Kaposvár, situated on the River Kapos 190km (118mi.) southwest of Budapest, was documented as long ago as 1009, but has only effectively made its mark in modern times as an industrial town. The castle after which the town is named (Kaposvár means "Kapos Castle") was an important fortification but nevertheless unable to resist attacks by the Turks. After the construction of the Danube-Dráva railroad link in the second half of the 19th C. Kaposvár became the administrative and industrial hub of Somogy, the hilly region south of Lake Balaton which was once covered in marshland and steppe meadows, but is now home to the food and textile industry. 80 per cent of the houses in Kaposvár were built during this century, so it does not possess many historical monuments, but at one time the town held the title "Town of Flowers" (because of its many parks.)
In 1990 Kaposvár was elevated to the rank of city with county rights.
In 1993, the town became an episcopal seat. The University of Kaposvár was founded on January 1st, 2000.
The Baroque house was chosen by the writer and poet Mihály Csokonai Vitéz (1773-1805) as the setting for his light-hearted epic poem "Dorottya". The Shrovetide celebrations described therein are the subject of a Carnival and Dorottya Ball which take place in Kaposvár every year.
The only Film Museum (Mozimúzeum) in Hungary houses temporary exhibitions on the ground floor, with an historical film collection on the upper floor. 6000 films are stored in the archives, with regular showings in the cinema.
Built in 1774 as the town's first two-story house. The fittings and equipment of the old pharmacy where the painter Rippi-Rónai worked as a chemist have been preserved.
The present Catholic Church on the main square, Kossuth tér, was built in 1734-44 on the site of an old clay church. It was renovated in Neo-Romanesque style by Ottó Tandor (1852-1913). A striking feature are its many towers - one large, four smaller and two smaller still.
In the Jókai Grove to the south, by the side of the River Kapos, lies a spacious thermal bath complex with both covered and open-air baths. The alkaline water is at a temperature of 43°C (110°F). The baths are tastefully decorated with ceramics, copper-reliefs and aluminum sculptures.
The main street (a pedestrian precinct) is the site of the old Town Hall, a Classical building (1829-32) with a beautifully structured façade; it houses the Museum of the Somogy Region (including the folklore of the Dráva fishermen and the Somogy shepherds) and a valuable art collection, with paintings by well-known sons of the town and the surrounding region. These include József Rippi-Rónai (1861-1927), János Vaszary (1867-1939), Mihály Zichy (1827-1906).
The castle was built in the Kapos floodplain, and the marshland proved almost to be a better form of defense than the walls. Remains of the walls can still be seen on the western edge of the town, on the old market place. In 1555 the Turks captured the castle and retained possession of it for almost 113 years. On orders from Vienna it was razed to the ground in the early 18th C, and it was 1931 before the remains were discovered and brought to light.
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