Kiskunhalas Város Polgármesteri Hivatala

The area around Kiskunhalas has been inhabited for thousands of years. The peoples of prehistoric cultures settled here, as evidenced by the many archaeological treasures to be found in the Thorma János museum. From the start of the reign of the royal House of Árpád in 895 several small settlements flourished in this area, although the land was later ravaged by Mongolian invaders in the thirteenth century. Around 1246 seven Cumanian clans settled in the land of the Magyars, and one of them, the Csertán ['pike'] clan, took possession of the area around Halas. Within a few centuries the Cumanians had become absorbed into the indigenous population. The first written mention of 'Halas' dates from 1347. The settlement rapidly grew to become a market town (Latin 'oppidum'). The region was gravely imperilled several times during the Turkish invasion and occupation of Hungary (1526-1699). From 1596, Halas was uninhabited for decades.