Bicske (Hungarian:[ˈbit͡ʃkɛ]; Latin: Lusomana or Lumanum) is a town in Fejér County, Hungary. It is around 35 km (22 mi) west of Budapest. Its administration has undergone many changes; it has been a settlement, a village, a market town, and a village constituting an administrative division.
The name of the Byckche family has been known since 1258 when some members got a large donation of land from the king. According to a document dating from 1306, Botond's sons János (John) and Péter were granted permission to levy tolls in the locality of Bicske.
From 1596 onward, Bicske belonged to the Ottoman Empire.
Count Ádám Batthyány bought the land in 1642. The Batthyány family built a castle in 1754–1755, and made it their residence. The Batthyány family also built an observatory and a little castle (Hegyi-kastély) for the astronomers. During the Batthyány era, the village, which had been destroyed by the Turks, became a prosperous town. From 1688 to 1877, it was the chief town of the district.
A Jewish community developed in Bicske during the 18th century; most of its members were associated with the Neolog or Reform Judaism movement. They built a synagogue and a school, which was open to both Christian and Jewish students.[2] By the 19th century Bicske was a well-developed market town and cultural centre. From 1877 to 1946 it belonged to the district of Vál.
After World War I, an era known as the "White Terror," lasting from 1919 - 1921, saw the Jewish community of Bikse under attack by Christians, as homes were looted and citizens were murdered.[2]
In 1940, during World War II, Jewish farms and shops were confiscated and nationalized and able-bodied Jewish men were sent to Ukraine to work in the mines. In May 1940, a ghetto was erected in Bicske and Jews from neighboring towns were brought there for confinement. In June 1940, the ghetto was liquidated and its entire Jewish population was sent to the Komárom ghetto and, that same month, to Auschwitzconcentration camp for extermination. The town's synagogue was completely destroyed.[2]
