MESTO HUMENNÉ

ENGLISH

Humenne, the second largest city of historic Zemplin, lies 157 m above sea level where, haveing taken a liking for their common bed, the Laborec flows together with the Cirocha, somewhere in the heart of Europe, between Kosice and Presov, Polish Jaslo and Sub-Carpathian Mukacevo and Uzhorod, and the Hungarian Nyiergyhaza, only about 100 km distant from Satu Mare in Marmaros, Rumania. The Laborec river and the Carpathian mountains predetermined the development of the city and its sorroundings, a silent witness of which has been Vihorlat volcano, an ancient peak high over 1000 m. Thanks to its advantageous location and pleasant climate, preconditioned by the neighbouring mountains, the city has been an attractive place for people since the Stone Age, which is evidenced by a number of archeological findings. Our forefathers, the Slavs, gradually moved to the basin of Humenne during the great migration of peoples, starting in the 5th century.

An intensive and organized settlement of this area started as late as the middle of the 13 th century, after Tartarian raids. The first written document concerning Humenne dates back to 1317. The history of Humenne is closely connected with a distinguished aristocratic family of the Drugeths from italy, who, accompanying the king, Karol Robert from Anjou, came to the Hungarian Lands at the beginning of the 14th century. The Drugeths came to change Humenne into a centre of one of the largest feudal dominions in Slovakia. King Matej Korvin conferred privileges on the town, these being validated by a seat with coat of arms. At that time, the town was crossed by an important trade route connecting the Hungarian Lands and Poland. Humenne is mentioned among royal customs offices, and later on it received the right of storehousing and, supposedly, market rights, too. This was the time of an ever increasing influence of Moravian shepherd colonization from Rumania.

The most significant town monument, its Rennaisance castle, was built in place of an original stone castle in about 1610. The castle came to be an indispensable characteristic feature of the city, and serves for museum and cultural purposes at present.

in 1613, i. e. in the period of recatholicization, a Jesuitical college was established as the first grammar school in the history of Humenne. The Drugeths' line died out in 1684. Therefore, new feudal lords moved in, notably the Csarkys and the Wandernats.

The abolition of some feudal duties and the reforms introduced during the reign of Maria Terezia provided an incetive for the development of crafts, and Humenne became, for instance, the place of the socailed ,,salt office". The town's population consisted of the Slovaks, Rusyns, Hungarians and Jews. Lastin was used as an administrative language, which appeared to be a stabilizing factor in such a mixture of nationalities.

The Andrassys from Transylvania started to influence the history of Humenne in the 19th century, a period characterized by economic growth. Moreover, many new buildings were erected at that time. The main fields of activities of town inhabitants were agriculture, crafts and trade. The first train appeared in Humenne in 1871, stimulating the development of trade and wood cutting. In 1899 the first business academy in Austria-Hungary was established in Humenne. Toward the end of the 19th century Humenne counted 4 000 inhabitants.

The 20th century brought along a cultural revival. Humenne was famous for its markets and fairs. This promising, though timid, development was interrupted by World War I. A short period of the existence of Czechoslovakia between the two world wars proved to have positive effects upon the life of Humenne, however, as a corollary of World War II all the effort had to start from the very beginning.

Until 1956 Humenne was an administrative rather than an economic centre. Then the construction of a plant for the production of textile polyamide fibres, the present CHEMLON, triggered a real chain effect on the town's growth. Humenne was gradually becoming a centre of chemical, building, foodstuff and mechanical engineering industries. This situation was necessarily reflected in the development of technical colleges. The industrial development was reflected in large-scale housing projects, and the city area was completed by new housing estates. From 7 000 inhabitants living in Humenne in 1948, the population now amounts to over 36 000.

Humenne is a centre of the easternmost district in Slovakia. Its life is rich in cultural and sports events. The city upon the Laborec represents a starting point for tourism, which is offered numerous opportunities in the picturesque countryside of the East Carpathians, though this field still waits for more intensive business activities. The most attractive places are the Vihorlat hills boasting of their Morske oko lake, and the National Park Poloniny at the boundaries of Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine. The surroundings of Humenne, with their romantic ruins of medieval castles and an open-air museum of architecture situated in the city park, provide a source of knowledge and relaxation.