Town with almost 20,000 inhabitants on the edge of Nyírség, at the river Kraszna. It is the administrative, educational, cultural, industrial, commercial and servicing centre of the region. It has been a settlement since Árpád's age, it was a county seat after the Treaty of Trianon until 1950. In 1969 it received the rank of town. It was the first town in Hungary which introduced electrical street lighting in 1888. In 1981 it got János Hild medal for the embellishing and building of the town. The Szatmár Museum was installed in an art nouveau style building, the former residence of the Lord Lieutenant in 1974. A monument in the town is the Calvinist church, the tower of which is from the 13th century. A section of the nave is Gothic, the rest was built in 1789. There is a wide range of possibilities in the town: 28 works of art at public places, exhibitions, thermal bath, swimming-pool, pensions, restaurants, cultural programmes await visitors. The most popular event of the town is the Bright Days Festival of Mátészalka in the first week of September. Outstanding events: French language children's festival and national school competition in May; and the amateur drama festival at the last weekend of November. The Town Community Centre was opened in the building of the old county hall extended with the Theatre hall where 20-30 performances are held every year.