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History of Stoß

Author and Copyright:
Gabriel Müller (Mayor of Štós), 2009

Photos: © Gabriel Müller/Walter Bistika

The village of Štós is probably the first colonized village of the picturesque valley on the upper stream of the Bodva River. It is located 46 km west of Košice, on the borderline of Slovenský Kras karst and Volovské Vrchy mountain range. Nowadays the village has 724 inhabitants.
First evidence of German colonization comes from the middle of the 13th century, from the Premonstratesian monastery in Jasov. It is remarkable how an originally German name of the village transferred unchanged into the standard Slovak language and is used even today. The traditional German dialect - Mantak, which was spoken by local inhabitants at that time has preserved as well. The German settlers came from different areas of Germany - Saxony and Bavaria, some settlers were eastern Franks. They were miners, coal-makers and loggers.
Štós was liberated from serfdom by the King Matthias Corvinus in 1465, when he gave the Zápolšký family the Spišský Hrad castle and the mining towns. On August 12, 1676 the village was raided and burnt by Kuruc soldiers. In 1696, Štós was promoted to a Royal Mining Borough by Francis II Rakoczi, evidence of which can be found on the town seal from 1697. Mining and processing of precious metals stimulated the development of crafts. The village was hit by plague in 1710, which killed 567 inhabitants. The Cutlers Guild was established in 1721 with all the corresponding guild rights.
Štós experienced the second period of rapid development of mining during the reign of Maria Theresa of Austria (1740-1780). In 1803 the Jozef Wlaszlovits Company was established, which eventually became the largest cutlery manufacturer in Hungary. Its cutlery and sabers were famous throughout Europe, the Balkans and even in America. The activities of the Wlaszlovits family had a very positive impact on the quality of life in the Štós village, not only in terms of labor, industry, but also social life and culture.
Already before the World War II, a power plant was built near the factory, supplying the whole village with electricity. The second cutlery factory was established in 1862 by Róbert Komporday, who also contributed to the establishment of the Kúpele Štós spa in 1881. The smallest cutlery factory was the Schreiber a Synovia (Schreiber and Sons) Company established in 1882. All three factories were steam-powered, with torque transmitted by leather flat belts onto grinders. The grinding stones were over two meters in diameter at that time. Thanks to an ancient cutlery tradition and the establishment of three cutlery companies, Štós became an important industrial village in the early 19th century. Although the industrial production of knives was stopped in 2002, the 300 year-old art and mastery of cutlery making haven't disappeared. The craftsmen of Štós who have carried the tradition of cutlery making into the 21th century are the best proof of this fact Due to the mountainous character of the area, agriculture was not as developed as industry. Local farmers grew mostly potatoes and corn, some raised cattle and later also sheep on the mountain meadows around the village.
In 1948 the private companies in Štós were communized. Wlaszlovits' factory was integrated into the Sandrik national company. A new factory was built in 1951 and apart from cutlery, automobile air filters and pre-filters were manufactured here, as well as carpenter's clips, metal tank cases and other products. Beginning in 1992, the factory begun to produce stands, drive-up ramps, and lift jacks for German automobile industry. In the period of the greatest conjuncture, the Sandrik factory employed as many as 285 employees. At present the factory is owned by TEIDE s.r.o. Company, which has acquired it after bankruptcy proceedings. A part of the object is being used by GE - Metal s.r.o. Company Further employment opportunities in Štós are provided by the municipality by means of various jobs in the municipal forest, municipal sawmill, the sewage water treatment plant, primary school, kindergarten or the school canteen. Working opportunities are also offered by the Detský Domov Štós foster home and Kúpele Štós as. spa. The village has its own sewage water treatment plant, public sewerage, drinking water-supply and gas distribution system. The village is famous for its historical, cultural and sports traditions. At present, the priority is the development of the tourism industry, cyclotourism as well as both cross-country and downhill skiing in winter. The beautiful nature area ranking among those with the cleanest air in Europe strengthens one's health and provides relaxation and relief both physically and mentally.
One of the most important persons connected with the village of Štós is the prominent representative of Hungarian literature in Slovakia, Zoltán Fábry, who was born here and wrote several works as well. His birth home today serves as a memorial house with a valuable collection of books written by famous authors. At the local cemetery, Henrik Hubert, the founder of sparkling wine production in Slovakia, is buried.

Oxen were used for field and forest work

A historical photograph of Woman's Club

Zoltán Fábry's birth house

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