Hanušovce nad Topľou, a small town in the middle of eastern Slovakia, is located in the northern part of the Podslanská Uplands, in the valley of the Medziansky stream leading to Topľa River. Administratively, Hanušovce belongs to the district of Vranov nad Topľou and ethnographically to the Šariš region. The municipality was founded on the purchase law after 1312 on the territory of the Aba Family from Liptov Region. The oldest written mention is from 1332, when King Charles Robert granted the inhabitants of the free village of Hanušovce the privileges of the land town and market law. Since 1346, Hanušovce belonged to the feudal estate of the Sóš Family from the Solivar (Salt Plant city district in Prešov), then from the 18th century to the Dessewffy and Berzeviczy Families.
The first settles of Hanušovce became Hanus and from his name is derived the name of the town, as well. However, it can also be derived from the name of the Johanites’ Order (villa Hanusfalva – 1332, villa Johanis – 1355). In the Middle Ages, the inhabitants were mainly engaged in peasantry, later they developed crafts – e.g. forging, shoemaking, tannery (In Slovak: garbiarstvo, and Garbiarska street is derived from it) pipe production, drying of medicinal plants. Between 1630 and 1717 there was a grammar school of humanities in Hanušovce. At the end of the 16th Hanušovce were a medium-sized town. It acquired the rights for hosting three annual fairs (on the day dedicated to the Holy Spirit, to St. Cosmas and Damian, and on All Saints Day). Since 1635, three more fairs have been added: on Epiphany or the Three Kings Day, on the day dedicated to saint Tibercius the martyr, and the day dedicated to saint Ladislaus. The town has followed this tradition and Hanušovské fairs have been held since 1990. There are several historical monuments in the town: The early Gothic Roman-Catholic Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary from the 14th century, the Renaissance (Small) Manor House of Šóš Family from 1564 and the Renaissance-Baroque Manor House of Dežöfi Family (Large) from the second half of the 18th century, which is the seat of the Museum of natural history with a historical, ethnographic exhibitions and an exhibition of natural history. The drying room of medicinal plants is a national cultural monument. Perhaps the most distinctive monument is the network of railway viaducts. Cultural and social life in the city is livened up by the Oblík folklore ensemble and Vargovčan folklore group, tourism is developing in the Krokus Slovak Tourist Club.
