The first mention of the parish church of Szerencs is from 1217. In 1490 it was already a market-town and part of the Rákóczi family’s land. In 1507 János Szapolyai became the owner of the land.

Zsigmond Rákóczi obtained the castle of Szerencs and the demesne as a pawn from Emperor Rudolf in 1583. Than in 1603 he recieved the deed of gift too. Between the 17th and 20th April 1605 the Parliament met here when István Bocskai was elected as Prince of Hungary. On 9th March 1606 Bocskai awarded Szerencs with the status of a royal free town. Ferenc Rákóczi II was the last of the Rákóczis who owned the castle of Szerencs. The fortification built in the 16th century is still a place of interest of the town.

In the 18th century the town started to develop, but in the 19th century this development came to a sudden stop. In 1876 Szerencs lost it’s town status. The age of industrialisation gave a boost to the economy in the area. The Szerencs Sugar Factory, which was the largest sugar factory at that time in Europe, was built in 1889. The Chocolate Factory that relies on the Sugar Factory was built in 1923.

Sights:

-    Rákóczi Castle
-    Calvinist Church
-    Greek Catholic Church
-    Roman Catholic Church
-    The Sugar Museum
-    Népház (culture centre)
-    Postcard Museum

 

The Sugar Museum

The Sugar Museum was founded on the 100th annyversary of Szerencs Sugar Factory.

The sugar museum can be found near High Way number 37, just about a 10-minute-walk from the railway station. The building of the museum is just as old as the factory itself, and right up to the foundation of the museum it had been used as a dwelling house.

The monument of Sámuel Tessedik (1742-1820), who served in Szarvas as an evangelical pastor, stands in the museum garden. He was the one who domesticated the sugar-beet in Hungary in 1790.

The core of the factorial exhibition was first made up by the collection of István Farkas receptionist, which later was supplemented by documentations found in the meantime. Collecting of samples of the international sugar collection began in 1987.

On the ground floor of the museum visitors can watch a film that presents the technology the factory uses today.

The purpose of the museum is to serve public education. There is no entrance fee. The 444th booklet of the series entitled Regions, Ages and Museums will not only present the history of the museum, but that of the factory and the Hungarian Sugar industry, too.

Following Berlin and Tulln, Szerencs Sugar Museum is the third biggest if the kind in Europe. The manager of the museum was awarded the "Pro Urbe Szerencs" prize for what he had done in order to let people know more about the town of Szerencs and the Sugar Factory.


Rákóczi Castle of Szerencs

Szerencs is the gate of the Hegyalja. The town has many historical monuments and is famous for the Rákóczi Castle. It had already been a clerical centre during the reign of Saint Stephen a thousand year ago. Its oldest church was built in the 13th century and this was where István Bocskai was elected Prince of Transylvania in 1605. Bocskai made Szerencs a royal borough. The Rakóczi family gathered their famous fortune in Szerencs. The Szerencs Creek and hot water springs at the foot of the Arpad hill on the Northern side of the town make a small island.            

It was this well- defensible area where the predecessor of the Rakóczi Castle was built the 1550s. When Zsigmond Rakóczi got the estate in 1586, it took five years for him to build the Renaissance chateaux and the fortress, which is still here. The castle was closed on the sides and was fortified with two old-Italian bastions, with service areas on the ground floor and lavishly furnished residential rooms upstairs, where the Rakoczi family lived until 1616. In the 1600s the castle was ransacked by the Turks several times. The castle and its surroundings were considerably changed in the 18th century and the moats were filled with sell. All the furniture was destroyed during World War II. The building was restored between 1979 and 1991 and now houses the Municipal Cultural Centre and the Zemplén County Museum. A unique feature of the museum is the set of 900,000 postcards, the third largest collection in the world. Another extraordinary feature is the collection of 36,000 ex librises. One exhibition regales the construction and the history of the castle and another the history of the town of Szerencs. Today's Szerencs is famous for its sugar factory built in 1889, and its chocolate factory opened in 1923, the products of which are popular all over Hungary.

The Huszárvár Castle Hotel offers accommodation for visitors since the complete restoration of the castle In 1994. Twenty rooms provide comfortable and quiet rest in a historic environment. Activities recommended by the hotel include courses in horse riding and horse tournaments, a horse riding camp for children and archery for beginners. At the end of the courses participants take take an exam and receive a diploma. It is also recommended that visitors take a trip to the park of rare plants and trees in Füzesradvány or visit the wine cellars in Tokajhegyalja.

 

Postcard Museum

With over 900,000 this is the largest collection of picture postcards in Hungary. Another special collection is the ex libris collection of 36,000 items in addition to objects of ethnographic and historical value that are preserved and exhibited here.

The permanent exhibition of objects, costumes and documents are housed in the Renaissance Castle where the atmosphere brings to life the time of ruling prince Zsigmond Rákóczi (1544 -1608). Visitors are also introduced to the history of the building and its architecture is an integral part of the presentation. In the middle of the room is a miniature model of the outer and inner castle sections as reconstructed in the first third of the 17th century. The visuals are supplemented by the stone carvings, tile pieces and dishes discovered during the excavations, as well as by photographs and architectural documentations.

The museum is also in possession of the country's largest collection of picture post cards originating from all parts of the world and dating from the 1880's to the present day. The display is grouped by themes and divided into the items published before and after 1945. The wealth of the collection may be appreciated in the sample entitled 'The History of the Postcard' (A képeslap története). This selection primarily of Hungarian cards provides a rich resource particularly for those interested in local history and in developments in architecture, fashionsand folk art.

The valuable bookplate ('ex libris') collection numbers 36,000 pieces by Hungarian and European graphic artists. Interestingly the collection includes almost the entire oeuvre and numerous printing blocks by one of the most famous creative geniuses of the genre in Hungary, Szerencs-born Antal Fery (1908-1995). The museum honours his life and work with a particular exhibition.