Zemplín (in Latin: Zemplinum, in German: Semplin, in Hungarian: Zemplén) is the name of a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is presently in eastern Slovakia and north-eastern Hungary. Today in Slovakia, Zemplín is only an informal designation of the corresponding territory.

Zemplín is also a name of a small vilage near the junction point of rivers Ondava and Latorica (a well of a river Bodrog) in East Slovakia.

Geography

Zemplín county shared borders with Poland (during some periods the Austrian crownland Galicia) and the Hungarian counties Sáros (Šariš), Abaúj-Torna (Abov-Turňa), Borsod, Szabolcs and Ung. It was situated in the easternmost strip of Slovakia (except for the region between Vihorlatské vrchy and the Latorica river), plus a strip along the Bodrog and Tisza rivers in present-day Hungary. The rivers Laborec and Bodrog flowed through the county. Its area was 6269 km² around 1910.

Capitals

Initially, the capital of the county was the Zemplín Castle , in the 13th century also Sárospatak (in Slovak: Potok, hence the alternative name of the county comitatus de Potok). Since the late Middle Ages the town of Zemplín, and finally since 1748 the capital was Sátoraljaújhely (Slovak: Nové Mesto pod Šiatrom).

History

Zemplín is one of the oldest counties of the Kingdom of Hungary. In 1918 (confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon 1920), the northern part of the county became part of newly formed Czechoslovakia. The southern half (including Sátoraljaújhely) stayed in Hungary as the county Zemplén.

During World War II, when Czechoslovakia was split temporarily, part of the Czechoslovak part of the county was occupied by Hungary under the First Vienna Award, and added to the counties Zemplén and Ung. After World War II, the pre-war border was restored, and the Hungarian county Zemplén merged with the county Borsod and the Hungarian part of Abov-Turňa to form the present Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county. Since 1993, when Czechoslovakia was split, the northern part of Zemplín is part of Slovakia, Košice Region and Prešov Region.

Districts

In the early 20th century, the districts and their capitals were:

• Sátoraljaújhely
• Sárospatak
• Tokaj
• Szerencs
• Medzibodrožie (Hungarian:Bodrogköz), capital Královský Chlmec (Hungarian: Királyhelmec)
• Michalovce (Hungarian: Nagymihály)
• Sečovce (Hungarian: Gálszécs)
• Vranov nad Topľou (Hungarian: Varannó)
• Stropkov (Hungarian: Sztropkó)
• Humenné (Hungarian: Homonna)
• Medzilaborce (Hungarian: Mezőlaborc)
• Snina (Hungarian: Szinna)

Urban district:

• Sátoraljaújhely

The towns Sátoraljaújhely, Sárospatak, Tokaj and Szerencs are presently in Hungary.

See also: List of traditional regions of Slovakia