Tokaj

History

The wine-growing area was first mentioned by the name Tokaj in 1067. The town itself was first mentioned in documents in 1353. Its first castle was a motte, which was destroyed during the Mongol invasion of Hungary. By the 14th century, the town already had a stone castle, belonging to the Diósgyőr estate.

After 1450, Tokaj was the property of the Hunyadi family, so after Matthias Hunyadi became king, the town became a royal estate. In 1526, after the Ottomans captured Pétervárad (modern day Petrovaradin, Serbia) against the combined forces of Croats, Serbs and Hungarians, Cistercians from Petervarad and its surroundings relocated to Tokaj and greatly improved wine making in the area. In 1705, Francis II Rákóczi ordered the castle to be destroyed.

After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the town prospered, but when the World Wars came, it suffered greatly, losing its importance and town status. Even its role in wine trade was taken over by Sátoraljaújhely.

Tokaj was granted town status again in 1986 and it again started to prosper. Now, the town is a popular tourist attraction.

Tokaj wine region

Tokaj wine region is a historical wine region located in northeastern Hungary and southeastern Slovakia. It is one of the seven larger wine regions of Hungary (Hungarian: Tokaji borrégió). Hegyalja means "foothills" in Hungarian, and this was the original name of the region.

The region consists of 28 named villages and 11,149 hectares of classified vineyards, of which an estimated 5,500 are currently planted. Tokaj has been declared a World Heritage Site in 2002 under the name Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape. However, its fame long predated this distinction because it is the origin of Tokaji aszú wine, the world's oldest botrytized wine.

Twin towns – sister cities

Tokaj is twinned with:

• ISR Binyamina-Giv'at Ada, Israel
• ITA Cormons, Italy
• ROU Dej, Romania
• POL Iwonicz-Zdrój, Poland
• GER Oestrich-Winkel, Germany
• AUT Rust, Austria
• USA Sonoma, United States
• CRO Supetar, Croatia

Main sights

• Main square with City hall; the Bacchus fountain; the Catholic Church; and other monuments
• Roman Catholic Church
• Tokaj Gallery (former Orthodox church—government has announced intentions to restore)
• Tokaj Museum (Karácsony house)
• Wine cellars
• Rákóczi-Dessewffy castle
• Tisza bridge
• Synagogue
• Tokaj open stage (″Fesztivalkatlan″) File:Tokaj.varoshaza.jpg|City center File:Bacchus-Brunnen_Tokaj.JPG|Bacchus fountain File:Interior of Roman Catholic Church in Tokaj.JPG|Interior of Roman Catholic Church File:Jewish cemetery, Tokaj.JPG|Jewish cemetery File:Tokaj-Hegyalja.jpg|Tokaj wine region File:River Tisza in winter with Tokaj bridge - Hungary.jpg|River Tisza in winter with Tokaj bridge

References

References

1. [http://www.ksh.hu/apps/hntr.telepules?p_lang=EN&p_id=18306 Tokaj, KSH]
2. [http://www.ksh.hu/apps/hntr.telepules?p_lang=EN&p_id=18306 KSH - Tokaj, 2011]
3. [http://www.ksh.hu/apps/hntr.telepules?p_lang=EN&p_id=18306 KSH - Tokaj, 2011]
4. [https://www.magyaramagyarert.hu/images/pdf/a_tokaji_var_tortenete.pdf A tokaji vár története]
5. (2019-11-29). "Rendeletek 14/2019.(XI. 29.): A Képviselő-testület Szervezeti és Működési Szabályzatáról". Tokaj.
6. (8 February 2017). "Hungary Allocates $8 Million to Restore Orthodox Churches".