Szolnok
Tourism

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19th C streets in the inner town. The town is mainly industrial (railroad carriages, sugar, paper and shoe factories, chemicals). Szolnok is also a spa town.

The history of the town has for centuries been determined by its situation at a strategic crossing point on the Tisza - altogether it has been destroyed 17 times. King Stephan built a castle here in 1075. In 1552 the Turks conquered the castle; for 130 years Szolnok was a "Sandschak", a Turkish administrative and military center. The first pile bridge was built over the Tisza in 1562. From 1706 the castle was the headquarters of the freedom fighter, Rákóczi (see Famous People), in 1709, along with so many others, it was taken by Imperial troops and blown up. In 1847 the economy was considerably boosted by the opening of the Pest-Szolnok railroad and the regulation of the Tisza. As it was still of strategic importance 35per cent of all houses, half of the industrial sites and numerous bridges were destroyed in the Second World War. Since the end of the war industry has undergone recovery and expansion.