Szikszó is a small

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern

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 ...

, from county capital

Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...

. It is also the home of the Hell Energy Magyarország Kft. main factory.

History

Szikszó was first mentioned in documents in 1280. It belonged to the estate of the Aba clan. After 1370 Aba Estates in the area became the property of King

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 ...

and then of Queen Mary. At this time Szikszó was already a royal town. The Gothic church of the town was also built around this time. In the 16th century Szikszó and its landowners converted to the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

faith and its church became a Protestant one. During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary the town was ransacked and burnt down several times. The citizens fortified the strongest building of the town, the church. Several battles of the

Ottoman–Habsburg wars The Ottoman–Habsburg wars were fought from the 16th to the 18th centuries between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg monarchy, which was at times supported by the Kingdom of Hungary, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Holy Roman Empire, The ...

were fought in and around the town. In 1588 there was a battle near the town, where the Hungarian army defeated the Turks. In 1679 the town witnessed another battle, this time against the imperial army of the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

s; this battle too brought Hungarian victory but the imperials burnt down the town as revenge. During the freedom fight against Habsburg rule in 1848, a third battle was fought near Szikszó. Again the Hungarians won. In 1852, a house caught fire and the whole town burnt down. Rebuilding the town was very expensive and the citizens couldn't afford the expenses of Szikszó being classified as a town, so in 1866, they asked the government to re-classify Szikszó as a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

. In 1920, after 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 ...

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

(Kassa in Hungarian) became 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 ...

, and Szikszó became the capital of Abaúj-Torna county. It held this rank until the unification of the three counties created Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county. During

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 ...

, Szikszó was captured by

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

troops of the

2nd Ukrainian Front The 2nd Ukrainian Front () was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. History On October 20, 1943, the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front. In mid-May 1944 Malinovsky took over the 2nd Ukrainian Front. During t ...

on 30 November 1944 in the course of the Budapest Offensive. In 1989 Szikszó was granted town status again.

Education

* Szepsi Csombor Márton High School

Tourist sights

* Bethania manor * Gothic Protestant Church * Wine cellars

Gallery

File:Szikszó légifotó3.jpg File:Szikszó légifotó4.jpg File:Szikszo 02civertanlegi.jpg File:Szikszo 01civertanlegi.jpg

Twin towns – sister cities

Szikszó is twinned with: * Dro, Italy * Sovata, Romania * Stronie Śląskie, Poland * Waldems, Germany

References

External links

* in Hungarian
Aerial photographs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szikszo Populated places in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County