Miskolc (UK: /ˈmiːʃkɒlts/ MEESH-kolts,[3] US: /ˈmɪʃkoʊlts/ MISH-kohlts,[4] Hungarian: [ˈmiʃkolt͡s] ⓘ; Czech and Slovak: Miškovec; German: Mischkolz; Yiddish: Mishkoltz; Romanian: Mișcolț) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry.

With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the fourth largest city in Hungary (behind Budapest, Debrecen, and Szeged).

[7] The city lies at the meeting point of different geographical regions – east of the Bükk mountains, in the valley of the river Sajó and the streams Hejő and Szinva.

Between the Avas hill and Diósgyőr lies the hilly area of the Lower Bükk (250–300 m or 820–980 ft) consisting of sandstone, marl, clay, layers of coal, from the tertiary period, and volcanic rocks from the Miocene.

This mostly consists of sea sediments (limestone, slate, dolomite) from the Paleozoic and Mesozoic, and volcanic rocks like diabase and porphyry.

The area has been inhabited since ancient times – archaeological findings date back to the Paleolithic, proving human presence for over 70,000 years [citation needed].

He also had the castle of the nearby town Diósgyőr (now a district of Miskolc) transformed into a Gothic fortress.

During the war of independence against Habsburg rule in the early 18th century, Prince Francis II Rákóczi, the leader of the Hungarians put his headquarters in Miskolc.

Many other significant buildings were built in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the city hall, schools such as Lévay József Református Gimnázium és Diákotthon, churches, the synagogue, and the theatre.

World War I did not affect the city directly, but many people died, either from warfare or from the cholera epidemic.

[11] Under the supervision of Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer Adolf Eichmann, "deportations" from Miskolc began on June 11 or 12th, 1944.

After the war Jews who survived the holocaust returned to Miskolc hoping to reclaim their land and possessions.

The preparation for World War II established Miskolc as the national centre of heavy industry, a position the city maintained until the 1990s.

Although Miskolc suffered a lot during the last year of the war, it recovered quickly, and by absorbing the surrounding villages, it became the second-largest city of Hungary with more than 200,000 inhabitants.

In 1949, the University of Miskolc was founded (as a successor of the Academy of Mining, formerly in Selmecbánya, which is now Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia).

During its long history Miskolc survived fires, floods, plagues and foreign invasions, but maintained its position as the centre of northeastern Hungary.

Lillafüred and Felsőhámor are pretty villages in a valley surrounded by mountains and forests; their sights include the Hotel Palace on the shore of the Lake Hámori, the Szinva waterfall (the highest waterfall of the country), the Anna Cave and the István Cave.

The population (around 1910) is multidenominational and multiethnical, and the differences in the level of education mirrors the stratification of society, following these facts.

Miskolc was already an important market town in the Middle Ages, mostly due to its proximity to the main trade routes of the region.

Several new settlements were formed in the Bükk mountains to provide dwellings for the workers of glass works manufactures and furnaces.

Development reached its highest point in the 1980s, when the metal factory had more than 18,000 workers and production was over one million tons per year.

The economic recession after the end of the Socialist era hit the industrial cities of Northern Hungary the hardest.

The economic situation of the city went through a change, smaller enterprises appeared in place of the large state-owned companies.

Miskolc has got other former first division representatives, namely Miskolci Attila (seven seasons at the highest level), and Perecesi TK (one).

[citation needed] The DVTK Jegesmedvék ice hockey team plays in the Slovak-based Tipsport Liga.

On the northern part of the hill, close to downtown Erzsébet Square, is the Gothic Protestant Church of Avas, one of the two oldest buildings of Miskolc (the other is the Castle of Diósgyőr.)

University Town is one of the newer parts of the city and can be found between Miskolc and the holiday resort Miskolctapolca.

It winds through scenic forests, and takes between a half hour and 45 minutes for the train to go between the two major stops.

The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 28 members (1 Mayor, 19 Individual constituencies MEPs and 8 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:[18] List of City Mayors from 1990: Including people born in Miskolc as well as in Diósgyőr and other city parts that were independent towns at the time of their birth.