Erdőbénye

Erdőbénye is a large village of 1422 inhabitants in Borsod- Abaúj- Zemplén Country, on the southeastern part of Zemplén Mountain. The settlement can be approached by turning off the main road number 37.

Erdőbénye is one fo the historical settlements of Hegyalja, which once had been a market town. The large village from the age of the Árpáds' was first mentioned in a document at the beginning of the 15th century. In the past, there were two villages on its territory. Thes were Alsó - and Felsőbénye, or Mező- and Egyházas- Bénye. The Berényi, the Rozgonyi, and the Lorántffy families owned the settlement.

In 1604, the Rákóczi family received it and they made the settlement to an econamical centre, they had a castle built with a wide cellar system.

The village in an important wine growing settlement even today. It had the right to have markets there and to trade with wine. The technology of producing Aszú wine is linked with the name of the local preacher Máté Szepsi Laczkó. In 1631 Zsuzsanna Lorántffy could tast this exclusive drink first, then it became world famous.

In 1830, Ödön Szirmay had a thermal bath built not far from the village using the mineral water that contains alum. The spa became an important centre of the public life in the reform era. The sometime Erzsébet bath is the army's reformed church, the Szirmay castle, which was started to build by the Rákóczis, and the early- baroque Budaházy- Fekete mansion exel from the many sights of Erdőbénye. The tarn evolved in the sometime mine is one of the beautiful natural sights of the settlement in this attractive environment.

                            Budaházy- Fekete mansion                                                             Szirmay castle

Even today six or eight coopers work in the village, so Erdőbénye is often called coopers' village. One of the settlement's most important events is the yearly- organised cooper-day.

Accommodation and restaurants of high standard are waiting for the tourists who are interested in the beautiful environment of Zemplén, in wines, and in sights.

Roman Catholic church	Reformed church

Kossuth statue

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