Somogyvár () is a village in

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 ...

Geography

It is situated south from Lengyeltóti, between Lengyeltóti, Öreglak and Somogyvámos.

History

It is a historical tradition that, after the death of Géza of Hungary, Prince Koppány held this central fortress in the region of Somogyvár. Koppány launched the attack on the

Veszprém Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name. Etymology The city's name derives ...

fortress in 997 from here. Archaeological excavations revealed that in 1091 King

Ladislaus I of Hungary Ladislaus I (, , , ; 1040 – 29 July 1095), also known as Saint Ladislas, was King of Hungary from 1077 and King of Croatia from 1091. He was the second son of King Béla I of Hungary and Richeza of Poland, Queen of Hungary, Richeza (or Adela ...

supported the building of a

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 ...

monastery here. Excavations also revealed layers that date from before the 11th century in the Bronze Age. The

Somogyvár Abbey The Somogyvár Abbey (Szent Egyed Abbey) was a Benedictine monastery established at Somogyvár in the Kingdom of Hungary in 1091. It was dedicated to Saint Giles. A Formulary Book of Somogyvár, legal formulary book was compiled there in the secon ...

was built between 1091 and 1095 and the first Benedictine monks were invited from the Abbey of Saint-Gilles. Later monks were also invited both from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and other abbeys from Hungary. As so often happened to Benedictine abbeys that were located at important locations, the local kings and princes eventually managed to gain control and convert them from monasteries into military fortresses. The royal fortress of Somogyvár was frequently mentioned in charters from 1163.

Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

gave the fortress in 1410 to Marczali Miklós. Later, in 1474 the Báthori family received Somogyvár town. Then the Enyingi Török family owned it. The monastery was used till the Ottoman wars in the 16th century. After the

battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács (; , ) took place on 29 August 1526 near Mohács, in the Kingdom of Hungary. It was fought between the forces of Hungary, led by King Louis II of Hungary, Louis II, and the invading Ottoman Empire, commanded by Suleima ...

, it was transformed and rebuilt as a fortress. In 1543 the Ottoman army destroyed the monastery fortress. After the end of the Turkish wars and occupation, in 1677 Széchenyi György archbishop of Kalocsa rebuilt the village and it became the possession of the Archbishop of Kalocsa until the 20th century.

Economy

The Hungarian ''Fonte Viva'' company (owned by

Mol Group MOL Plc. (), also known as MOL Group, is a Hungarian Multinational corporation, multinational petroleum, oil and natural gas, gas company headquartered in Budapest, Hungary. Members of MOL Group include among others the Croatian and Slovak former ...

portfolio.hu - Ásványvízgyártót vett a Mol - June 1, 2018
/ref>) bottles the local mineral water in the village.

Main sights

* Ruins of

- consecrated in 1091 * ''Széchenyi Palace'' * ''Szentesica fountain''

Gallery

File:Somogyvár, Széchenyi kastély 1.JPG, Main entrance of the ''Széchenyi Palace'' File:Somogyvár Széchenyi-kastély.jpg, Aerial view of the ''Széchenyi Palace'' File:Somogyvár, Széchenyi kastély 3.JPG, The park of the ''Széchenyi Palace'' File:Szent Egyed Apátság - panoramio.jpg, The ruins of

File:Somogyvár - panoramio (1).jpg, The ruins of

File:Szent Egyed Bencés Apátság, pihenőkert - panoramio.jpg, Cross in the park of

File:Somogyvár - panoramio.jpg, Belvedere of the

File:A somogyvári bencés apátság romjai (8104. számú műemlék).jpg, The well in the

File:Somogyvár,_Szentesica_forrás.JPG, Szentesica founitain File:Somogyvár, római katolikus templom 2024 02.jpg, Roman Catholic church File:Somogyvár, templom 05.jpg, Roman Catholic church with the war memorial File:Szent Laszlo Somogyvár.jpg, Statue of Saint Ladislaus

External links

Somogyvár homepage

About Somogyvár on the Várak homepage

Somogyvár on the homepage Vendégváró

Aerial photographs of the ruins of Somogyvár Abbey and the castle

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somogyvar Populated places in Somogy County Romanesque architecture in Hungary History of Somogy