Janó Ákos: Sárospatak és vidéke helytörténeti, néprajzi irodalma. (Documentatio Borsodiensis 7. Herman Ottó Múzeum Miskolc, 1987)

SUMMARY

Sárospatak on the North-East of the present Hungary, lying on both sides of river Bodrog, is a habitation with great historical past, art relics and rich traditions of literature. Settled on the East slope of mountain Zemplén and the plainfield of Bodrogköz, with its attraction district covering 15 villages and with 15 and a half inhabitants, the town is now a medium foreign tourism centre. During its history the actual effecting circle of the town far beyond exceeded the borders of the villages which at the present, administratively belong to the town. At the end of the 9th century, the conquering Hungarians invaded the area and, in spite of the storms of history, the continuity of the population more or less has remained since then. The population of the area gained colour with seversal large settlements during the centuries. In the 15th century, the Middle Ages, Wallons settled here (Olaszliszka

, Borogolaszi, Tállya), then from the 17th century, Transcarpathian Ukrainians came (Komloska) . In the middle of the 18th century German settlers were invited to the former estate of the Rákóczi-s followed by further settlements at the end of the centrury, (Hercegkút, Károlyfalva) : and the Foundries were populated by Slovak families. The extensive wanderings and interbred of the population gave a specific ethnographic character to the area, leaving still existing signs in folk customs and traditions. The town was one of the main intellectual centres during many centuries. In its history traced back to the 13rd century, two poles of its economic, social and educational states rose. One is its castle determining the habitation character and the East-Central-European political role of the town, while the second is its protestant school founded about the middle of the 16th centrury. The large land estate belonging to the castle and the viniculture of Hegyalja had a primary role in the area till recent times, securing the habitation a peculiar country town development with an extensive, landlorddependent self-administration. The school had its brightest period during the 17th century, providing the Nort-East part of the historcal country and also a part of the protestant area of the Hungarian Plain with teachers and priests. For four years, beginning in 1650, the most famous tutor of his age, Jan Amos Comenius here organized the education