The first written data about the town is from 1404, when Stropkov was already labeled as an
oppidum (a townlet). The first owner of the town after the king was Ladislav Svatojursky. In order, the other landlords were Balickovci, Perinskovci, Peteovci. In 1408, the town's toll and castle (castellum) were mentioned for the first time. The development of the town and its economic expansion was supported by the law of thirty and market in 1698, which was strengthened by
Leopold I with six annual fairs. Stropkov's manor owned about 51 villages at that time. In a big department, which articles date to 1575, jewelers, tailors, butchers, cabinetmakers, saddlers, swordfish, surgeons (shavers), and shopkeepers were united. Craftsmen from Stropkov sold their products in local markets in Stropkov, and also markets in Zemplén and
Šariš. In the process of successful development, Stropkov was touched by the status’ rebellions of
Imre Thököly and
Ferenc II Rákóczi: in the region list from 1715, it is written that only 7 bourgeoises paid taxes in Stropkov. In 1764, the Peteovci family died out, and the manor was divided into 6 parts: Staraiovci, Hallerovci, Keglevicovci, Dezofiovci, Veceiovci and Barkociovci. In 1785, Stropkov had 1326 inhabitants, comprising about 204 households. Stropkov was the third most populous town in the Zemplén region with 87 craftsmen in 1778, and it was the second most important craftsman center after
Humenné town. In that period, it became a residence of Zemplén chair. This situation lasted in the next few years: 1848, 1918 and 1945, up until 1960. After the 18th century, the town started to decay. In 1828, there were 201 houses and 2250 inhabitants. In 1869, there were 2502 inhabitants, which decreased to 2276 in 1900. After 1870, there was mass emigration of native people who were moving abroad. During the time between wars, Stropkov and its district belonged to one of the most underdeveloped and poorest regions in Slovakia. Besides agriculture, the living was earned by the traditional craft industry and works in the woods. During the years of the
Second World War, economical decline was fully in progress. Stropkov had 487 houses with 3311 inhabitants during the wartime. After the war, the construction of a
Tesla factory and many other firms have had an important contribution to essential changes in demographics and in infrastructure. In 1950, 2695 people lived in the town, which grew to 9719 in 1991. The first written information about the school is from 1515, but indisputably the school was there in the previous century. In the 17th century, Franciscans came to the town and in 1921, the first redemptorist cloister was founded. The remains of the castle are situated in the storied building that occupies the east side of the church. The Roman Catholic church, called the Holy Body of Jesus Christ, dates to the 14th century. In 1675, it was restored and supplemented with a Gothic castle chapel. The interior Baroque decoration is from the 18th century. The Uniate
cathedral was built in 1947 and Jewish synagogues have not been preserved. The
Domaša reservoir is away from Stropkov. The nearby village of
Tokajík is famous for the memorial of victims who died in the Tokajík tragedy in 1944. == Population ==