Gyula is one of the most important economical and social centers in the southern region of Hungary. This city is located towards the south eastern area of the country, near the border with Romania and within the county of Bekes, and has a population of approximately 33,000 inhabitants spread throughout a territory of about 256 km2.
According to experts, the first mention known in reference to Gyula dates from beginnings of the 14th century, around the year 1313. This official mention was discovered in a document in which a monastery named Gyulamonostor is mentioned, and which, this way, provides evidence of the existence of the city.
There also are official documents clearly mentioning a settlement called Gyula or Jula located around the monastery of Gyulamonostor around the year 1333. It is believed that the name of the monastery and the settlement was born from a group of Magyar tribes that settled in this area of Hungary and which became known as the Gyulas.
Gyula is one of the most important economical and social centers tourists could visit when traveling to the south eastern region during a vacation in Hungary. Besides this, this city is very important for the Hungarian Romanian community, being home of an important amount of inhabitants of such nationality. In this town, there are many Romanian organizations, such as, for example, the Romanian-Hungarian Cultural Union, the Center for the National self-governance of Romanians in Hungary, and the Romanian Researchers Community in Hungary, among others.
The city of Gyula has several appealing attractions tourists should not miss during their visit. Among the main attractions this city has, there is, for example, the Old Fortress of Gyula, a construction that was built during the 13th century and which nowadays is considered to be a very important cultural centre.
Other attraction tourists should not miss in Gyula is the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, built around the year 1865 and which is a very important building for the Romanian community that lives in this city. Also, while being in this city, visitors could meet the Nicolae Balcescu High School building, which shows a very interesting appearance that resembles the traditional architecture of Transylvania.