Pest County
Pest County is often referred to as the 'heart of Hungary'
due to its geographical position; most of the more important railway lines as
well as the main roads and motorways meet here. Not only that, the geographical
centre of Hungary next to Pusztavacs is also located here in this county.
The county owes its historical and administrative importance
to its geographical position. Lying in the centre of the Árpád Age Kingdom of
Hungary it is here that one of the royal seats was founded, Visegrád; to this
day significant heritage dating from the 11th to the 14th century can be found
there. The museums of the region safeguard earlier important relics dating from
prehistoric times through the Roman period to the time of the Hungarian
Settlement. Not only this, there is much more to discover in this county:
plenty of artefacts from the wars of independence, the architectural heritage
of the Baroque palaces, the treasures of the ecclesiastic centres, as well as
the traditions of folk art which thrive to this day. The most important fine
art collections are also held here in Pest County; the romantic countryside of
the Danube Bend (Dunakanyar) has been a source of inspiration for countless
artists.
The county's natural heritage is exceptionally diverse.
Ranging from the alkaline plains to the high hills, the most spectacular
landforms are to be found here. It is also here that the biggest river of
Hungary, the Danube, shows itself at its best, displaying the largest islands
it has built along its course.
The Visegrád, the Pilis and the Börzsöny Hills are covered
mostly with oak and beech forests, while floodplain forests have developed
along the riverbank. The protected areas of special scientific interest in the
county include a 5,000-hectare part of the Kiskunság National Park (Kiskunsági
Nemzeti Park), as well as numerous landscape protection areas (tájvédelmi
körzet), and nature reserve areas (természetvédelmi terület).
The county seat is Budapest. Other cities are: Abony,
Albertirsa, Aszód, Biatorbágy, Budakeszi, Budaörs, Cegléd, Dabas, Dunaharaszti, Dunakeszi,
Dunavarsány, Érd, Fót, Göd, Gödöllő, Gyál, Gyömrő, Kistarcsa, Maglód, Monor, Nagykáta,
Nagykőrös, Nagymaros, Ócsa, Örkény, Pécel, Pilis, Pilisvörösvár, Pomáz,
Ráckeve, Százhalombatta, Szentendre, Szigethalom, Szigetszentmiklós, Szob,
Tököl, Törökbálint, Tura, Üllő, Vác, Vecsés, Veresegyház, Visegrád.
Encompassing the capital of Hungary, Budapest, this county
is bordered by Slovakia to the north, and going clockwise from the east it is
bordered by the Hungarian counties of Nógrád, Heves, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok,
Bács-Kiskun, Fejér, and Komárom-Esztergom. Its area amounts to 6,400 square
kilometres and it has a population of 1,079,918 (2001 census). The third
largest county in Hungary in terms of size, it has the greatest population.
The administrative area encompasses 184 settlements.
