Fiľakovo

Fiľakovo (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈfiʎakɔʋɔ]; Hungarian: Fülek, German: Fülleck, Turkish: Filek) is a town in the Banská Bystrica Region of south-central Slovakia. Historically it was located in Nógrád County, as part of the Nógrád, Novohrad, "Newcastle" region.

Fiľakovo Fülek
Municipality
Fiľakovo town square
Flag Coat of arms
Fiľakovo Location of Fiľakovo in the Banská Bystrica Region Show map of Banská Bystrica Region Fiľakovo Location of Fiľakovo in Slovakia Show map of Slovakia
Coordinates: 48.27°N 19.82°E / 48.27; 19.82
Country	Slovakia
Region	Banská Bystrica Region
District	Lučenec District
First mentioned	1246
Government
• Mayor	Attila Agócs (MOST-HÍD)
Area [1]
• Total	16.18 km2 (6.25 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	190 m (620 ft)
Population  (2021)[3]
• Total	9,726
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	986 01[2]
Area code	+421 47[2]
Car plate	LC
Website	www.filakovo.sk

Geography

It is located in the Cerová vrchovina hills, in the valley of the Belina brook, located around 20 km (12.43 mi) from the Hungarian city of Salgótarján, 85 km (52.82 mi) from Banská Bystrica, about 150 km (93.21 mi) from Košice and around 220 km (136.70 mi) from Bratislava.

History

The first written record of the town, along with the Fiľakovo Castle is from 1242, where the castle withstood the Mongol invasions. It is mentioned in 1246 as Filek. In 1423 the town received municipal privileges. In 1553 the town with the castle was conquered by the Turks and was the seat of a sanjak until 1593, when it was reconquered by the Imperial troops. However, it was conquered once more by the Ottomans in 1662 and the town along with the castle was burned down in 1682 by troops of Imre Thököly. It was finally passed to Austrians in 1686. Before the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia in 1918, it was part of Nógrád County within the Kingdom of Hungary. It again belonged to Hungary from 1938 to 1945 as a result of the First Vienna Award.

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1970	7,880	—
1980	9,390	+19.2%
1991	10,165	+8.3%
2001	10,198	+0.3%
2011	10,817	+6.1%
2021	9,949	−8.0%
Source: Censuses[4][5]

According to the 2001 census, ethnic groups included 64.40% Hungarians, 30.19% Slovaks, and 4.03% Roma. The religion make-up was as follows: 77.52% Roman Catholic, 11.82% without denomination, 3.21% not specified and others.^[6]

Twin towns — sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Slovakia

Fiľakovo is twinned with:^[7][8]

• Bátonyterenye, Hungary
• Salgótarján, Hungary
• Szécsény, Hungary
• Szigethalom, Hungary
• Ustrzyki Dolne, Poland

People

• Sándor Büchler, rabbi, historian
• Frank Lowy, Australian businessman
• Allan Vilhan, musician
• Vica Kerekes, actress

Gallery

• 
  Aerial photography of the castle
• 
• 
• 
  Fiľakovo castle.
• 
  Fiľakovo viewed from the castle.

See also

• List of municipalities and towns in Slovakia