Sečovce

Sečovce is a town in the Trebišov District in the Košice Region of south-eastern Slovakia.
History
The town was first mentioned in year 1255 on the list of king Béla IV of Hungary. In 1494, a Roman Catholic church was built in the Gothic architecture style. Since the 15th century, there was gradual development of trade, including markets with shoemakers, saddlers, potters and furriers. The first post-office was opened in 1783, telegraph office in 1868, telephone office in 1890, train station in 1904, and museum in 1954, which was moved to Trebišov in 1981.
Geography
The town lies at an altitude of , which rises to on Albínovská hora. It covers an area of and has a population of about 8,000.
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, it had 7,819 inhabitants - 95.89% of whom were Slovak, 2.17% Roma, 0.47% Czech, and 0.22% Hungarian. The religious makeup was 47.05% Roman Catholic, 25.71% Greek Catholic, 18.11% with no religious affiliation, and 1.83% Lutheran. Prior to 1945, the town had a large Jewish population, most of which was deported by the Nazis. Also, prior to 1945, the town consisted primarily of ethnic Hungarians, with a small Slovak minority, but the Hungarians were forceably deported right after the war in order to ethnically cleanse the area and to make room for Slovaks from the north. Those who remained have assimilated and now consider themselves for the most part to be Slovak.
Economy and facilities
The town has a pharmacy, and outpatient health facilities of a general practitioner and pediatrician. There is a public library, a cultural house and a movie theater. It also has a post office, a petrol station, a repair garage, and a number of general and food stores. It also has a Slovak commercial bank and insurance company.
A few factories reside in and around Sečovce - Palma Agro (vegetable oils), Silometal (metal silos and containers), Sonap (clothing), Valter (socks), Lesy SR (wood processing), and Simkovic-Protektor s.r.o./SPR Retreading Solutions (tire retreads)
Sport
The town has a football pitch, a gym, fitness and a sport hall.
Famous people
Štefan Sečovský (16th century), evangelical preacher, writer, composer, pedagogue His original Hungarian name was Galszecsi Istvan.
Štefan Gáboréczy (16th century), evangelical writer
Andrej Fáy (1786 – 1864), lawyer, businessman, politician, writer, playwright
Emery Roth (1871 – 1948), architect
Herman Jarkovský (1898 – ?), photographer, businessman, musician (violin and cello), music teacher
Július Muľarský (1910), politician (KSČ), warrior against fascism
Ján Murín (1913 – 1990), theologian, Byzantine Catholic priest, religious activist, warrior against communism, victim of communism
Ján Bavorský (1918), lawyer, university professor
Štefan Korčmároš (1919 – 1985), historian, chronicler, writer, pedagogue, cultural activist
Vojtech Jenčík (1920 – 1976), theologian, priest, poet, warrior against communism, victim of communism
Jozef Švagrovský (1921 – 1985), paleontologist, university professor
Andrej Mikloš (1924 – 2002), economist, cultural activist
Gejza Šimanský (1924 – 2007), football player
Mikuláš Kasarda (1925-2013), poet, pedagogue
Dionýz Čollak (1926 – 2004), veterinary surgeon, university professor
Ingrid Lukáčová (1969), poet
Michal Besterci (1937), metallurgy engineer, university professor
Ingrid Timková (1967), actress and director
Adolf Schwarz (1836), Hungarian-Jewish chess player
References
External links
Municipal website
The History of the Jewish community in Secovce, JewishGen
Cities and towns in Slovakia
Villages and municipalities in Trebišov District
Zemplín (region)