Sárospatak
Encyclopedia
----
Sárospatak (English
rough translation: Muddy Stream or Muddy Brook on the Bodrog
) is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
county, northern Hungary
. It lies 70 km (43 mi) northeast from Miskolc
, in the Bodrog
river valley. The town, often called simply Patak, is an important cultural centre.
. In the Middle Ages
it was an important place due to its proximity to an important trade route leading to Poland
. Its castle, built by Andrew II
, is traditionally identified as the birthplace of his daughter Saint Elizabeth.
Sárospatak was elevated to the rank of free royal town by King Sigismund. In 1460, during the reign of King Matthias it received the right to hold a market
. In 1575 a plague
killed many of the inhabitants.
The Reformation
began spreading into Hungary from this area. The first Protestant college
, one of the most important colleges of Hungary at the time, was founded in Sárospatak in 1531. In 1650 Zsuzsanna Lorántffy
, widow of George I Rákóczi
prince of Transylvania
invited the famous Czech
educator Jan Comenius
to Sárospatak. Comenius lived there until 1654, as a professor of the college, and he wrote some of his most important works there. The college (since 2000 a faculty of the University of Miskolc
) now bears his name.
The owners of the castle of Sárospatak include many important individuals in Hungarian history. In the 16th century it was owned by the Dobó family. Bálint Balassi
, the most important Hungarian poet of the century married Krisztina Dobó at the castle; the bride was the daughter of István Dobó
, who defended the castle of Eger
against the Ottoman Turks
. Later the castle was owned by the Rákóczi
family. The residents of the town took an active part in the revolution against Habsburg
rule led by Francis II Rákóczi
.
Today Sárospatak is a charming historical town and a popular tourist destination.
with:
Krosno
in Poland
(since 2007) Tekirdağ
in Turkey
Soest
, Germany
Sárospatak (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
rough translation: Muddy Stream or Muddy Brook on the Bodrog
Bodrog
The Bodrog is a river in eastern Slovakia and north-eastern Hungary. It is a tributary to the river Tisza. The Bodrog is formed by the confluence of the rivers Ondava and Latorica near Zemplin in eastern Slovakia...
) is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén is the name of an administrative county in north-eastern Hungary , on the border with Slovakia. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Nógrád, Heves, Hajdú-Bihar and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. The capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county is Miskolc...
county, northern Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. It lies 70 km (43 mi) northeast from Miskolc
Miskolc
Miskolc is a city in northeastern Hungary, mainly with heavy industrial background. With a population close to 170,000 Miskolc is the fourth largest city of Hungary It is also the county capital of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and the regional centre of Northern Hungary.- Geography :Miskolc is located...
, in the Bodrog
Bodrog
The Bodrog is a river in eastern Slovakia and north-eastern Hungary. It is a tributary to the river Tisza. The Bodrog is formed by the confluence of the rivers Ondava and Latorica near Zemplin in eastern Slovakia...
river valley. The town, often called simply Patak, is an important cultural centre.
History
The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Sárospatak was granted town status in 1201 by King EmericEmeric of Hungary
Emeric I , , King of Hungary and Croatia . He was crowned during his father's lifetime, but after his father's death he had to fight against his brother, Andrew, who forced Emeric to assign the government of Croatia and Dalmatia to him...
. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it was an important place due to its proximity to an important trade route leading to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Its castle, built by Andrew II
Andrew II of Hungary
Andrew II the Jerosolimitan was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was the younger son of King Béla III of Hungary, who invested him with the government of the Principality of Halych...
, is traditionally identified as the birthplace of his daughter Saint Elizabeth.
Sárospatak was elevated to the rank of free royal town by King Sigismund. In 1460, during the reign of King Matthias it received the right to hold a market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
. In 1575 a plague
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
killed many of the inhabitants.
The Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
began spreading into Hungary from this area. The first Protestant college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, one of the most important colleges of Hungary at the time, was founded in Sárospatak in 1531. In 1650 Zsuzsanna Lorántffy
Zsuzsanna Lorántffy
Zsuzsanna Lorántffy , anglicized as Susanna Lorantffy was the wife of György Rákóczi I, prince of Transylvania....
, widow of George I Rákóczi
George I Rákóczi
György Rákóczi I was elected Hungarian prince of Transylvania from 1630 until his death. During his influence Transylvania grew politically and economically stronger.-Biography:...
prince of Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
invited the famous Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
educator Jan Comenius
Comenius
John Amos Comenius ; ; Latinized: Iohannes Amos Comenius) was a Czech teacher, educator, and writer. He served as the last bishop of Unity of the Brethren, and became a religious refugee and one of the earliest champions of universal education, a concept eventually set forth in his book Didactica...
to Sárospatak. Comenius lived there until 1654, as a professor of the college, and he wrote some of his most important works there. The college (since 2000 a faculty of the University of Miskolc
University of Miskolc
The University of Miskolc is the largest university of Northern Hungary.-Location:...
) now bears his name.
The owners of the castle of Sárospatak include many important individuals in Hungarian history. In the 16th century it was owned by the Dobó family. Bálint Balassi
Bálint Balassi
Bálint Balassi baron of Kékkő and Gyarmat, , was a multilingual Hungarian Renaissance lyric poet, who wrote mostly in Hungarian...
, the most important Hungarian poet of the century married Krisztina Dobó at the castle; the bride was the daughter of István Dobó
István Dobó
Baron István Dobó de Ruszka Baron István Dobó de Ruszka Baron István Dobó de Ruszka (c. 1502 - Szerednye (today, Середнє (Szerednye / Serednie, Ukraine), mid-June 1572). Hungarian soldier, best known as the successful defender of Eger against the Ottomans in 1552. Dobó was a member of the...
, who defended the castle of Eger
Eger
Eger is the second largest city in Northern Hungary, the county seat of Heves, east of the Mátra Mountains. Eger is best known for its castle, thermal baths, historic buildings , and red and white wines.- Name :...
against the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
. Later the castle was owned by the Rákóczi
Rákóczi
The Rákóczi were a Hungarian noble family in the Kingdom of Hungary between the 13th century and 18th century. Their name is also spelled Rakoczi and Rakoczy in some foreign sources....
family. The residents of the town took an active part in the revolution against Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
rule led by Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi
Francis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...
.
Today Sárospatak is a charming historical town and a popular tourist destination.
Tourist sights
- CastleCastleA castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
(with Renaissance tower) - Gallery
People
- Ladislaus IV of Hungary
- John Amos Comenius
- Lajos KossuthLajos KossuthLajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Regent-President of Hungary in 1849. He was widely honored during his lifetime, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, as a freedom fighter and bellwether of democracy in Europe.-Family:Lajos...
- Elisabeth of HungaryElisabeth of HungaryElizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly-venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. She then became one of the first members of the newly-founded Third Order of St. Francis,...
- Balint BalassiBálint BalassiBálint Balassi baron of Kékkő and Gyarmat, , was a multilingual Hungarian Renaissance lyric poet, who wrote mostly in Hungarian...
- Francis II RákócziFrancis II RákócziFrancis II Rákóczi Hungarian aristocrat, he was the leader of the Hungarian uprising against the Habsburgs in 1703-11 as the prince of the Estates Confederated for Liberty of the Kingdom of Hungary. He was also Prince of Transylvania, an Imperial Prince, and a member of the Order of the Golden...
- András FáyAndrás FáyAndrás Fáy was a Hungarian poet and author.He was born at Kohány in the county of Zemplén, and was educated for the law at the Protestant college of Sárospatak. His Mesék , the first edition of which appeared at Vienna in 1820, evinced his powers of satire and invention, and won him the...
- George II RákócziGeorge II RákócziGyörgy Rákóczi II , a Transylvanian Hungarian ruler, was the eldest son of George I and Susanna Lorantffy....
- Imre MakoveczImre MakoveczImre Makovecz , was a Hungarian architect active in Europe from the late 1950s onward.Makovecz was born and died in Budapest. He attended the Technical University of Budapest. He was founder and "eternal and executive president" of the Hungarian Academy of Arts.Makovecz was one of the most...
- János ErdélyiJános ErdélyiJános Erdélyi was a Hungarian poet, critic, author, philosopher and ethnographist....
- Mihály TompaMihály TompaMihály Tompa , Hungarian lyric poet, was born in Rimaszombat, in the county of Gömör, his father being village bootmaker....
- Miklós IzsóMiklós IzsóMiklós Izsó - May 29, 1875, Budapest) was a Hungarian sculptor. His sculptural style integrated elements of classicism and academic style.Izsó studied at the College in Sárospatak from 1840. He took part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848...
- Ferenc BerényiFerenc BerényiFerenc Berényi was a Hungarian painter.He studied at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts between 1949-1953 where his prominent teachers were Jenő Barcsay and Endre Domanovszky...
- Johann GrueberJohann GrueberJohann Grueber was an Austrian Jesuit missionary and astronomer in China, and noted explorer.-Life:...
- Ján ChalupkaJán ChalupkaJán Chalupka was a Slovak dramatist, playwright, publicist and Evangelical pastor.- Life :...
- Frigyes Ákos Hazslinszky
- Gábor Nagy
- Ilona ZrínyiIlona ZrínyiCountess Ilona Zrínyi was one of the last surviving members of the Croatian Zrinski/Zrínyi noble family and one of the greatest heroines of Croatian and Hungarian history...
- Zsuzsanna LorántffyZsuzsanna LorántffyZsuzsanna Lorántffy , anglicized as Susanna Lorantffy was the wife of György Rákóczi I, prince of Transylvania....
Trivia
- The ceiling of one of the small rooms of the castle is decorated by frescoFrescoFresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es of roses. The participants of the Wesselényi conspiracy held their secret meetings in this room. In LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
the term "sub rosa" means both "under the rose" and "in secret". - Because of its cultural significance, Sárospatak is sometimes called "Athens of the Bodrog".
Twin towns — Sister cities
Sárospatak is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Krosno
Krosno
Krosno is a town and county in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland with 47,455 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009.Notably Krosno is the site of the first oil well in the world....
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(since 2007) Tekirdağ
Tekirdag
Tekirdağ , the ancient Bisanthi , is a city in Eastern Thrace, in the European part of Turkey. Tekirdağ is the capital of Tekirdağ Province, felt by the local people to be a quieter and more pleasant town than the industrial centre of Çorlu, which it administers. The city population as of 2009 was...
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
Soest
Soest, Germany
Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.-Geography:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...