Nógrád County

Nógrád (Hungarian: Nógrád vármegye, pronounced [ˈnoːɡraːd]; Slovak: Novohradská župa) is a county (Hungarian: vármegye) of Hungary. It sits on the northern edge of Hungary and borders Slovakia.

This article is about the current administrative entity called Nógrád county. For the historical county, see Nógrád County (former). For the town, see Nógrád.
Nógrád County
Nógrád vármegye
County
Cserhát Mountains, near Hollókő
Castle of Drégely
View of Hollókő
Descending, from top: Hills near Hollókő, Castle of Drégely, View of Hollókő
Flag of Nógrád County
Flag
Coat of arms of Nógrád County
Coat of arms
Nógrád County within Hungary
Nógrád County within Hungary
Country Hungary
RegionNorthern Hungary
County seatSalgótarján
Districts
6 districts
Government
 • President of the General AssemblyNándor Skuczi (Fidesz-KDNP)
Area
 • Total2,545.48 km2 (982.82 sq mi)
 • Rank18th in Hungary
Population
 (2018)
 • Total190,947[1]
 • Rank19th in Hungary
Postal code
2175 – 2179, 2610, 2611, 2616 – 2619, 264x – 269x, 304x – 31xx
Area code(s)(+36) 32, 35
ISO 3166 codeHU-NO
Websitewww.nograd.hu

Description

Nógrád county lies in northern Hungary. It shares borders with Slovakia and the Hungarian counties Pest, Heves and Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén. The capital of Nógrád county is Salgótarján. Its area is 2,544 km². It is the smallest county by population and the second smallest by area (after Komárom-Esztergom).

Nógrád is famous for its historic architecture of ancient Gothic churches and stone castles dated to the 13th century. Some historic landmarks includes the Salgó Castle and several baroque buildings constructed in the 18th century and the Vay, Teleki. Much of the northern border of the county is formed by the river Ipoly. The mountain ranges Börzsöny, Cserhát and Mátra lie partly in the county.

Due to the mountains, the county is characterised by small villages nestled in the valleys. The two largest settlements are Balassagyarmat, the former county seat, and Salgótarján, which has become a center of industry in the early 20th century due to coal mines nearby.

History
Main article: Nógrád County (former)

Nógrád (-Hungarian, in Latin: comitatus Neogradiensis, in German: Neuburg or Neograd, in Slovak: Novohrad) was also the name of a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. The name stems from the former Nógrád castle (Slovak: Novohrad - this name is still used in Slovakia as well as the informal designation of the corresponding territory, now located in southern Slovakia and in northern Hungary). In turn, Novohrad means "new town" in Slovak.

Demographics

Religion in Nógrád County (2011 census)

  Catholic Church (55.4%)
  Greek Catholicism (0.2%)
  Lutheranism (3.9%)
  Calvinism (2.1%)
  Other religions (1.8%)
  Non-religious (12.2%)
  Atheists (0.9%)
  Undeclared (23.5%)
See also: Demographics of Hungary

In 2015, it had a population of 195,923 and the population density was 77/km².

Year County population[2] Change
1949 214,757 n/a
1960 Increase 235,675 9.74%
1970 Decrease 234,430 -0.53%
1980 Increase 240,251 (record) 2.48%
1990 Decrease 227,137 -5.46%
2001 Decrease 220,261 -3.03%
2011 Decrease 202,427 -8.10%
2015 Decrease 195,923 -3.31%
2018 Decrease 190,947 -2.60%

Ethnicity

Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minorities are the Roma (approx. 15,000), Slovak (2,500) and German (1,000).

Total population (2011 census): 202,427
Ethnic groups (2011 census):[3] Identified themselves: 192,438 persons:

Approx. 26,000 persons in Nógrád County did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.

Religion
See also: Religion in Hungary

Religious adherence in the county according to 2011 census:[4]

Regional structure
District of Nógrád County
№ English and
Hungarian names		 Area
(km²)		 Population
(2011)		 Density
(pop./km²)		 Seat № of
municipalities
1 Balassagyarmat District
Balassagyarmati járás		 532.94 40,326 76 Balassagyarmat 29
2 Bátonyterenye District
Bátonyterenyei járás		 215.45 21,789 101 Bátonyterenye 8
3 Pásztó District
Pásztói járás		 551.56 31,729 58 Pásztó 26
4 Rétság District
Rétsági járás		 435.03 24,395 56 Rétság 25
5 Salgótarján District
Salgótarjáni járás		 525.23 64,601 123 Salgótarján 29
6 Szécsény District
Szécsényi járás		 285.26 19,587 69 Szécsény 14
Nógrád County 2,545.48 202,427 80 Salgótarján 131

Politics
Main article: Nógrád County Assembly

The Nógrád County Council, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 15 counselors,[5] with the following party composition:

Party Seats Current County Assembly
  Fidesz-KDNP 10                    
  Democratic Coalition 1                    
  Jobbik 1                    
  Momentum Movement 1                    
  Hungarian Socialist Party 1                    
  Our Homeland Movement 1                    

Presidents of the General Assembly
List of presidents since 1990[6][7]
Ferenc Korill (SZDSZ)1990–1994
Sándor Smitnya (SZDSZ)1994–1998
Zsolt Becsó (Fidesz)1998–2002
Ottó Dóra (MSZP)2002–2006
Zsolt Becsó (Fidesz-KDNP)2006–2014
Nándor Skuczi (Fides-KDNP)2014–

Municipalities

Nógrád County has 1 urban county, 5 towns and 125 villages.

City with county rights

(ordered by population, as of 2011 census)

Towns
Villages

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nógrád County.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Nógrád County.
  1. nepesseg.com, population data of Hungarian settlements
  2. népesség.com, "Nógrád megye népessége 1870-2015"
  3. 1.1.6. A népesség anyanyelv, nemzetiség és nemek szerint – Frissítve: 2013.04.17.; Hungarian Central Statistical Office (in Hungarian)
  4. 2011. ÉVI NÉPSZÁMLÁLÁS, 3. Területi adatok, 3.13 Nógrád megye, (in Hungarian)
  5. "Megyei közgyűlés tagjai 2019-2024 (Nógrád megye)". valasztas.hu. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  6. Önkormányzati választások eredményei (in Hungarian)
  7. General Assembly website

48.00°N 19.57°E / 48.00; 19.57

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