Šemša

Šemša ( Hungarian Semse ) is a municipality in eastern Slovakia with 865 inhabitants (as of December 31, 2019). It is located in Okres Košice-okolie , a part of Košický kraj .

geography

Šemša is located about ten kilometers west of Košice at the southern foot of a foothill of the Slovak Ore Mountains that extends far to the east . The mountainous northern half of the municipal area encompassing 17.17 km² is forested, here is the 448 m high Dlhá chrasť ; the highest point in the municipality is reached in the extreme northwest with almost 600 m above sea level. The southern half, characterized by rolling hills with tertiary sediments, is mainly used for agriculture. In the northeast, the Šemšiansky potok rises , an approx. 30 km long tributary of the Ida , whose valley has dug deep into the subsoil consisting of slate and limestone.

Neighboring municipalities of Šemša are Bukovec in the north, Malá Ida in the east, the Košice district Šaca in the southeast, Veľká Ida in the south, Panovce in the southwest, Hodkovce in the west and Hýľov in the northwest.

history

The Šemša manor house with a chateau chapel

St. Andrew's Church

During the reign of King Bela IV , the area around today's Šemša belonged to a family that supported the king in the fight against the Tatars. In 1280 the village was first mentioned as Scemse . In 1315 the son of a Spiš chaplain named Thomas bought the village. He founded a local dynasty called zo Šemše ( from Šemša ). A St. Andrew's church in the village was mentioned as early as 1332. This is said to have been destroyed in the middle of the 14th century. At the beginning of the 15th century the castle or mansion was built, which was further expanded in the following centuries.

The name of the village developed from Scemse (1280) through Sempse (1310), Semcha (1317), Zempse (1324), Scempse (1427), Semsza (1773), Ssemsza (1808) and Semcha (1823) until 1903 valid Šemša .

Before serfdom was abolished in 1828, 28 families lived in Šemša, a few years later there were 80 houses and 546 inhabitants. At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, the castle was built over in a baroque style; in the first half of the 19th century it took on classical forms. At the same time a castle chapel in Gothic style was built.

The seal of the community has existed since 1784, based on the coat of arms handed down since 1401. In 1830 a new school building was built in the village. In 1854 and 1855 the church was restored and expanded. The construction of the road from Košice via Šemša to Jasov lasted from 1901 to 1903 . After the First Vienna Arbitration Award, Šemša also belonged to the Hungarian Abaúj County from 1938 to 1945 . In 1943 the last owner of the castle died, which at the end of the Second World War, like the village, was partially damaged.

population

Šemša Town Hall

According to the results of the 2001 census, Šemša had 716 inhabitants, over 98.5% of whom were Slovaks. 64.2% of the residents professed to be part of the Roman Catholic Church.

Attractions

The Roman Catholic St. Andrew's Church ( Rímskokatolícky kostol sv. Ondreja, apoštola ) stands on the northern edge of the village.
The Šemša manor house with the chateau chapel, the cemetery and the park area have been slowly decaying since the 1940s, but they still form an imposing ensemble that is under monument protection and whose future has not yet been decided.

Economy and Infrastructure

Agriculture and forestry have always played the most important role in Šemša. In addition to developing tourism, there are jobs for commuters in the industry in and around Košice.

Trunk road 548 ( Cesta II. Triedy ) from Košice to Jasov (road 548) runs through the municipality .

Individual evidence

↑ history www.semsa.sk. Retrieved May 25, 2014 (Slovak).
↑ Statistical data on statistics.sk/mosmis ( Memento from May 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (Slovak)

[1] history www.semsa.sk. Retrieved May 25, 2014 (Slovak).

[2] Statistical data on statistics.sk/mosmis ( Memento from May 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (Slovak)