Szécsény

The name comes from the Slavic sečь: cutting (Sečany).{{cite book |last=Stanislav |first=Ján |author-link=Ján Stanislav |title=Slovenský juh v stredoveku II.| page=401| publisher=Slovenské literárne centrum |year=2004 |language=sk |isbn=80-88878-89-6}}{{cite book |last=Kiss |first=Lajos |title=Földrajzi nevek etimológiai szótára|location=Budapest |page=599|publisher=Akadémiai |year=1978 |language=hu}} 1219/1550 Scecen.

The valley of the Ipoly and especially the area of that around Szécsény was inhabited even in the prehistoric age. Findings attest that the region was peopled from the Neolithic period. Teutons, Avars, and Slavs appeared here in the first millennium BC.

Hungarians settled down in the surrounding country in the decades following the Hungarian Conquest, which began in AD 895. The town itself must have originated from that era. The burial places found on the confines of the town render this pretension probable.

The first genuine written document about Szécsény dates back to 1219. In 1334, Lord Chief Justice Thomas Szécsényi induced King Charles Robert to permit the status of town, so Szécsény became a market town in the same year.

The Turkish occupied Szécsény in 1552 under the name "Seçen" and after that the town became the center of a sanjak for several decades. The first Turkish occupation ended in 1593, whereupon Zsigmond Forgách became the landed proprietor of the town and the captain of the fortress at the same time. The second Turkish occupation lasted 20 years. Szécsény became practically deserted by the end of the nearly 150-year Turkish rule.

One of the most glorious parts of the town history is linked with the war of independence in 1703 against Habsburgs by Prince Ferenc Rákóczi II. The Prince convened the Diet in the town in September 1705, where he was elected the ruling Prince of Transylvania and commander-in chief of the Hungarian insurgent forces. Although the war of independence failed, the inhabitants of the town still treasure the Prince's memory. Many town institutions bear his name.

1737 is a remarkable date in the life of the town as the Forgách repurchased their property from Koháry family. The town began a slow development in the 18th century, a lot of private houses were built and the first pharmacy of the county was opened in 1741. The baroque style Forgách Castle - which is a museum nowadays - was built in that century as well.

The development of the town slowed down in the 19th century and fell behind other towns in Nógrád, such as Balassagyarmat, Losonc, Salgótarján. Szécsény lost its town status in 1886 owing to the decision of Parliament. In spite of the situation, a town hall was built in 1905 and the municipality organized a brilliant commemorative Rákóczi festival on the 200th anniversary of the 1705 Diet.

After the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, following the First World War, Szécsény became a frontier town, which has hindered its development until the present day. The Second World War did not keep out of Szécsény's way either. During the fighting raging in December 1944, the inhabitants suffered greatly.

After the conclusion of the war, the reorganization of life started immediately. Nationalization and collectivization brought fundamental changes in everyday life.

Until the end of the 1970s, Szécsény was an administrative center, being the chief town of the district. When the public administration system was reformed, the function of the seat of the district became extinct. As a result, several institutions and offices were closed down, e.g. the district court, the title registry, the central police station, and the high school. Two other settlements belong to Szécsény's current administration, though: Pösténypuszta, located beside the River Ipoly, and Benczúrfalva, {{convert|4|km|0|abbr=off}} away.

The recession in the 1990s also damaged the local economy, but significant improvements in infrastructure were

carried out, including sewer and gas networks and connection to the national telephone network.

The institutions of the town also have changed. A second high school was founded in 1994, along with an ambulance station and nursing home. The agricultural vocational school and the art school, though, were transferred to the county seat.

Szécsény lies in the northern part of Nógrád county on the Slovak border, at the edge of the Ipoly valley. The town is situated at a height of {{convert|155|m|0|abbr=off}} above sea level in a small basin along the River Ipoly at the intersection of Northern, Northeast, and Eastern Cserhát hills. The major part of the town was built on a plateau extending along the southern edge of the basin. The north–south flow of the river turns into east–west nearby.

Its geographical position is 48° 5" N, 19° 32" E.

The Szentlélek ("Holy Spirit") is a stream running through the town along the edge of the plateau and flowing into the Ipoly. On the confines of the settlement, there is a pond originating from ballast-digging.

Szécsény has a continental climate of wetter type. The average number of

sunny hours is 1,990 a year. The average annual mean is {{convert|9.1|C|F|1}}, on the

basis of the yearly average in the last 70 years. The annual rainfall is {{convert|360|to|610|mm|0|abbr=on}} - taking the yearly average of 50 years as a basis. The prevailing winds are westerly and northwesterly. In Szécsény, the all-time record in the range of daily temperatures in Hungary of 31.1 °C was recorded on March 23, 2022, with a minimum temperature of -7.5 °C and a maximum temperature of 23.6 °C.{{cite web |url=https://ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=12756&ano=2022&mes=3&day=24&hora=18&min=0&ndays=30|title= 12756: Szecseny (Hungary)|author= |date= 23 March 2022|website=ogimet.com |publisher=OGIMET |access-date= 24 March 2022|quote=}}{{cite tweet|number=1507009884314746894|user=ZdenekNejedly|title=All-time record in the amplitude of daily temperatures in Hungary Szécsény 31.1 °C, today with Tmin -7.5 °C and T…|date=24 March 2022}}

{{Weather box

|location = Szécsény, 1991−2020 normals

|width = auto

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = 14.3

|Feb record high C = 17.7

|Mar record high C = 24.7

|Apr record high C = 30.8

|May record high C = 32.9

|Jun record high C = 35.6

|Jul record high C = 38.5

|Aug record high C = 37.4

|Sep record high C = 33.9

|Oct record high C = 27.5

|Nov record high C = 22.0

|Dec record high C = 13.7

|year record high C = 38.5

|Jan high C = 1.8

|Feb high C = 5.1

|Mar high C = 11.0

|Apr high C = 17.8

|May high C = 22.3

|Jun high C = 25.8

|Jul high C = 27.8

|Aug high C = 27.5

|Sep high C = 22.2

|Oct high C = 15.9

|Nov high C = 8.7

|Dec high C = 2.4

|year high C = 15.7

|Jan mean C = -1.9

|Feb mean C = 0.1

|Mar mean C = 4.7

|Apr mean C = 10.4

|May mean C = 14.9

|Jun mean C = 18.8

|Jul mean C = 20.3

|Aug mean C = 19.7

|Sep mean C = 14.9

|Oct mean C = 9.5

|Nov mean C = 4.4

|Dec mean C = -0.8

|year mean C = 9.6

|Jan low C = -5.2

|Feb low C = -4.3

|Mar low C = -1.0

|Apr low C = 3.3

|May low C = 8.6

|Jun low C = 12.0

|Jul low C = 13.3

|Aug low C = 12.9

|Sep low C = 8.8

|Oct low C = 4.5

|Nov low C = 1.0

|Dec low C = -3.6

|year low C = 4.2

|Jan record low C = -27.0

|Feb record low C = -23.8

|Mar record low C = -16.9

|Apr record low C = -11.0

|May record low C = -3.6

|Jun record low C = 2.6

|Jul record low C = 3.5

|Aug record low C = 2.1

|Sep record low C = -2.6

|Oct record low C = -12.5

|Nov record low C = -14.3

|Dec record low C = -27.1

|year record low C = -27.1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 27.2

|Feb precipitation mm = 29.3

|Mar precipitation mm = 30.7

|Apr precipitation mm = 32.7

|May precipitation mm = 63.3

|Jun precipitation mm = 66.9

|Jul precipitation mm = 74.1

|Aug precipitation mm = 62.9

|Sep precipitation mm = 46.8

|Oct precipitation mm = 42.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 42.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 33.3

|year precipitation mm = 552.0

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 6.2

|Feb precipitation days = 5.8

|Mar precipitation days = 5.7

|Apr precipitation days = 5.9

|May precipitation days = 8.8

|Jun precipitation days = 8.1

|Jul precipitation days = 8.1

|Aug precipitation days = 6.4

|Sep precipitation days = 6.2

|Oct precipitation days = 6.5

|Nov precipitation days = 7.4

|Dec precipitation days = 6.5

|year precipitation days = 81.6

|Jan humidity = 87.5

|Feb humidity = 81.6

|Mar humidity = 73.1

|Apr humidity = 67.0

|May humidity = 71.0

|Jun humidity = 73.1

|Jul humidity = 73.3

|Aug humidity = 72.8

|Sep humidity = 77.4

|Oct humidity = 82.6

|Nov humidity = 87.5

|Dec humidity = 89.9

|year humidity = 78.1

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Hungary/CSV/Szecseny_12756.csv

|title = Szecseny Climate Normals 1991-2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = September 20, 2023

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230920214431/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Hungary/CSV/Szecseny_12756.csv

|archive-date = 2023-09-20}}

}}

The plough-lands in the Ipoly valley are of good quality, they are suitable

for agricultural production. The soil of hills surrounding the valley is of

poorer quality but the plateau is under crop.

The major part of the soil is medium or high acidic. The most frequent type

is brown alluvial forest soil. Quite a large area is covered by 'kovárvány'

brown forest soil (sandy brown forest soil with thin interstratified layers

of colloid and sesquioxide accumulation), chernozem-brown forest soil and

brown earth. Meadow and meadow alluvial soils are typical along the Ipoly.

Sporadically, loess and sand can be found. The average gold crown value of

the cropland (measurement unit of the quality of arable land in Hungary) is

24.97 per hectare, which is below the national average.

• Infrastructure

After the transformation of regime the town assigned a substantial sum for

extension the public utility services to 100%. Every property of the settlement has

accessibility to piped water and sewage network as well as to pipeline gas.

Szécsény is the traffic junction of the neighbouring villages. Varsány,

Nógrádsipek, Rimóc can be approached just via our town.

Szécsény lies {{convert|30|km|0|abbr=on}} from the county seat Salgótarján and {{convert|105|km|0|abbr=on}} from

Budapest. Several bus services are available to Budapest every day but there

is a railway line too.

Because of the investments of the past years, the roads maintained by the

local government got damaged. The municipal corporation is planning to carry

out a road reconstruction and intends to finance it steadily.

On the basis of treaty between Hungarian and Slovak Government, in Postenypuszta,

which belongs to Szecseny, the building of a bridge on river Ipoly will begin soon.

Thus, the bordercross traffic, which has not worked since the World War II, will be

reestablished.

The community centre co-ordinates and organises the cultural life of the

town. We have several traditional festivals: Town Day at the end of May or

at the beginning of June, Autumn Art Exhibition of Szécsény and Szécsény

Vintage Festival. The cultural centre sponsors the Ferenc Erkel mixed-voice

choir that has been performing for 30 years. There is a projection in the

building once a week. The kindergarteners and school children regularly

watch different educational and entertaining films there.

The town library works within the framework of the cultural centre. Readers

can choose from 44 thousand volumes. The number of the registered readers is

nearly 2,000.

The local government maintains the following educational institutions:

- Kindergarten: The teachers do high quality pedagogic work in the three

buildings of the nursery school.

- Ferenc Rákóczi II Elementary School: It has one building. Owing to the

high-standard didactic and educational work, pupils won several inter-school

competitions.

- Sándor Kırösi Csoma Secondary Grammar and Vocational School: The municipal

corporation founded it in 1994 as an 8-grade secondary grammar school. The

vocational education of computer technology began in 1998. Teaching foreign

languages and computer science have -outstanding - importance.

The following institutions are maintained by the county self-government:

- The School of Arts: The music section is fairly successful. The members of

the dramatic group regularly perform at the town festivities.

- Béla Lipthay Agricultural Secondary Vocational School: This technical

school trains agricultural skilled workers. The students come not only from

Nógrád but also from other counties as well. The school also organises

courses for adults and courses adjusted to the trade, too.

Social welfare, healthcare, unemployment

Three general practitioners and two paediatricians work in Szécsény as

entrepreneurs. There are four dentists. The dentists also attend the

inhabitants of 12 villages in the region of Szécsény. Besides basic

healthcare a small laboratory, physical therapy and therapeutic gymnastics

are available as well. There is a gynaecological consultation too but it

is a private practice.

More and more people appeal to holistic medicine practitioners whose work is

co-ordinated by one of the paediatricians in the framework of a medical

centre.

The ambulance station has been working since 1993. Its job is confined to

transporting patients. The emergency service is operated by an enterprise

owned by a doctor.

• Social welfare

The present data of the unemployment show that approximately 1,000

inhabitants are entitled to a form of social allocations the major part of

which is financed by the local authority.

• Unemployment

Our figures, which were published by the Employment Centre of Nógrád County,

relate to Szécsény and its region. The number of the registered unemployed:

1,625, including 896 men and 729 women. Manual workers: 1,429 people, not

manual, white-collar workers: 196 people.

Professional grouping:

- Skilled worker: 425

- Semi-skilled labourer: 507

- Unskilled worker or handyman: 520

Classification according to educational level:

- fewer than 8 elementary grades: 245

- 8-grade elementary school: 688

- trade school: 392

- technical school: 24

- technical academy: 40

- vocational technical school: 130

- secondary grammar school: 86

- college, university: 20

• Agriculture

As a consequence of the Act of Co-operative farms 1992, one of the best

co-operative farms of the country was liquidated in Szécsény and was

succeeded by a number of collective and private farms. They work in the

agricultural sector and deal with cultivation first of all. The

traditionally grown plants are: potato, maize, sunflower and grain crop.

The collective farms are raising cows at present as well as sheep. Growing

number of private farmers keep horses too. The majority of the landowners

have a farm of {{convert|1.5|ha|acres|1|abbr=off}}. This area supplies their household mainly.

There are few private or collective farmers who run a farm bigger than 50

hectares.

• Industry

The biggest employer of the town is Eurocandle Ltd., the owners of which are

Danish entrepreneurs. They employ 300 people and export their products. The

other important industrial company, the Tommy Invest Ltd. gives work to 280

workers.

Several building entrepreneurs work in the town. There are two important

factories: furniture and packing machines ones. A lot of trading companies

work in our town. The most significant of them is Palóc-Coop Ltd. The local

government is revising the tax on practice of a trade, the amount of which

is 2,0%.

• Religion

The majority of the inhabitants are Roman Catholic, the minority is

Lutheran. The practice of the Catholic religion is helped by Franciscan

friars who live in the local Franciscan monastery, founded in 1339. The

Clarissa nuns (Franciscan Order of Poor Clares) undertake the task of

nursing of great importance.

• Ethnic minorities

The Gypsy Minority Self-government has been working in the town since 1994.

Their aim is to preserve and protect the Gypsy traditions. The mayor's

office supports their work and supplies the material conditions for them.

• Tourism

File:Leaning Tower Szécsény Hungary W-SW.jpg

The tourism has not made the most of the potentials of the town yet. The

local authority maintains a Tourinform office, which works together with the

Handicrafts’ Society in the renovated building of Handicraftsman's House. All

visitors get a free brochure about Szécsény and its surrounding.

The town has developed the buildings of the historic part of the town

turning the historical values of Szécsény to account. We used European Union

resources for fulfilment of this task. The display of the unique historic

relics will be advanced when we form closer co-operation with the Franciscan

order.

• Source:

szecseny town's webpage

{{Clear}}

Szécsény is twinned with:{{cite web |title=Testvértelepüléseink|url=http://szecseny.hu/testvertelepuleseink/|website=szecseny.hu|publisher=Szécsény|language=hu|access-date=2019-10-18}}

• {{flagicon|SVK}} Fiľakovo, Slovakia
• {{flagicon|SVK}} Kováčovce, Slovakia
• {{flagicon|POL}} Niepołomice, Poland
• {{flagicon|POL}} Warta, Poland

File:Civertanlegifotoszecseny2.jpg|Szécsény Center

File:Ciertanlegifotoszecseny3.jpg|Forgách-castle

File:Civertanlegifotoszecseny1.jpg|Forgách-castle and its Landscape park

File:Civertanlegifotoszecseny4.jpg|Fire Tower, early 18th century

File:Szécsény - Palace.jpg|Forgách-castle

File:Szécsény - The Baroque building of the Palace Forgách.jpg|Forgách-castle

File:Civertanlegifotoszecseny5.jpg|Szécsény bastion

File:Franciscan Convent Szécsény.jpg|Franciscan Convent, Szécsény

File:Szecsenycivertanlegi.jpg|Franciscan Convent

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Szécsény}}

• {{Official website|http://szecseny.hu/}} in Hungarian
• [http://www.terkepcentrum.hu/index.asp?go=map&tid=6628 Street map] {{in lang|hu}}
• [http://www.civertan.hu/legifoto/legifoto.php?page_level=680 Aerial photographs]

{{Szécsény District}}

{{Nógrád}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Szecseny}}

Category:Populated places in Nógrád County