1879 great flood of Szeged: a short anniversary sum-up

March 12 marks the anniversary of the 1879 great flood of Szeged. The huge flood arrived at 1:30 a.m. and wiped away almost the entire town. Only around 260 remained of the approximately 6000 houses. According to some sources, the death toll reached 200.

News of the flood spread quickly. Press in Western Europe reported the news, and soon the whole world could get acquainted with the tragedy of Szeged.

Emperor Francis Joseph I visited the city on March 17, 1879, instructing Prime Minister Kálmán Tisza to work out the steps of reconstruction. The emperor promised that "Szeged will be more beautiful than it used to be".

The city received donations from Europe and beyond — 35 countries rushed to help Szeged. Parts of today's Nagykörút (translates to Grand Boulevard) in Szeged are named after the cities that sent the largest flood relief donations.

Reconstruction works took place between 1880-1883 based on the plans of Lajos Lechner. The new city structure with boulevards and avenues was modeled after major European city plans.

King Francis Joseph I donated the ruins of the former Szeged Castle to the citizens of the town, so they could use the stones for the reconstruction. Many of the palaces of the eye-catching eclectic cityscape were created from these stones and bricks.

The tragedy of the city resulted in a total rebirth. The new cityscape, with its attractive, wide streets and eclectic look resembled the biggest European cities of the time and made Szeged one of the most beautiful cities of Hungary.

Featured image: Dugonics Square under water during the 1879 great flood. Credit: FORTEPAN / Fődi Gábor through Wikimedia Commons