Kőröshegy is a village directly south of Balatonföldvár in

Siófok District Siófok () is a district in Somogy County, in south-western Hungary. The district is located in the north-eastern part of the county. ''Siófok'' is also the name of the town where the district seat is located. The district is located in the South ...

Somogy County Somogy (, ; ; , ) is an administrative county (Counties of Hungary, comitatus or ''vármegye'') in present Hungary, and also in the former Kingdom of Hungary. Somogy County lies in south-western Hungary, on the border with Croatia's Koprivnica- ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. The settlement is known in Hungary for being a holiday destination near to

Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater rift lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the larges ...

attracting thousands of visitors yearly. Kőröshegy is also famous for its grapes, wine and the ''Viaduct of Kőröshegy'' on the M7 Motorway which is a symbol of the village. The settlement is part of the

Balatonboglár wine region The Balatonboglár wine region, also known as the South Balaton wine region, is the only one wine region in Somogy County, Hungary. The area consists of 37 settlements, mainly located on the southern shore of Lake Balaton, but also some near Kap ...

Etymology

There are several theories about the origin of the name of the village. According to the most accepted one it derives from the name of the tree,

Fraxinus ''Fraxinus'' (), commonly called ash, is a genus of plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae, and comprises 45–65 species of usually medium-to-large trees, most of which are deciduous trees, although some Subtropics, subtropical specie ...

() which is typical on the settlement. In medieval descriptions this territory was named ''Kreuris tue'' (). In

people used or use the word ''hegy'' () instead of ''domb'' (). According to the second also popular explanation the fact that the village is surrounded by hills could lead to the world ''körös'' which meant ''kör alakú'' (). ''Kajetán Darnay'' states that the village was named after the

Scythian The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people who had migrated during the 9th to 8th centuries BC fr ...

king, ''Kőrös'' who ruled in the region.

Nicolaus Olahus Nicolaus Olahus (Latin for ''Nicholas, the Vlach''; ; ); 10 January 1493 – 15 January 1568) was the Archbishop of Esztergom, Primate of Hungary, and a distinguished Catholic prelate, humanist and historiographer. Early life Nicolaus Olahus ...

, the Archbishop of Esztergom, named the settlement ''Kereszthegy'' () in his writing from 1536. ''István Tikos'' referred to Kőröshegy as ''Keren'' and ''Kereszthegy'' in 1819.

Geography

Kőröshegy lies 3 km far from the southern shore of

in the ''Kőröshegy Valley'' south of Balatonföldvár and Szántód. The landscape is dominated by the hills (part of the ''Transdanubian Hill Range''). Its deepest point is at 106 m, the highest at 312 m (''Gyugy-tető''). The ''Jaba Crook'' runs through the village from the south to the north. Kőröshegy is part of the ''Balatonboglár Wine Region''.

History

Middle Ages

This place was already inhabited during prehistoric times. The name of the settlement was first mentioned in 1082 in an official decree in which Ladislaus I subordinated the village under the Archdiocese of Veszprém, meanwhile in the

establishing charter of the abbey of Tihany The establishing charter of the abbey of Tihany is a document known for including the oldest written words in the Hungarian language. The document, dated to 1055, lists the lands the king donated to the newly founded Tihany Abbey. It is mostly ...

(1055) this territory was under the supervision of the

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

Pannonhalma Abbey. The first was confirmed later by

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...

(1175) and

Pope Urban II Pope Urban II (; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening the Council of Clermon ...

(1187).

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

gave a part of

(including Kőröshegy) the Benedictines, but ecclesiastically to the Archdiocese of Veszprém. Under the rule of

Béla IV Béla may refer to: * Béla (crater), an elongated lunar crater * Béla (given name), a common Hungarian male given name See also * Bela (disambiguation) * Belá (disambiguation) * Bělá (disambiguation) Bělá may refer to: Places in the Cze ...

, Master Albeus wrote a list of the residents of Kőröshegy, therefore they are all known by names today. In 1376 the village was the seat of the cattle regency of Pannonhalma Abbey in

. Since 1386 it was under royal possession.

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

awarded the whole village and the nearby ''Castle of Fehérkő'' to ''Miklós Pécznembéli Marczali'' and his brother. During the 15th century it was owned by the

Báthory family The House of Báthory () was an old and powerful Hungarian nobility, Hungarian noble family of the Gutkeled clan. The family rose to significant influence in Central Europe during the Late Middle Ages, holding high military, administrative and ...

and later by ''Lajos Perky'', the cavalry captain of

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

. Kőröshegy became a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...

in the late Middle Ages. Before the arrival of the Turks

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

settled there. In 1532 12 Franciscans lived in Kőröshegy in their monastery. (Its ruins can be found on the court of the primary school.) During the Turkish times the Franciscans left this monastery and the building was used first as a Turkish school then as a stable.

Ottoman rule

Kőröshegy lost most of its residents and became a village again. Several people flew into the hills to ''Diós-völgy'' and ''Diós-oldal'' near ''Gyugy-puszta'' because of the harassment of the Turks. In 1563 only 30 tax payers lived there, in 1580 only 35. Hundred years later there were only 18 tay payers. The settlement came under the ''Sanjak of

Törökkoppány Törökkoppány () is a village in Somogy County, Somogy county, Hungary. Culture The Hungarian folk song :hu:Kinyílt a rózsa, hajlik az ága, Kinyílt a rózsa, hajlik az ága was collected in 1923 in Törökkoppány by László Lajtha. Exte ...

'' in the Ottoman administration. The Roman Catholic church was demolished by the Turks, only the walls stood. The residents rebuilt the church in 1671 after the end of the Ottoman times when people settled back to Kőröshegy.

Habsburg rule

In the 17th century the village came under the possession of the Szécsényi family. In 1688 ''György Széchenyi'', the chief captain of Egervár and

Pölöske Pölöske is a village in Zala County, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the ea ...

, refers to its mansion which had at that time just a ground level. The mansion was rebuilt in

Baroque style The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s. It followed Renaissance art and Mannerism and preceded the Rococo (i ...

in ca. 1780 adding a first floor above it. The Szécsényi family had an important role in vivifying the village. The majority of the population converted to Calvinism until that time. The Calvinists did not have their own church, therefore they were allowed to use the newly rebuilt church together with the Catholics until 1749. In 1759 the Catholics could establish their own parish. The Calvinists built their church in 1784, and in 1794 they expanded it with a wooden tower. Today's reformed church was built between 1813 and 1818. During the Hungarian War of Independence some residents became soldiers. As the army of the pro-Habsburg

Josip Jelačić Count Josip Jelačić von Bužim (16 October 180120 May 1859; also spelled ''Jellachich'', ''Jellačić'' or ''Jellasics''; ; ) was a Croatian lieutenant field marshal in the Imperial Austrian Army and politician. He was the Ban of Croatia betw ...

passed through the village the residents inveigled the hostile soldiers in their cellars, where they gave them wine, then they killed them. In the 19th century the village developed its industry, water mills and a brick factory were established. They continued to operate the at that time well-known traditional cooper guilds. In 1862 there was a huge conflagration in Kőröshegy, when 43 houses were burnt down including the tower of the reformed church, the rectory and the apartment of the teacher and several others got damaged. In 8 years most buildings were renovated and rebuilt.

Main sights

* Lavender of Kőröshegy * Roman Catholic church (built in the late 15th century) -

Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...

church built by István Báthory * Reformed church (built in 1818) * Cellars in the side of the ''Öreg-hegy'' () * ''Széchenyi Mansion'' - was built in 1780 in

(Its most notable resident was ''Zsigmond Széchenyi'' who wrote his famous novel ''Csui'' there.) * traditional peasant homes (e.g. 65 Petőfi Sándor utca (built ca. 1869), 29 Petőfi Sándor utca (built ca. 1850), 86 Kossuth Lajos utca) - Whitewashed, thatched, gable houses with columned, vaulted porch. * ''Dézsma Cellar'' - used for wine storage since the Middle Ages (currently can not be visited) * ''Viaduct of Kőröshegy'' on the M7 Motorway
Turtle Park
(Hungary's first turtle collection near Lake Balaton)

Demographics

The majority of the residents are Hungarian (88.7%). Notable minorities are

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

(2.8%). Others are all under 1%. The religious affiliation of the population shows a massive Catholic (

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

(51.0%) and

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

(0.2%)) majority, a remarkable

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

(17.0%) and a smaller

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

(1.5%) minority. 12.6% belongs to no churches.Kőröshegy, 2011 - KSH
/ref>

Notable people

* Zsigmond Széchenyi (1898–1967), Hungarian author, hunter, traveler * Sándor Kozma (1825–1897), first Hungarian public prosecutor, the founder of the Crown Chief Prosecutor's Office * (1814–1896), Hungarian Reformed pastor * (1920–2000), Hungarian author, poet, journalist * (1911–1939), Hungarian botanist * Péter Vépi (born 1949), Hungarian footballer * (Fördős) de Szenc (1787–1866), Hungarian Reformed pastor, teacher * (1817–1884), Hungarian Reformed pastor, archdeacon, author, poet

Gallery

File:Kőröshegy - Szent Kereszt-templom - Külső részlet.jpg, The ''Szent Kereszt-templom'' () with the monument for those who died in the Second World War or in the Revolution of 1956 File:Koroshegy lavender1.jpg, Lavender field in Kőröshegy File:Koroshegy lavender2.jpg, Lavender field in Kőröshegy File:Koroshegy1.jpg, Panorama from the Kishegy of the Lake Balaton and the Tihany Peninsula File:Headboard for the victims of the Second World War in Kőröshegy.jpg, Headboard for the victims of the Second World War in Kőröshegy File:Firefighter cart in Kőröshegy.jpg, Firefighter cart in Kőröshegy File:Holy Cross with Holy Mary in Kőröshegy.jpg, Holy Cross with Holy Mary in Kőröshegy File:Holy Cross in Kőröshegy.jpg, Holy Cross in Kőröshegy File:Roman Catholic Church in Kőröshegy.jpg, Roman Catholic Church in Kőröshegy File:Monument of the Victims of the First World War in Kőröshegy.jpg, Monument of the Victims of the First World War in Kőröshegy

Literature

* Kőröshegy-Műemlékek Tájak-Korok-Múzeumok Kiskönyvtár Nr 325 (1988) * Ferenc Reöthy : Kőröshegy Kőröshegy Község Elöljáróságának kiadványa (Kőröshegy, 1990) * Dezső Bunovácz : Magyarország régiói – Dél-Dunántúl – Somogy megye (Ceba Kiadó, 2004) * Zsigmond Széchenyi : Ünnepnapok * László Cs. Szabó : Balatoni képeslapok – Kőröshegy. In: Nyugat, 1940, Nr 9

References

External links

Street map (Hungarian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koroshegy Populated places in Somogy County