# Zalakoppány

Zalakoppány is a suburb of the town Zalaszentgrót in Zala county, Hungary. It was an independent village until 1984.

## History
### Prehistoric times

Evidence suggests that the village area was inhabited by at least the Late Bronze Age by Celtic groups. There was a fortification in the area locally called Aszaltető.

### Medieval times

After the Hungarian conquest, the area was part of the Zala estates of chieftain Koppány, hence the name of the settlement. The earliest written record of the area dates back to 1217 in the form of Kopan. In the Middle Ages, it formed the ancestral estate of the Bezerédi family of the clan Lőrente (with the neighbouring village of Bezeréd), its parish priest mentioned in 1419, so it must have had a church by then. The village remained populated during the Turkish occupation, owned by the Bezerédi, Fényes and Kozáry families.

### 18th century

A tax record from 1720 describes 16 taxpayers. In 1740, Maria Theresia lists six plots of land in Zalakoppány among the estates donated to the Vajda family. Mid-century censuses record 100-150 different surnames in the village. The village's Baroque church, dedicated to the Assumption, committed by Márton Bíró Padányi, Archbishop of Veszprém, was built in 1756. A military survey of 1763-1787 shows about 140 houses, with the size and structure of the village being almost identical to that of today.

### 19th century

37 soldiers from Zalakoppány took part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. The Pallas Encyclopedia of 1891 mentions a population of 1269 and that the settlement having a post office and a postal savings bank. Famous politician Ferenc Deák living in the nearby Kehidakustány also had estates among the vineyards belonging to the village, this was for a time commemorated by a carved post in the hills.

### 20th century

In the First World War, about 400 inhabitants of Zalakoppány fought as soldiers, 53 of them did not return home - their memorial plaque was unveiled in 1932 next to the church. In the 1920s, coal was prospected and found in the area around the village, which led to the discovery of the artesian well in the "Kanizsa" part of the village. The Zalakoppány mill and the Mittermayer-Horváth mill, which can still be found in its ruins, operated in the village until the beginning of the 20th century, next to the latter was also a bathing place on the river Zala. World War II claimed 35 military and 15 civilian victims. They are also commemorated by a marble slab and memorial posts in the church forecourt. The church was completely renovated in 1972.
The village lost its independence in 1984, when along with the neighbouring settlements (Csáford, Tekenye, Zalaudvarnok), as the farthest, Zalakoppány was also incorporated into Zalaszentgrót, thereby granting it town status.

## Present time

Roof and railing was added to the artesian well in 2017, and a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary by woodcarver Lajos Szabó was erected next to it.
The Association for a More Livable Zalakoppány (Élhetőbb Zalakoppányért Egyesület) has been operating in the village since 2015, helping to improve the life of the village by organising events and renovating/maintaining public spaces.
The village day is held on the 15th of August.
Representatives of the Zalakoppány sub-municipality:
* 2006-2014: József Beke
* 2014-: János Veress

## Notable persons born or living here

* Farkas Háry (~1765-1851) Respector of Zala County
* Elek Békefi (1859-1909) teacher, viticulturist
* József Békefi (1897-?) teacher, composer, poet, writer
* Ildikó Benyó (1946-2011) graphic artist, painter
Opera singer János Sárdy spent part of his childhood here, his sister's renovated tomb can be found in the village cemetery.

## Footnotes

* ↑ Integrált Településfejlesztési Stratégia (PDF). p. 53.
* ↑ Központok a Zala mentén. Permanent Exhibition of the Göcseji Museum. Catalog.(Zalaegerszeg, 2002).
* ↑ Központok a Zala mentén. Permanent Exhibition of the Göcseji Museum. Catalog. Editor: Dr. Vándor László. (Zalaegerszeg, 2000). pp. 7–22.
* ↑ "Article of chieftain Koppány from the Pallas Nagylexikon, on the page kislexikon.hu". Retrieved 2021-04-26.
* ↑ "The County and District Officers, Ill. Officials' Length of Service Database on the page of the Zala county archives".
* ↑ Balogh Gyula: Vasvármegye nemes családjai. (Szombathely, Bertalanffy, 1894). p. 304.
* ↑ "The picture of the tax record dated 1720 on the website Zalakoppány blog". Retrieved 2021-04-26.
* ↑ Ördög Ferenc: Zala megye népességösszeírásai és egyházlátogatási jegyzőkönyvei (1745–1771).
* ↑ "Information about the foundation of the church on the website Zalakanyar.hu". Retrieved 2019-01-05.
* ↑ "Zalakoppány on the map of the First Military Survey (1763-1787) of the Habsburg Empire". 2015-12-31. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
* ↑ A szabadságharc zalai honvédei 1848-1849., Zalai Gyűjtemény 33., (Zalaegerszeg, 1992). pp. 335–336.
* ↑ "The World War I memorial plaque of the village on magyarhosok.hu".
* ↑ "Article from the Napi Hírek newspaper of 1 June 1932 in the Hungaricana database".
* ↑ "Article from the Napi Hírek newspaper of 1 Dec 1920 in the Hungaricana database".
* ↑ "List of the mills of the river Zala on the English Wikipedia".
* ↑ "Picture of the spa on the Zalakoppány blog page". Retrieved 2021-04-26.
* ↑ "The World War II memorial plaque of the village on magyarhosok.hu".
* ↑ "Report on the developments in Zalakoppány". 2016-12-26. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
* ↑ "List of valid Civil Beneficiaries 2011-2015 on the site of the Hungarian National Tax Authority" (PDF). 2015-12-31. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
* ↑ "Entry of Farkas Háry in the Zalai Biographical Encyclopedia". Retrieved 2019-01-05.
* ↑ "Entry of Elek Békefi in the Zalai Biographical Encyclopedia". Retrieved 2019-01-05.
* ↑ "Entry of József Békefi in the Zalai Biographical Encyclopedia". Retrieved 2019-01-05.
* ↑ "Profile of Benyó Ildikó on website artportal.hu". Retrieved 2021-04-26.