Szulok

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Szulok (German: Sulk; Croatian: Suljok) is a small village in Somogy county, Hungary, in the Southern Transdanubia region. It sits on the road between Barcs and Kaposvár, about 14 km northeast of Barcs. The village covers 27.9 square kilometers and had 656 residents in 2017.

The name Szulok comes from a South Slavic name, Sulko or Sulek, likely the name of the village’s first owner.

History
- Szulok is first mentioned in 1193 as Zoloc in a royal decree for the Johannites of Székesfehérvár. In 1332–1337 it appears as Zulak in papal tithe records.
- The settlement was destroyed during the Turkish occupation.
- In the 18th century the Széchenyi family owned the lands. István Széchényi invited German settlers from Württemberg between 1715 and 1757. They initially worked with charcoal burning, but after forests were cleared they started planting tobacco. Szulok became known across Hungary for its tobacco.
- By 1772 the village had a Catholic parish and a school, and in 1788 the first seal (coat of arms) was created.
- Szulok gained market town rights in 1811.
- In the 19th century, the village’s German residents helped its economy grow. They tended to plow with cattle or horses earlier than the Croats and Hungarians in the area, drained swamps to create more farmland, and invested profits in new fields and vineyards. Tobacco remained an important product into the 20th century.