The birth of the settlement dates back to the conquest (9th century) according to the artefacts, relics found here. Sajókazinc was the first of the settlements lending their names to the town that was mentioned in the historical sources in 1240 by the name Cozonch. It was an independent paris as early as 1576. The other settlement giving ito name to the town, Barcika came into existence by joining Alsóbarcika and Felsőbarcika (Lower and Upper Barcika). A famous son of the town is Béni Egressy, composer of the second Hungarian national anthem called Szózat. 

After World War II the nation launched a powerful and speedy industrialization, in which the Sajó valley had an important role due to its good traffic and geographical properties, and the already flourishing mining Sajókazinc and Barcika was administratively united in 1947. The settlement has had the name Kazincbarcika since 1948, and after its unification with Berente it was announced a town. 

In the 1960s progress grew faster, ”immigrants”, especially young people, were arriving from all over Eastern Hungary. Due to the birth of institutions devoted to municipal matters, Kazincbarcika became a town in a functional respect, too. The planners of the town paid special attention that the buildings public institutions be built spacious with human measures and surrounded by significant areas of green and parks. This town building philosophy was acknowledged with a the town Hild medal in 1982, and later, won the honourable title „clean and flowery town” nearly every year.