Komárom-Esztergom (, ; ; ) is an administrative Hungarian county in Central Transdanubia Region; its shares its northern border the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

with

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties of , , and and the Slovakian

Nitra Region The Nitra Region (, ; ) is one of the administrative regions of Slovakia. It was first established in 1923 and from 1996 exists in its present borders. It consists of seven districts () and 354 municipalities, from which 16 have a town status. T ...

(

Nové Zámky District Nové Zámky District (''okres Nové Zámky'') is a district in the Nitra Region of western Slovakia. Until 1918, the area of the district was split between several counties of the Kingdom of Hungary: the largest area in the north formed part o ...

Komárno District Komárno District (, ) is a district in the Nitra Region of western Slovakia. Until 1918, the district was mostly part of the Komárom county within the Kingdom of Hungary. The district has a population of 108.556 of which 74.976 (69.1%) are Hu ...

). Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Tatabánya.

History

Middle Ages

The predecessor of Komárom Esztergom County, Komárom county and Esztergom county were founded by

Stephen I of Hungary Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen ( ; ; ; 975 – 15 August 1038), was the last grand prince of the Hungarians between 997 and 1000 or 1001, and the first king of Hungary from 1000 or 1001 until his death in 1038. The year of his bi ...

. Both counties had parts that now belong to

. Throughout their history the borders of the two counties were frequently modified, and they were merged several times as well. When the castle of

Esztergom Esztergom (; ; or ; , known by Names of European cities in different languages: E–H#E, alternative names) is a city with county rights in northern Hungary, northwest of the capital Budapest. It lies in Komárom-Esztergom County, on the righ ...

was captured by the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

in 1543, the leadership of the county fled from there. The castles of Érsekújvár, Komárom, and Tata were the three border castles stopping the Ottoman conquest for long decades. During the Ottoman occupation of Hungary, Esztergom became the center of a

sanjak A sanjak or sancak (, , "flag, banner") was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans also sometimes called the sanjak a liva (, ) from the name's calque in Arabic and Persian. Banners were a common organization of nomad ...

spanning across several counties. Komárom county on the other hand was continuously functioning, its

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

was never captured by the conquering armies. The general assembly of nobles in Esztergom county was reintroduced after the liberation of the city from the Ottomans, by armies led by

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

in 1696. The assembly was dissolved in both counties during

Rákóczi's War of Independence Rákóczi's War of Independence (1703–1711) was the first significant attempt to topple the rule of the Habsburgs over Royal Hungary, Hungary. The war was conducted by a group of noblemen, wealthy and high-ranking progressives and was led by F ...

, and then it was reformed after the war, in Esztergom county in 1710 and in Komárom county in 1712. Esztergom county was one of the two

counties 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 ...

in which the leadership consisted of common nobles and not religious and political leaders (the other one being Pest-Pilis-Solt-Kiskun county). They were not granted the rank of

lord-lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility o ...

unlike the leaders of other counties; they could only acquire vice-ispán and other lower ranks. The two

were first merged in 1786 by Joseph II, with the new center being Tata. The merged county was separated after his death in 1790, and both Esztergom and Komárom were granted the rank of county center. The noble leadership was replaced by county commissions in both counties in May 1848. The county commission of Komárom county functioned until the end of the war of independence of 1848-1849, but the commission of Esztergom county was disrupted by the occupation of imperial troops on 15 January 1849. After the war the leadership of the counties was headed by Imperial–royal commissioners. In 1851 the parts of the counties that lay on the southern bank of the

were reorganized as Esztergom county with Esztergom as its center, and the parts on the northern bank were reorganized as Komárom county with Komárom as its center. These reformed counties only existed until 1860. After that the county commissions elected in 1848 restored them to their previous state. Towards the end of the 19th century, two towns in Komárom county — Lábatlan and Piszke — were added to Esztergom county, during the reorganization of counties in 1876.

20th century

In January 1919 the Czechoslovak Legion occupied the towns of Párkány and Komárom on the northern bank of the

. The

workers' council A workers' council, also called labour council, is a type of council in a workplace or a locality made up of workers or of temporary and instantly revocable delegates elected by the workers in a locality's workplaces. In such a system of polit ...

and directory of Esztergom county were formed in its county center, while the directory of Komárom county was formed in New Komárom on the southern bank of the

. After the

Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (; ; ; ), often referred to in Hungary as the Peace Dictate of Trianon or Dictate of Trianon, was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference. It was signed on the one side by Hungary ...

the northern parts of the two counties became parts of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. After the

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

44 villages from the former Komárom county and 22 towns from the former Esztergom county stayed in

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 ...

. In 1923 the two counties were merged under the name "Administratively pre-merged county of Komárom and Esztergom". After the

First Vienna Award The First Vienna Award was a treaty signed on 2 November 1938 pursuant to the Vienna Arbitration, which took place at Vienna's Belvedere Palace. The arbitration and award were direct consequences of the previous month's Munich Agreement, whic ...

in 1938, the two counties were restored to their former size. The size of Komárom county also increased significantly because the area of Csallóköz, which previously belonged to

Pozsony county Pozsony county was an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now mostly part of Slovakia, while a small area belongs to Hungary. In 1969, the three villages that remained in H ...

, was also added to it, so it consisted of six

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

now, as opposed to the previous four. As a consequence of the temporary armistice following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the 1937 borders of the

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

were restored. Due to this a temporary administrative reorganization was conducted, where the previous Komárom and

counties were now merged for a last time under the name Komárom-Esztergom county.

Demographics

In 2015, it had a population of 299,110 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 132/km².

Ethnicity

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 ...

constitute the majority of the population. The chief minorities are ethnic Germans (approx. 9,000), Roma (4,000) and Slovaks (3,000). Total population (2011 census): 304,568
Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 270 933 persons: *

: 252 432 (93.13%) *

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 ...

: 9 168 (3.38%) *

Gypsies {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , ...

: 4 261 (1.57%) *

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 ...

: 3 174 (1.17%) *Others and indefinable: 1 898 (0.70%) Approx. 48,000 persons in Komárom-Esztergom County did not declare an ethnic group at the 2011 census.

Religion

Religious adherence in the county according to 2011 census: *Catholic – 111,919 (

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 ...

– 110,656;

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

– 1,227); * Reformed – 30,517; *

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

– 4,505; *other religions – 4,101; *

Non-religious Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ration ...

– 61,384; *

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 ...

– 4,262; *''Undeclared'' – 87,880.

Regional structure

Politics

The Komárom-Esztergom County Council, elected at the 2024 local government elections, is made up of 15 counselors, with the following party composition:Komárom-Esztergom Megyei Közgyûlés,

'

Presidents of the General Assembly

Municipalities

Komárom-Esztergom County has 1 Town with county rights, urban county, 11

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

, 3 large villages and 61 villages. The county is ranked second in terms of population density among counties in Hungary: 66% of people live in towns. ;Cities 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 ...

) * Tatabánya (67,753) – county seat ;Towns *

(28,926) * Tata (23,575) * Komárom (19,284) * Oroszlány (18,446) * Dorog (12,199) * Nyergesújfalu (7,621) * Ács (6,875) * Kisbér (5,564) * Tát (5,302) * Lábatlan (5,033) * Bábolna (3,808) ;Villages * Aka * Almásfüzitő * Annavölgy * Ácsteszér * Ászár * Baj * Bajna * Bajót * Bakonybánk * Bakonysárkány * Bakonyszombathely * Bana * Bársonyos * Bokod * Csatka * Császár * Csém * Csép * Csolnok * Dad * Dág *

Dömös Dömös is a village in Komárom-Esztergom County in Hungary. Setting, geography Dömös is located on the right side of the Danube, 16 km from Esztergom and 45 km from Budapest. The also beautiful town, Visegrád is located 5 ...

* Dunaalmás * Dunaszentmiklós * Epöl * Ete * Gyermely * Héreg * Kecskéd * Kerékteleki * Kesztölc * Kisigmánd *

Kocs Kocs () is a village in Komárom-Esztergom county, Hungary. It lies west of Tata (Hungary), Tata and northwest of Budapest. A site of horse-drawn vehicle manufacture from the 1400s, the name is the source of the word ''carriage, coach'' and its e ...

* Kömlőd * Környe * Leányvár * Máriahalom * Mocsa * Mogyorósbánya * Nagyigmánd Red pog

* Nagysáp * Naszály * Neszmély * Piliscsév * Pilismarót * Réde * Sárisáp * Süttő * Súr * Szákszend * Szárliget * Szomód * Szomor * Tardos * Tarján * Tárkány * Tokod Red pog

* Tokodaltáró * Úny * Várgesztes * Vérteskethely * Vértessomló * Vértesszőlős * Vértestolna Red pog

municipalities are ''large'' villages.

Gallery

File:Kilátás délkelet felé a Kőhegyről, 2008 Tatabánya.jpg, Tatabánya, the capital of the county File:Főszékesegyház (6238. számú műemlék) 9.jpg,

, the ''Hungarian Rome'' File:Tatai vár- az Öreg tó felől.JPG, Tata Castle File:Sándor-Metternich-kastély.JPG, Sándor-Metternich Mansion in Bajna File:Komárom - Fort Igmánd.jpg, Fortresses in Komárom File:Prépostsági romok ThT.....JPG, Ruin of monastery in

File:Majki monastery.jpg, Oroszlány, former

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona () are a Catholic Church, Catholic monastic order of pontifical right for men founded by Romuald, St. Romuald. Its name is derived from the Holy Hermitage () in Camaldoli, high in the mountains of Tuscany, ...

monastery File:A turul emlékmű.jpg, Turul Monument at Bánhida

References

External links

Official site
in Hungarian, English and German
24 Óra (kemma.hu) - The county portal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Komarom-Esztergom County Counties of Hungary