Sarospatak accommodation, sights, events

The medieval town was a one-street settlement. On the spindle-shaped square there stood the parish church which was later reconstructed and extended several times, and was transformed into a late-Gothic hall church. It has been restored in this style.
The castle with its defensive structure is one of Hungary's most valuable monuments, part of our national heritage. Between 1534 and 1537 were built a residential tower in late Renaissance style and a new wing to the castle.
Later the political significance of the town increased. It became the seat of princes and the cradle of the wars of independence in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Since 1950 the castle has housed the Rakoczi Museum. The exhibitions give an authentic description of its history. Within the walls of the outer fortress there were several significant medieval residential houses, parts of which are still visible.
With the ideas of the Reformation spreading rapidly, a Calvinist College was established in Sarospatak in 1531. By the end of the 16th century the school had gained strength, and since then it has played an important role in the history of the Hungarian Reformed Church, as well as the Hungarian education and culture.
Sarospatak became known as the ""Athens on the bank of the Bodrog River"" in the last century. In the light of the role it has played in the Hungarian culture, education and history, its past and tradition-bound present, the school town well deserves this denomination.
Sarospatak has preserved the structure and the major transportation routes of the medieval town. The present townscape bears the imprint of the architect Imre Makovecz, who designed a number of beautiful buildings such as the Culture House, the Arpad Vezer Secondary Grammar School etc.
Sarospatak was awarded the Hild medal in 1987, for the masterly mix of the traditional and modern in town development.
The thermal bath of the town has 49°C mineral water containing various minerals which offer effective treatment and aftercare for locomotor disorders and gynecological diseases.
The surroundings of the town offer some scenic spots too: the Roman church in Karcsa, the fortified castle in Renaissance style of Pacin, and the reviving Tolcsva, famous for wine production.