The exhibition

The Thököly Memorial House was opened on 14 November 2008 in the Seka Park in Izmit, now part of the City of Kocaeli, commemorating Imre Thököly living here in exile in 1701–1705.

Thököly at the age of 8 was appointed the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Máramaros, later the County of Árva by Prince Mihály Apafi. In 1668–1670 he studied in the Lutheran College of Eperjes. After the fall of the plot of Wesselényi – his father participated in the conspiration – he fled to Transylvania. Here he engaged in the wars against the Kingdom of Hungary, on 8 January 1680 he was elected the commander in chief of the rebels. In the following years his troops were very successful. From 1682 to 1685 he was the prince of the Turkish vassal state in Upper Hungary (Orta Madzsar). In 1685 he was captured by the Turks at Várad and was kept in captivity till 1688. After his release Thököly took part in the reconquering wars on the Turkish side. In 1699 according to the Peace Treaty of Karlóca he was exiled into the central area of the Ottoman Empire, where he was followed by many of his adherents. The town of Csiprovac and some neighbouring villages were assigned as the residence of the political emigration, while Thököly stayed in Istanbul with his limited escort. In September 1701 he went to Adrianople without permit and on the account of this he and his train was banished to Izmit (Nicomedia in Greek), to the “Field of the Flowers”. Ilona Zrínyi, the wife of the Prince perished on 18 February 1703, while Thököly deceased on 13 September 1705.

In 1906 his ashes were taken to Hungary together with those of his wife, Ilona Zrínyi and his stepson Ferenc Rákóczi II, József Rákóczi, Miklós Bercsényi, his wife Krisztina Csáky, Antal Esterházy and Miklós Sibrik, after the 20th Act of 1906 abolished the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs of the 49th Act of 1715 exiling Ferenc Rákóczi II and his associates. The mortal remains of Imre Thököly were buried in the new Lutheran church at Késmárk.

 

Information

Address:

Imre Thököly Memorial House

(Thököly Imre Anı  Evi)

SEKA Park 2.Etap Kültür Alanı, İzmit - Kocaeli

Phone:

+90 262 332 06 36

E-mail:

muze@kocaeli.bel.tr

Contact Person:

Mustafa Çakır

Opening Hours:

Monday to Saturday: 9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Closed on Sundays

Admission:

free

GPS co-ordinates:

40°45'43.40" N, 29°53'59.83" E