Hercegkút

Hercegkút Trautsondorf
Village
Flag Coat of arms
Hercegkút Location of Hercegkút
Coordinates: 48.33469°N 21.52855°E / 48.33469; 21.52855
Country	Hungary
Region	Northern Hungary
County	Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
District	Sárospatak
Area
• Total	7.81 km2 (3.02 sq mi)
Population  (1 January 2024)
• Total	604
• Density	77/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	3958
Area code	(+36) 47
Website	www.hercegkut.hu

Hercegkút (Template:Lang-de) is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County in northeastern Hungary. Swabians— German immigrants — from the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) region of Germany settled here and played a major role in the evolution of the village’s viticulture. The cellars of Gomboshegy and Kőporos are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

History

Hercegkút belonged to the domain of the Rákóczi family. The settlement was established in 1750, when its landlord, Prince Trautson, brought German settlers to the area after the Rákóczi War of Independence, similarly to the nearby villages of Károlyfalva (Karlsdorf) and Rátka (Ratkau). The settlement originally bore his name, it was called Trautsondorf (Village of Trautson), or Trauczonfalvá in Hungarian. The name of the settlement was changed to its current name Hercegkút in 1905.[1]

The German settlers originally came from Baden-Würtenberg - from the settlements of Balgheim, Binsdorf, Binswangen, Bitz, Böttingen, Bubsheim, Deislingen, Denkingen, Dürbheim, Frittlingen, Gosheim, Harpolingen (Bad Säckingen), Hettingen, Illerrieden, Kolbingen, Lautlingen, Luttingen (Laufenburg), Margrethausen, Renquishausen, Wehingen. The settlers were mainly engaged in viticulture.

The original settlers who founded the village were all Roman Catholic. After demarcating the area of ​​the village, the first building was a small chapel, which was used until 1788. A stone cross can still be seen in front of the chapel's former location.

The founding fathers of the village formed a belonged to the Roman Catholic Parish of Patak, a state which lasted until the consecration of village's own Roman Catholic church on September 8, 1788 and the founding of its independent parish. Hercegkút's local church customs (e.g. baptisms, marriages, funerals) to this day, carry distinctly Swabian-Alemannic features.

Population

According to the 2011 official census, 89.6% of residents identified themselves as Hungarian, 0.2% as Bulgarian, 0.2% as Polish, 55.6% as German, and 0.2% as Slovak. The religious distribution was as follows: Roman Catholic 75.4%, Reformed 6.1%, Greek Catholic 1.1%, Lutheran 0.2%, non-denominational 1.2% (15.8% did not answer).

Things to See

• Roman Catholic Church (est. 1788)
• Swabian folk house (Kossuth Street)
• UNESCO World Heritage Cellars (Gombos-hegy, Kőporosi)
• Gombos-hegy Calvary (est. 2004)
• Leisure and sports center (at the end of Petőfi Street)
• Pogány-kút and its surroundings
• Gyöngyszem German Elementary School and Kindergarten
• House of Culture (Kulturhaus)
• Bust of sculptor János Götz
• Monument to the villagers deported to the Soviet Union
• Drinking Stag Statue by János Götz

Notable Hungarians from Hercegkút

• István Braun
• Dr. Mátyás Stumpf
• János Götz
• Dr. István Stumpf

Local Wineries

• Frikker Winery
• Götz Winery
• Naár Winery
• Bányai Winery
• Matisz Winery
• Espák Winery
• Hutka Winery
• Portius Winery

Sister Cities

• Obersulm (Germany)
• Beaumont-le-Roger (France)