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Békés County

Békés vármegye
Békés County Békés vármegye
Counties of Hungary
	Descending, from top: Körös river near Mezőberény, Arboretum of Szarvas, and Downtown of Békéscsaba
	Flag Coat of arms
	Békés County within Hungary
Country	Hungary
Region	Southern Great Plain
County seat	Békéscsaba
Districts	9 districts Békéscsaba District; Békés District; Gyomaendrőd District; Gyula District; Mezőkovácsháza District; Orosháza District; Sarkad District; Szarvas District; Szeghalom District;
Government
• President of the General Assembly	Mihály Zalai (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
• Total	5,629.71 km2 (2,173.64 sq mi)
• Rank	7th in Hungary
Population (2018)
• Total	338,025
• Rank	11th in Hungary
GDP
• Total	HUF 748 billion; €2.402 billion (2016)
Postal code	55xx – 59xx
Area code(s)	(+36) 66, 68
ISO 3166 code	HU-BE
Website	www.bekesmegye.hu

Békés (Hungarian: Békés vármegye, pronounced [ˈbeːkeːʃ], Romanian: Județul Bichiș) is an administrative division (county or vármegye) 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.

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) and is a flat area with good soil. The average rainfall is 645 mm per 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 on the north.
Romania on the east and south – Counties of Arad and Bihor.
Csongrád-Csanád and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County on 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 the 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

Religion in Békés County (2022 census – of those who declared their religion (63.0%))

Roman Catholic (21.9%)

Calvinistic (16.1%)

Lutheran (9.8%)

Orthodox (1.2%)

Baptist (0.6%)

Greek Catholic (0.5%)

Other Christian denomination (3.3%)

Other religion (0.3%)

Not religious (46.3%)

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.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1870	284,589	—
1880	310,266	+9.0%
1890	356,665	+15.0%
1900	389,095	+9.1%
1910	417,127	+7.2%
1920	436,348	+4.6%
1930	465,557	+6.7%
1941	477,240	+2.5%
1949	471,561	−1.2%
1960	467,861	−0.8%
1970	438,971	−6.2%
1980	436,910	−0.5%
1990	411,887	−5.7%
2001	397,791	−3.4%
2011	359,948	−9.5%
2021	315,222	−12.4%
Source: ^[3]^[4]

Ethnicity

Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minorities are the Roma (approx. 9,500), Slovak (7,500), Romanian (5,000), German (2,500) and Serb (500).

Total population (2011 census): 359,948
Ethnic groups (2011 census):^[5] Identified themselves: 325,597 persons:

Hungarians: 300,213 (92.20%)
Gypsies: 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:^[6]

Catholic – 70,307 (Roman Catholic – 69,478; Greek Catholic – 809);
Reformed – 46,366;
Evangelical – 27,870;
Orthodox – 3,491;
Other religions – 6,936;
Non-religious – 113,094;
Atheism – 4,150;
Undeclared – 87,734.

Regional structure

No.	English and Hungarian names	Area (km²)	Population (2011)	Density (pop./km²)	Seat	No. of municipalities
1	Békéscsaba District Békéscsabai járás	636.16	83,541	131	Békéscsaba	9
2	Békés District Békési járás	525.24	37,409	71	Békés (town)	7
3	Gyomaendrőd District Gyomaendrődi járás	686.21	23,943	35	Gyomaendrőd	5
4	Gyula District Gyulai járás	413.22	41,627	101	Gyula	4
5	Mezőkovácsháza District Mezőkovácsházai járás	881.49	40,550	46	Mezőkovácsháza	18
6	Orosháza District Orosházi járás	717.18	51,482	72	Orosháza	8
7	Sarkad District Sarkadi járás	570.97	22,908	40	Sarkad	11
8	Szarvas District Szarvasi járás	485.06	28,779	59	Szarvas	6
9	Szeghalom District Szeghalmi járás	714.19	29,709	42	Szeghalom	7
Békés County		5,629.71	359,948	64	Békéscsaba	75

Politics

County Assembly

The Békés County Council, elected at the 2024 local government elections,^[7] is made up of 18 councillors,^[8] with the following party composition:

Party		Seats	Current County Assembly
	Fidesz-KDNP	9
	Our Homeland Movement	3
	Democratic Coalition	2
	Momentum Movement	2

Presidents of the County Assembly

President^[9]	Terminus
Mihály Zalai (Fidesz-KDNP)	2014–

Members of the National Assembly

The following members elected of the National Assembly during the 2022 parliamentary election:^[10]

Constituency	Member
Békés County 1st constituency	Tamás Herczeg	Fidesz–KDNP
Békés County 2nd constituency	Béla Dankó	Fidesz–KDNP
Békés County 3rd constituency	József Kovács	Fidesz–KDNP
Békés County 4th constituency	György Simonka	Fidesz–KDNP

Municipalities

Békés County has 1 urban county, 21 towns, 8 large villages and 45 villages.

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

(ordered by population, as of 2011 census)

Békéscsaba (62,050) – county seat

Towns

Gyula (31,067)
Orosháza (29,081)
Békés (20,088)
Szarvas (16,956)
Gyomaendrőd (13,680)
Mezőberény (10,632)
Sarkad (10,020)
Szeghalom (9,290)
Dévaványa (7,899)
Vésztő (6,986)
Mezőkovácsháza (6,177)
Battonya (6,042)
Tótkomlós (6,016)
Füzesgyarmat (5,734)
Mezőhegyes (5,712)
Kondoros (5,228)
Újkígyós (5,196)
Csorvás (5,060)
Elek (4,927)
Körösladány (4,674)
Medgyesegyháza (3,698)

Villages

municipalities are large villages.

Gallery

Békéscsaba, the capital of the county
Gyula Castle
Wenckheim Mansion in Szabadkígyós
Taxodium in the River Körös
Batthyány Mansion's park in Kondoros
Tavern in Kondoros
Arboretum in Szarvas
Roman Catholic Church of Békéscsaba

Notable people

Natives of the county include:

Vilmos Apor, Bishop of Győr
Endre Bajcsy-Zsilinszky, politician and an important voice
Zoltán Lajos Bay, physicist, professor, and engineer
András Balczó, modern pentathlete (olympic champion)
Béla H. Bánáthy, founder of the White Stag Leadership Development Program
Ferenc Berényi, painter
Imre Bródy, physicist
József Darvas, politician, Minister of Religion and Education (1950-51)
Albrecht Dürer the Elder, goldsmith in Nuremberg
Ferenc Erkel, composer, conductor and pianist, father of Hungarian grand opera
Ágnes Gergely, writer, educator, journalist and translator
János Jankó, painter and graphicist
Ferenc Kállai, actor
István Kiss, architect
László Krasznahorkai, novelist and screenwriter
Gyula Kristó, historian
Menyhért Lakatos, writer
Gyula Lázár, footballer
Soma Orlai Petrich, painter
Henrietta Ónodi, artistic gymnast
Károly Palotai, association football player and referee
János Pásztor, academic sculptor
Paulina Pfiffner, freedom fighter in the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
George Pomutz, officer during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 and the American Civil War
Frigyes Puja, politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1973-83)
Emil Purgly, politician, Minister of Agriculture (1934)
Kálmán Rózsahegyi, actor and teacher
Mihály Schéner, sculptor, painter, graphic artist, and ceramist
Árpád Szendy, pianist, composer and teacher
Ferenc Szisz, race car driver
Hajnalka Tóth, fencer (world champion)
Béla Turi-Kovács, politician, Minister of the Environment (2000-02)
Béla Wenckheim, politician, Prime Minister (1875)
Pál Závada, writer

International relations

Békés County has a partnership relationship with:

Covasna County, Romania Harghita County, Romania	Arad County, Romania Bihor County, Romania

References

^ nepesseg.com, population data of Hungarian settlements
^ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
^ népesség.com, "Pest megye népessége 1870-2015"
^ "Census database - Hungarian Central Statistical Office".
^ 1.1.6. A népesség anyanyelv, nemzetiség és nemek szerint – Frissítve: 2013.04.17.; Hungarian Central Statistical Office (in Hungarian)
^ 2011. ÉVI NÉPSZÁMLÁLÁS, 3. Területi adatok, 3.4 Békés megye, (in Hungarian) [1] Archived 2016-12-20 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Nemzeti Választási Iroda - Helyi önkormányzati választások". vtr.valasztas.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2024-10-26.
^ "Megyei közgyűlés tagjai 2019-2024 (Békés megye)". valasztas.hu. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
^ Önkormányzati választások eredményei (in Hungarian)
^ "Békés megye parlamenti képviselői (Parlamenti Információs Rendszer 2022-)" (in Hungarian). Hungarian National Assembly.

External links

Official site in Hungarian, German, English, Slovak and Romanian
Békés Megyei Hírlap (beol.hu) - The county portal
Hungary at GeoHive
Roaming in Békés County free guide 2010 Published by Békés County Government Text by Barát Tünde

46°44′15″N 21°2′41″E / 46.73750°N 21.04472°E / 46.73750; 21.04472