906 05 Sobotište, Slovakia
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History of Sobotište

Sobotište is mentioned for the first time in a document from 1251 as the terra Zabodycha – the country Sobotište, which was a market place on a long-distance trade route. Markets were held here on Saturday. Sobotište was first part of the border castle Bana and from the second half of the 13th century belonged to the castle Branč. František Ňári (+ 1551) married Elizabeth of Korlát joined  together both parts of the estate. Their marriage, however, remained childless. After his death, the ownership of the estate was transferred to a composesorate (administration of several owners), of which the Nyari family had the largest share.

 Town Sobotište (together with Senica) was one of the centers of the Branč estate. Several provincial families tied to the manor (eg Ňáryovci, Pongrácovci, Vietorisovci) built their mansions in the town. Settlements which were part of Sobotište  has been settled since the beginning of the 17th century. According to the census, there were 152 families in the town in 1752, 134 families in the surrounding settlements and in 1787 the village had 3245 citizens and 405 houses.

Most of the population claimed to be Lutheranism, which spread in the Brač manor from the second half of the 16th century mainly thanks to the Ňáriovci. In the second half of the 20s of  17.century, Czech and Moravian exiles who joined the Brethren Unity were added to the majority Protestants. Of course there were anabaptists and Catholics living in the town. At the end of the 17th century, the colorful religious composition was enriched by Jews.

Most families made their living by cultivating land, raising cattle and sheep. In addition to agriculture, which was the main source of livelihood, there were also craftsmen in Sobotište. In the 17th century a common guild of Sobotište and Senica butchers was established and in 1765 Count Jozef Ňáry founded a wool processing manufactory in Sobotište. Thanks to the evangelical teacher Samuel Jurkovič, Sobotište was one of the leading cultural centers of the region.

In the autumn of 1848, many pro-government officials fled from Sobotište and its surroundings as a result of the military success of the hurbanists in Brezová pod Bradlom. Several Sobotište residents joined the volunteers.

In the post-revolution period the Branč estate was abolished. On the former mansions in the form of large estates farmed more landlords than Kuffnerovci, who had in the  Sobotište cadastre extensive land. After the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic, their land was parceled.