Harman Patil (Editor)

Békés County

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Country
  
Hungary

County seat
  
Békéscsaba

Postal code
  
55xx – 59xx

Area
  
5,630 km²

Region
  
Southern Great Plain

Area rank
  
7th in Hungary

Area code(s)
  
(+36) 66, 68

Békés County httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

University
  
Kodolányi János University College

Clubs and Teams
  
Békéscsaba 1912 Előre, Békéscsabai Előre NKSE, Orosháza FC

Points of interest
  
Arboretum of Szarvas, Mini Hungary, Almásy‑kastély, Gyulai Vár és Várkilátó, Wenckheim Palace Szabadkígyós

Destinations
  
Körös‑Maros National, Gyula, Békéscsaba, Szarvas, Dévaványa

Békés County (Hungarian: Békés megye), is an administrative division (county or megye) in south-eastern Hungary, on the border with Romania. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Csongrád, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, and Hajdú-Bihar. The capital of Békés county is Békéscsaba. The county is also part of the Danube-Kris-Mures-Tisa euroregion.

Contents

Map of B%C3%A9k%C3%A9s County, Hungary

Etymology

In Slovak, it is known as Békešská župa and in Romanian as Județul Bichiș.

After Hungarians conquered the area, Békés and its surroundings were the property of the Csolt clan. Békés (the name means "peaceful") was originally the name of the castle which gave its name to the comitatus, and, like many castles, was possibly named after its first steward.

Geography

This county has a total area of 5,630 km2 (2,174 sq mi) – 6,05% of Hungary.

Békés county lies on the Pannonian Plain (Great Plain), it is a flat area with good soil. Average rainfall is 645 mm/year. One-fifth of the natural gas resources of Hungary can be found in Békés. The river Körös runs through the county.

Neighbours

  • Hajdú-Bihar County in the North.
  •  Romania in the East and South – Arad County.
  • Csongrád and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County in the West.

    • History

    The area has been inhabited since 5000-4000 BC. Before the arrival of the Hungarians several other tribes lived in the area.

    The castle of Gyula was built in the early 15th century. Gyula was the most significant town of the county at that time, and became county seat under Matthias I. It was an important fortress during the Ottoman wars in Europe but it was captured in 1566. During this time, several towns were destroyed in the area.

    In the early 18th century, after the Ottomans were expelled, the county was repopulated, not only with Hungarians, but with Slovaks (in the towns Békéscsaba, Endrőd, Szarvas, Tótkomlós), Serbs (Battonya), Germans (Németgyula, Elek), and Romanians (Kétegyháza). Most of the non-Magyar population was assimilated by the mid-19th century.

    The agricultural importance of the county and the new railway line between Pest and Békéscsaba (finished in 1858) brought development, which was quickened when Hungary lost its southern territories to Romania after World War I and Békéscsaba had to take over the role of the lost cities.

    The population growth peaked in 1950 (472,000), in the same year when Békéscsaba became the county seat. During the following years, the county was industrialized, like most of Hungary, and the population of the cities and towns grew.

    Demographics

    In 2015, it had a population of 351,148 and the population density was 62/km².
    More than 60% of the population lives in towns.

    Ethnicity

    Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minorities are the Roma (approx. 9,500), Slovaks (7,500), Romanians (5,000), Germans (2,500), and Serbs (500).

    Total population (2011 census): 359,948
    Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 325,597 persons:

  • Hungarians: 300,213 (92.20%)
  • Romani: 9,290 (2.85%)
  • Slovaks: 7,267 (2.23%)
  • Romanians: 5,137 (1.58%)
  • Others and indefinable: 3,690 (1.13%)

    • Approx. 53,000 persons in Békés County did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.

    Religion

    Religious adherence in the county according to 2011 census:

  • Catholic – 19.5% (Roman Catholic – 19.3%; Greek Catholic – 0.2%);
  • Reformed – 12.9%;
  • Evangelical – 7.7%;
  • Orthodox – 1.0%;
  • Other religions – 1.9%;
  • Non-religious – 31.4%;
  • Atheism – 1.2%;
  • Undeclared – 24.4%.

    • Politics

    The Békés County Council, elected at the 2014 local government elections, is made up of 18 counselors, with the following party composition:

    Municipalities

    The regional structure of Békés county is typical of the Great Plain: it has a small number of villages, but those are large, both by area and by population. There are several farmsteads as well. 70% of the population lives in cities and towns, while 17% are in the county seat. A large village network is characteristic of the county which currently has 75 administratively independent settlements, of which 19 are cities and 56 are villages. The oldest towns, and with the largest populations, are: Békéscsaba, the county seat - a city carrying a rank of county right, Orosháza, Gyula, Békés, and Szarvas.

    City with county rights

  • Békéscsaba – county seat; 62,050 (as of 2011)

    • Towns

    (ordered by population, as of 2011 census)

    Villages

    municipalities are large villages.

    Notable people

    Natives of the county include:

    International relations

    Békés County has a partnership relationship with:

    References

    Békés County Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA