Baja, Hungary

Baja is a city with county rights in Bács-Kiskun County, southern Hungary. It is the second-largest city in the county, after the county seat of Kecskemét, and is home to some 35,000 people. Baja is the seat of Baja Municipality. The Baja region has been continuously inhabited since the end of the Iron Age, but there is evidence of human presence since prehistoric times. The settlement itself was most likely established in the 14th century. After the Ottoman Empire conquered Hungary, it grew to prominence more than the other nearby settlements, and it was granted town rights in 1696. Today, Baja plays an important role in the life of Northern Bácska as a local commercial centre and the provider of public services such as education and healthcare. It has several roads and a railway connection to other parts of the country and also offers local public transport for its residents.