Békés County
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Békés (, , ) is an administrative division (
county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
or ''vármegye'') in south-eastern
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, on the border with
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Csongrád-Csanád, 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 – 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. * 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 Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
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 A series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and various European states took place from the Late Middle Ages up through the early 20th century. The earliest conflicts began during the Byzantine–Ottoman wars, waged in Anatolia in ...
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 The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...
(in the towns Békéscsaba, Endrőd, Szarvas, Tótkomlós),
Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...
(Battonya),
Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
(Németgyula, Elek), and
Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...
(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 World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
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 Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
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), Slovak (7,500), Romanian (5,000), German (2,500) and Serb (500). Total population (2011 census): 359,948
Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 325,597 persons: *
Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...
: 300,213 (92.20%) * Gypsies: 9,290 (2.85%) *
Slovaks The Slovaks ( (historical Sloveni ), singular: ''Slovák'' (historical: ''Sloven'' ), feminine: ''Slovenka'' , plural: ''Slovenky'') are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history ...
: 7,267 (2.23%) *
Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...
: 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 – 70,307 (
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
– 69,478; Greek Catholic – 809); * Reformed – 46,366; * Evangelical – 27,870; * Orthodox – 3,491; *Other religions – 6,936; * Non-religious – 113,094; *
Atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...
– 4,150; *''Undeclared'' – 87,734.


Regional structure


Politics


County Assembly

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


Presidents of the County Assembly


Members of the National Assembly

The following members elected of the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
during the 2022 parliamentary election:


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 A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
) * 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 * Almáskamarás * Békéssámson * Békésszentandrás * Bélmegyer * Biharugra * Bucsa * Csabacsűd * Csabaszabadi * Csanádapáca * Csárdaszállás * Doboz * Dombegyház * Dombiratos * Ecsegfalva * Gádoros * Gerendás * Geszt * Hunya * Kamut * Kardos * Kardoskút * Kaszaper * Kertészsziget * Kevermes * Kétegyháza * Kétsoprony * Kisdombegyház * Körösnagyharsány * Köröstarcsa * Körösújfalu * Kötegyán * Kunágota * Lőkösháza * Magyarbánhegyes * Magyardombegyház * Medgyesbodzás * Mezőgyán * Méhkerék * Murony * Nagybánhegyes * Nagykamarás * Nagylapos * Nagyszénás * Okány * Örménykút * Pusztaföldvár * Pusztaottlaka * Sarkadkeresztúr * Szabadkígyós * Tarhos * Telekgerendás * Újszalonta * Végegyháza * Zsadány municipalities are ''large'' villages.


Gallery

File:Békéscsaba városháza.JPG, Békéscsaba, the capital of the county File:Vár (2485. számú műemlék) 2.jpg, Gyula Castle File:Szabadkigyós, castle.jpg, ''Wenckheim Mansion'' in Szabadkígyós File:Virginiai mocsárciprusok a szarvasi Holt-Körös partján.jpg, Taxodium in the River Körös File:Batthyány-Geist-vadászkastély parkja (16258. számú műemlék).jpg, ''Batthyány Mansions park in Kondoros File:Kondorosi csárda (2495. számú műemlék).jpg, Tavern in Kondoros File:Szarvas arborétum4.jpg, Arboretum in Szarvas File:Békéscsaba kat templom.JPG, Roman Catholic Church of Békéscsaba


Notable people

Natives of the county include:


International relations

Békés County has a
partnership A partnership is an agreement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations. Organizations ...
relationship with:


References


External links


Official site
in Hungarian, German, English, Slovak and Romanian
Békés Megyei Hírlap (beol.hu) - The county portalHungary at GeoHive
*Roaming in Békés County free guide 2010 Published by Békés County Government Text by Barát Tünde {{DEFAULTSORT:Bekes Counties of Hungary