Salgótarján

Salgótarján (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈʃɒlɡoːtɒrjaːn]) is a city with county rights in Nógrád county, north-eastern Hungary.

Location

At the foot of Karancs mountain, in the Cserhát hills, 250 meters above sea level, 120 km (75 mi) north-east from Budapest, 70 km (43 mi) west from Miskolc. Salgótarján is surrounded by beautiful forests and hills topped with castle ruins, which are accessible by bus that may be taken from the center of town.

History

The town already existed in the Middle Ages, but information on it is scarce possibly because it was a small settlement. The word salgó means "shining" in Old Hungarian, while Tarján was the name of one of the Hungarian tribes conquering the area.

The castle of Salgó was built in the 13th century on a mountain of volcanic origin. In the 13th century the town already had a church.

After the 1682 siege of the nearby Castle of Fülek (today Fiľakovo, Slovakia) the town was deserted, and new settlers arrived only ten years later, but remained a small village.