Heves County

Heves County
Heves vármegye
Descending, from top: Bél Stone near Bélapátfalva, View of Kékes, and View from Castle of Eger
Heves County within Hungary
Country Hungary
RegionNorthern Hungary
County seatEger
Districts
Government
 • President of the General AssemblyRóbert Szabó (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
 • Total
3,637.21 km2 (1,404.33 sq mi)
 • Rank16th in Hungary
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
285,892[1]
 • Rank14th in Hungary
 • Density78.6020/km2 (203.578/sq mi)
GDP
 • TotalHUF 776 billion
€2.492 billion (2016)
Postal code
300x – 304x,
32xx – 33xx
Area code(s)(+36) 36, 37
ISO 3166 codeHU-HE
Websitehevesmegye.hu

Heves county (Hungarian: Heves vármegye, pronounced [ˈhɛvɛʃ]) lies in northern Hungary, between the right bank of the river Tisza and the Mátra and Bükk mountains. It shares borders with the Hungarian counties Pest, Nógrád, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok. Eger is the county seat.

Tourist sights

Geography

Heves county is a geographically diverse area; its northern part is mountainous (the Mátra and Bükk are the two highest mountain ranges in Hungary), while at south it includes a part of the Great Hungarian Plain. From south it is bordered by Lake Tisza, the largest artificial lake in Hungary. The average temperature is between 8 and 10 °C (higher on the southern parts of the county).

Rivers

Highest point

Lowest point

History

The county was a primary target for the Ottoman Empire during the Ottoman-Hungarian Wars where the Siege of Eger took place.

Demographics

The population of Heves County was 285,892 as of the 2022 Census, with a population density of 79 individuals per square kilometer (79/km2). The number of households was 118,802 and the number of families was 77,333. Since the 2011 Census, the population decreased by 22,990 (-7.4%).[1]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1870 205,146—    
1880 203,338−0.9%
1890 227,156+11.7%
1900 249,354+9.8%
1910 275,181+10.4%
1920 292,290+6.2%
1930 312,085+6.8%
1941 319,043+2.2%
1949 316,273−0.9%
1960 347,856+10.0%
1970 340,146−2.2%
1980 350,360+3.0%
1990 334,408−4.6%
2001 325,727−2.6%
2011 308,882−5.2%
2022 285,892−7.4%
Source: [3][1]

Ethnicity

In the 2022 Census, the vast majority (85.9%) of the population identified as Hungarian. A minority of 5.9% identified as belonging to another ethnic group and 11.4% of the population did not respond. The ethnic groups most identified with were Romani (4.8%), German (0.2%), and Ukrainian (0.2%). Small numbers identified as Slovakian (344), Romanian (324), Ruthenian (112), or other domestic ethnic groups (365) or other groups (757).[1][a]

In the 2011 Census, 83.4% of the population identified as Hungarian. Less than a tenth (7.1%) of the population identified as belonging to another ethnic group and 13.9% did not respond. Romani made up 6.3% of the population, German (0.2%), Slovakian (0.2%) and Romanian (0.1%). Small numbers identified as other domestic ethnic groups (534) or other groups (563).[3][a]

Religion

Religion in Heves County (2022 census – of those who declared their religion (60.7%))
  1. Roman Catholic (63.4%)
  2. Calvinistic (7.20%)
  3. Greek Catholic (0.80%)
  4. Lutheran (0.50%)
  5. Other Christian denomination (4.40%)
  6. Other religion (0.40%)
  7. Not religious (23.3%)

In the 2022 Census, just over half of the population (51.4%) were religious adherents. The largest religious community was Roman Catholic (38.5%). Other communities included Calvinist (4.4%), Greek Catholic (0.5%), Lutheran (0.3%), Orthodox Christian (0.1%), Other Christian denomination (1.7%), and other religious affiliations (0.2%). Small numbers (less than 100) were affiliated with Judaism. The non-religious made up 14.1% of the population. More than a third (39.0%) of the population did not respond.

In the 2011 Census, 59.2% of the population were religious adherents. The largest religious community was Roman Catholic (52.1%). Others included Calvinist (4.8%), Greek Catholic (0.4%), Lutheran (0.4%), Other Christian denomination (1.3%), and other religious affiliations (0.2%). Small numbers were affiliated with Judaism and Orthodox Christianity. Atheists made up (1.0%) of the population and other non-religious made up 14.0%. Just over a quarter (25.8%) of the population did not respond.[1][4]

In 1930, the population was 91.6% Roman Catholic, 5.2% Calvinist, 2.4% Jewish, 0.5% Lutheran, and others (0.3%).[3]

Regional structure

English and
Hungarian names
Area
(km2)
Population
(2022)
Density
(pop./km2)
Seat № of
municipalities
1 Bélapátfalva District
Bélapátfalvai járás
180.89 7,817 43 Bélapátfalva 8
2 Eger District
Egri járás
602.05 80,419 134 Eger 22
3 Füzesabony District
Füzesabonyi járás
578.55 28,345 49 Füzesabony 16
4 Gyöngyös District
Gyöngyösi járás
750.78 66,931 89 Gyöngyös 25
5 Hatvan District
Hatvani járás
352.16 50,266 143 Hatvan 13
6 Heves District
Hevesi járás
697.68 33,189 48 Heves (town) 17
7 Pétervására District
Pétervásárai járás
475.07 18,925 40 Pétervására 20
Heves County 3,637.25 285,892 79 Eger 121

Politics

County Assembly

The Heves County Council, elected at the 2024 local government elections,[5] is made up of 15 counselors,[6] with the following party composition:

Party Seats Current County Assembly
  Fidesz-KDNP 9                  
  Our Homeland Movement 2                  
  Democratic Coalition 2                  
  Momentum Movement 1                  
  Jobbik 1                  

Presidents of the General Assembly

List of presidents since 1990[7]
Róbert Szabó (Fidesz-KDNP) 2014–

Members of the National Assembly

The following members elected of the National Assembly during the 2022 parliamentary election:[8]

Constituency Member Party
Heves County 1st constituency Gábor Pajtók Fidesz–KDNP
Heves County 2nd constituency László Horváth Fidesz–KDNP
Heves County 3rd constituency Zsolt Szabó Fidesz–KDNP

Municipalities

Heves County has 1 urban county, 10 towns, 3 large villages and 107 villages.

City with county rights

(ordered by population, as of 2011 census)

  • Eger (56,569) – county seat
Towns
Large villages
Villages

International relations

Heves County has a partnership relationship with:[9][10]

References and notes

References
  1. ^ a b c d e "Census database". Census database. Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  2. ^ Regions and Cities > Regional Statistics > Regional Economy > Regional GDP per Capita, OECD.Stats. Accessed on 16 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Regional data – Heves county". Population Census 2011. Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  4. ^ 2011. ÉVI NÉPSZÁMLÁLÁS, 3. Területi adatok, 3.10 Heves megye, (in Hungarian) [1] Archived 2017-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Nemzeti Választási Iroda - Helyi önkormányzati választások". vtr.valasztas.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  6. ^ "Megyei közgyűlés tagjai 2019-2024 (Heves megye)". valasztas.hu. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  7. ^ Önkormányzati választások eredményei (in Hungarian)
  8. ^ "Heves megye parlamenti képviselői (Parlamenti Információs Rendszer 2022-)" (in Hungarian). Hungarian National Assembly.
  9. ^ "Hargita Heves megye testvérmegyéje lett | EgerHírek". 15 August 2014.
  10. ^ "Bővítenék a kapcsolatokat".
Notes
  1. ^ a b Individuals were able to identify with multiple ethnic groups, so the percentages may not add up to 100%.

47°50′N 20°15′E / 47.833°N 20.250°E / 47.833; 20.250