] He later struck gold again in the summer of 1997 alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the summer hit Men in Black playing Agent J. In 1998, Smith starred with Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State.^[12]

He turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West (1999). Despite the disappointment of Wild Wild West, Smith has said that he harbors no regrets about his decision, asserting that Keanu Reeves's performance as Neo was superior to what Smith himself would have achieved.^[15] Though in interviews subsequent to the release of Wild Wild West he stated that he "made a mistake on Wild Wild West. That could have been better."^[16]

2001–present[link]

Smith in September 2009

In 2005, Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for attending a record breaking three premieres in a 24-hour time span.^[17]

He has planned to star in a feature film remake of the television series It Takes a Thief.^[18]

On December 10, 2007, Smith was recognized at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the world renowned theater in front of many fans.^[19] Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released December 14, 2007. Despite marginally positive reviews,^[20] its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Smith himself has said that he considers the film to be "aggressively unique".^[21] A reviewer said that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood."^[22] On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smith has been selected as one of America’s top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.^[23]

Smith is currently developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which he will star as Taharqa.^[24]

President Barack Obama has stated that if a film were to ever be made about his life, he would have Smith play his part, because "he has the ears". Obama stated that the two have discussed a possibility of a film based on the 2008 election, but this may not happen until the end of the Obama presidency.^[25]

Men in Black III opened on May 25, 2012. In it, Smith will play Agent J for the third time, being one of his more popular earlier roles coincides with the fact that it will be his first major starring role in four years.

On August 19, 2011, it was announced^[26] that Smith had returned to the studio with producer La Mar Edwards to make a new album. Edwards has worked with artists such as T.I., Chris Brown, and Game.

Smith and his son, Jaden, are currently filming After Earth, which is set for a 2013 release.

Personal life[link]

Nobel Peace Prize Concert December 11, 2009, in Oslo, Norway: Smith with wife Jada and children Jaden and Willow

Smith was raised by his parents in West Philadelphia. Smith credits his father's dedication when discussing his involvement in the lives of his own children: "I look at my father and how he was able to keep four kids fed and clothed and still managed to find time to spend with us."^[27] Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had a son, Willard Christopher Smith III, also known as "Trey", but divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just the Two of Us".

Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. Together they have had two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness, and Willow Camille Reign (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend. Along with his brother, Harry Smith, he owns Treyball Development Inc.,^[28] a Beverly Hills-based company named after his first son. Smith and his family reside on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida and in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Sweden^[29] and Philadelphia.

Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40. He donated $4,600 to the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama.^[30] On December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, when Obama had won the prize.^[31]

Smith has said he has studied multiple religions, including Scientology, and he has said many complimentary things about Scientology and other faiths. Despite his praise of Scientology, Smith said "I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious"^[32][33] and "Ninety-eight percent of the principles in Scientology are identical to the principles of the Bible.... I don't think that because the word someone uses for spirit is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different."^[34] He has denied having joined the Church of Scientology, saying "I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions, and I respect all people and all paths."^[35]

Smith gave $1.3 million to charities in 2007, of which $450,000 went to two Christian ministries, and $122,500 went to three Scientology organizations; the remaining beneficiaries included "a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and [...] the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel".^[36] Smith and his wife have also founded a private elementary school in Calabasas, California, the New Village Leadership Academy, which uses Study Technology, a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.^[37] Federal tax filing showed that Will Smith donated $1.2 million to the school in 2010.^[38]

In 2012 he expressed support for the legalizing of same-sex marriage, in an endorsement of president Barack Obama's declaration to adopt this stance on the issue.^[39]

Discography[link]

With DJ Jazzy Jeff[link]

• Rock the House (1987)
• He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988)
• And in This Corner... (1989)
• Homebase (1991)
• Code Red (1993)

Solo[link]

• Big Willie Style (1997)
• Willennium (1999)
• Born to Reign (2002)
• Lost and Found (2005)

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Film[link]

Box office grosses[link]

References[link]