Lučenec (; ; ; ; Lelkes György (1992), Magyar helységnév-azonosító szótár, Balassi Kiadó, Budapest, 508 p.) is a town in the

Banská Bystrica Region The Banská Bystrica Region (, ; , ) is one of the eight regions of Slovakia. It is the largest of the eight regions by area, and has a lower population density than any other region. The Banská Bystrica Region was established in 1923; its bord ...

of south-central

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. Historically, it was part, and in the 18th century the capital, of

Nógrád County Nógrád (, ; ) is a counties of Hungary, county () of Hungary. It sits on the northern edge of Hungary and borders Slovakia. Description Nógrád county lies in northern Hungary. It shares borders with Slovakia and the Hungarian counties Pest ( ...

of the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. In 1920, as a result of the

Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (; ; ; ), often referred to in Hungary as the Peace Dictate of Trianon or Dictate of Trianon, was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference. It was signed on the one side by Hungary ...

, it became a part of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. The town has a large

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, built in 1924, which served a large

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish population before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The synagogue underwent renovations in 2016. Lučenec is the economic centre of the whole

Novohrad Novohrad may refer to: * Nógrád County (former) Nógrád (Hungarian language, Hungarian; , or ', ) was an administrative county (') of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now divided between Hungary and Slovakia. The name ' is still used ...

region, which includes districts Poltár and

Veľký Krtíš Veľký Krtíš (before 1927 ''Veľký Krtýš'', ) is a town in middle Slovakia, situated in the historical Nógrád County (former), Novohrad region. The town's most important economic sectors are mining and agriculture. Etymology The name is o ...

History

Lučenec and its surroundings were inhabited in the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

s. Slavs moved to this area in the 6th and 7th century as the first permanent settlers and the

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

joined them in the 10th century. The first indirect mention of Lučenec was in 1128, when Lambert built a chapel in honour of Virgin Mary. The first direct mention of the settlement was in 1247 under the name ''Luchunch'', but until the first half of the 15th century it was only a village, and was located off the main trade routes. In 1442, Lučenec was conquered by the

Hussites upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century upright=1.2, The Lands of the Bohemian Crown during the Hussite Wars. The movement began during the Prag ...

troops under command of

John Jiskra of Brandýs John Jiskra of Brandýs (in English sometimes referred as John Giskra; , , ; – ), was a Czech strategist and mercenary soldier. John Jiskra came from the Moravian branch of the noble family Lords of Brandýs, he was possibly a son of Alšík ...

and in 1451 the Battle of Lučenec took place near the village between the troops of

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (; ; ; ; ; – 11 August 1456) was a leading Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian military and political figure during the 15th century, who served as Regent of Hungary, regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (1301–1526), Kingdom of Hungary ...

and those of Jiskra, where the latter emerged victorious. After the fall of the

Fiľakovo Fiľakovo (; , , ) is a town in the Banská Bystrica Region of south-central Slovakia. Historically it was located in Nógrád County (former), Nógrád County, as part of the Nógrád, Novohrad, "Newcastle" region. Geography It is located in the ...

(, ) castle in 1554, Lučenec was under the control of the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

and their vassals as part of

Budin Eyalet Budin Eyalet (also known as Province of Budin/Buda or Pashalik of Budin/Buda, ) was an administrative territorial entity of the Ottoman Empire in Central Europe and the Balkans. It was formed on the territories that Ottoman Empire conquered fro ...

until capturing by Austrians in 1593. It was regained by Ottomans in 1596 and was again part of ''Filek'' (Ottoman name for Fiľakovo) sanjak (its centre was in modern-day Rimavská Sobota) in

Eğri Eyalet Eğri Eyalet (, , ) or Pashaluk of Eğri was an administrative territorial entity of the Ottoman Empire formed in 1596 with its capital at Eğri (Hungarian: Eger). It included parts of present-day Hungary and Slovakia. The population of the pro ...

till 1686. The town was burned down many times until the first half of the 19th century, when during the

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

/1849 it was occupied by the Russian imperial troops. The town underwent modernization in the 19th and 20th centuries, for example, new industries like brickworks or tanneries were built, telegraph line in 1865, and in 1871 it was connected to the railway connecting

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

() and

Žilina Žilina (; ; ; ; Names of European cities in different languages: U-Z#Z, names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the List of cities ...

. Before the establishment of independent

in 1918, Lučenec was part of

within the

. In 1919, it was briefly part of the

Slovak Soviet Republic The Slovak Soviet Republic (, , , literally: 'Slovak Republic of Councils') was a short-lived Communist state in southeast Slovakia in existence from 16 June 1919 to 7 July 1919. Its capital city was Prešov, and it was established and headed b ...

. In 1938, Lučenec was annexed to Hungary as a result of the

First Vienna Award The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 pursuant to the Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace. The arbitration and award were direct consequences of the previous month's Munich Agreement, whic ...

, and this lasted until 1945 when it was returned to Czechoslovakia. Approximately 8.3% of current residents are ethnic Hungarians. The Novohrad Museum and Gallery with a collection of over 30,000 artefacts moved to a building in Kubínyiho Square in 1985.

Climate

Lučenec has a

Humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: Dfb) with four alternating seasons. There are warm summers and cold winters. There is a high number of sunshine days with a short time of duration of snow cover as well as the cover is relatively low. Near by Lučenec are located several water reservoirs such as Ľadovo, Mýtna, Málinec and most popular Ružiná.

Demographics

From 25,902 inhabitants (from census 2021) are: * Slovaks 20,648 79.72% * Hungarians 2,171 8.38% * others 7,721 11.9% In 1910 out of 12,939 inhabitants some 10,634 were

(82%), 1,675

Slovaks The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...

(13%), 428 Germans, 9 Romas, 1 Ruthenian, 12 Croatians, 18 Serbians and 162 others. According to the 2001 census, there were 28,332 people living in the town, with majority of them being

(81.63%), with a minority of

(13.11%) and with a small percentage of Roma (2.32%),

Czechs The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...

(0.61%) and others. The religious make-up was: 56.56% Roman Catholics, 21.12% people with no religious affiliation and 14.77% Lutherans.

Boroughs

Lučenec is divided into these boroughs: * ''Lučenec'' * ''Opatová'' * ''Malá Ves'' * ''Rúbanisko''

Notable People

* József Kármán (1769–1795), sentimentalist Hungarian author. *

Sándor Petőfi Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; ; ; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet and Classical Liberalism, liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary's national poet, and was one of the key figures of the Hungari ...

(1823–1849), Hungarian poet and liberal revolutionary. * Božena Slančíková (1867–1951), pen name '' Timrava'', a Slovak novelist and playwright. * Zoltán Speidl (1880–1917) Hungarian track and field athlete, competed at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. No opening or closin ...

* Zoltán Tildy (1889–1961), an influential leader of Hungary * Tibor Serly (1901–1978), Hungarian classical composer * Margit Bokor (1900–1949), Hungarian opera singer * Ralph Henry Brewster (1904–1951), American writer and musician, spent several days here in 1942. * Pavol Szikora (1952–2021), Slovak racewalker * Ivan Saktor (1954–2021) * Barouh Berkovits (1926–2012) inventor of demand pacemaker and DC defibrillator.

Twin towns – sister cities

Lučenec is twinned with: *

Louny Louny (; ) is a town in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 18,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Ohře River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Mělník Mělník (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 20,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monument zones, urban monument zon ...

* Pápa,

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 ...

* Polesella,

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

* Salgótarján,

* Zolotonosha,

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

Gallery

File:Lucenec Church1a.jpg, The

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 ...

church File:Lucenec Church2.jpg, The

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 ...

church File:Lučenec - Evanjelický kostol (1).jpg, The

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 ...

church File:Lučenec - synagóga (2016).jpg, The

Synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

File:Novohradská knižnica - Lučenec.jpg, The

library File:Tuhársky potok - Lučenec.jpg, The Tuhár brook File:Lučenec - City Park (83).jpg, City Park

References

External links

* *
Spectacular Slovakia - Lučenec: reaching for the sky
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucenec Cities and towns in Slovakia Lučenec District First Vienna Award Bánffy family