| Somogyvár | |
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| Somogyvár ruins from above. | |
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Somogyvár
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Hungary |
| County | Somogy |
| Area | |
| • Total | 52.99 km2 (20.5 sq mi) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 1,910 |
| • Density | 36/km2 (93.4/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 8698 |
| Area code(s) | 85 |
Somogyvár is a village in Somogy county, Hungary.
It is situated south from Lengyeltóti, between Lengyeltóti, Öreglak and Somogyvámos.
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It is a historical traditional knowledge that, after the death of Geza of Hungary, Koppány prince hold his central fortress in the region of the recent Somogyvár.
Koppány princ started to attack the Veszprém frotres in 997 from here. Archaeological excavations revealed that in 1091 Ladislaus I of Hungary king supported the building of the Saint Benedictian Monastery of Somogyvár here. Before the 11th century Bronze Age layers were found in the excavations.
The monastery has been built between 1091 and 1095 and the first monks were invited from the Abbey of Saint-Gilles. Later monks were also invited both from France and other abbeys from Hungary.
The royal fortress of Somogyvár was frequently mentioned in charters from 1163. Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor gave the fortress in 1410 to Marczali Miklós. Later, in 1474 the Báthori family received Somogyvár town, than the Enyingi Török family owned it.
The monastery was used till the Ottoman wars in 16th century. After the battle of Mohács, it was transformed and rebuilt as a fortress. In 1543 the Ottoman army destroyed the monastery fortress.
After the end of the Turkish wars and occupation, in 1677 Széchenyi György archbishop of Kalocsa rebuilt the village and owned it till the 20th century.
Archaeological excavations began in 1972 in order to reveal the remnants of the abbey. The recovered ruins were open for the audience in 1991.