Tarcal

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Tarcal (Yiddish: טערצאל Tertsal) is a village on the eastern edge of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, northern Hungary, in the famous Tokaj-Hegyalja wine district, 55 km from Miskolc.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Jewish community
4 Sights of Tarcal
5 References

[edit] Geography

Tarcal is located at 48°07′N, 21°25′E, at the western foot of the 516 m high Nagy Hill at Tokaj at the southernmost foothills of the Eperjes-Tokaj mountain range..

Tarcal is probably the best grape-growing place of the world famous Tokaj-Hegyalja wine-district. All the traditional vine species grown here (furmint, linden-leaf, yellow muscat) dry well on the vine, so they are suitable for making excellent vintage wines, special quality Szamorodni wines, and 3-to-6 butt Tokaji aszú wines. These wines are seasoned in oakwood casks put in cellars covered with choice mould.

[edit] History

The estate was presented to Captain Turzul by Árpád at the time of the Conquest.

In 1941 the population of Tarcal was 4004.

[edit] Jewish community

299 Jews lived in Tarcal in 1941. By 1946 only 30 Jews were left.

Among the famous rabbis of Tarcal was Rabbi Yechezkel Paneth (1813-1822), the author of Mare Yeheskel (Marmaros, 1875). Another was Rabbi Yaakov Shapira (1876-1906), a famous scholar, often mentioned in the halachic responsa of the famous rabbis of Hungary. In 1823, Rabbi Chayim Yosef Gottlieb (born Tarcal, 1790) was appointed dayan and teacher in Tarcal.

[edit] Sights of Tarcal

The architectural sights of the village are mostly connected to the Rákóczi family. The mansions called King court, Rákóczi tavern and Sebeö mansion got their present form at the end of the 1700s.

The Roman Catholic church is from 1615. Its foundations, crypt and the bottom part of the tower are of medieval origin. The Calvinist church, where a memorial tablet commemorates the Reformed Confession, which was created here by the Tarcal Council in 1564, and the oval planned Terézia chapel were built between 1770 and 1790. The renovated synagogue was built in the second half of the 17th century.