Monok

Monok
Lajos Kossuth's birthplace
Coat of arms
Monok Location of Monok in Hungary
Coordinates: 48°12′37″N 21°08′52″E / 48.2102°N 21.1477°E / 48.2102; 21.1477
Country	Hungary
Region	Northern Hungary
County	Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
Subregion	Szerencs
Rank	Village
KSH code	07825
Government
• Mayor	Demeterné Bártfay Emese
Area
• Total	41.98 km2 (16.21 sq mi)
Population (2009)
• Total	1,606
• Density	38/km2 (99/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	3905
Area code	+36 47
Website	www.monok.hu

Monok is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Hungary and is part of the Tokaj wine region.

The nearest town is Szerencs 12 km (7 mi) away. Neighbouring villages are Golop 5 km (3 mi) away, Legyesbénye 7 km (4 mi) away and Tállya 7 km (4 mi) away.

The Zemplén Mountains have two sides: on the north Vilvitány Hill, on the south Szerencs Hill. The village lies in the valley between the two.

Although the north is mountainous the south is lower lying at around 300 metres (1,000 ft). On the north and south slopes there are fields and vineyards whose wines compete with those from Tokaj, and the fields bordering the vineyards offer a beautiful view of the Tatra Mountains.

It is not certain when the village was established, but it was some time during the Mongol invasion of Europe, or the earlier Hungarian invasion (Hungarian: honfoglalás).

The first record of the village is in 1392 and the Monaky family owned it in the 13th century [sic]. The name of the village comes from Slavic monoh meaning "monk". During the Ottoman Empire the village was razed and in 1567 it was recorded as being just barren fields. Towards the end of this century the village was reinhabited and around 1570 a small castle was built in the Renaissance style. Later, the village was owned by the Andrássy family who renovated the castle, but because it was too small they built another nearby in the Classical style.