Tatabánya

Tatabánya ([ˈtɒtɒbaːɲɒ]; German: Totiserkolonie; Slovak: Banská Stará) is a city of 65,849 inhabitants in northwestern Hungary, in the Central Transdanubian region. It is the capital of Komárom-Esztergom County.

Tatabánya
Tatabánya in June 2008
Flag
Coat of arms
Tatabánya
Tatabánya
Coordinates: 47.58616°N 18.39485°E / 47.58616; 18.39485
Government
  MayorIlona Szűcsné Posztovics (Independent)
  Town NotaryDr. Gergely Berkovics
Area
  Total91.42 km2 (35.30 sq mi)
Elevation
167 m (548 ft)
Population
 (2017)
  Total65,849[1]
  Rank12th
Area code(s)34
MotorwaysM1
Distance from Budapest60.1 km (37.3 mi) East
Websitehttp://www.tatabanya.hu

Location

The city is located in the valley between the Gerecse and Vértes Mountains, some 55 km (34 mi) from the capital. By virtue of its location, the city is a railway and road junction. The M1 (also European routes E60, E75) motorway from Vienna to Budapest passes through the outer city limits, and the Vienna-Budapest railway line also passes through the city.

History

Archaeological findings prove that humans have been living here since the Stone Age. The three historic predecessor settlements of Tatabánya are Alsógalla, Felsőgalla, and Bánhida. Bánhida is the earliest settlement, it was first mentioned in 1288.

In the 16th century, the Ottoman Turks occupied the area. Around this time, the inhabitants became Protestants. Later, its feudal lords, the Esterházys populated the area with Roman Catholic German and Slovak settlers.

According to the 1787 census, Alsógalla had 580 and Felsőgalla had 842 inhabitants. The coal resources of the area were discovered around this time. The population began to grow, and a new mining colony was formed, later developing into the village of Tatabánya.

During the industrialization wave that took over the country after World War II, several Hungarian towns developed into large industrial cities. The four villages were united on October 1, 1947, under the name Tatabánya and it was elevated to town status. In 1950, it became the county capital of Komárom-Esztergom county (then called Komárom county.) By the 1980s, it had more than 80,000 inhabitants.

The industrial character of the city was significant until the fall of the Socialist government and the following political changes of 1989. After that, the importance of heavy industry and mining decreased and the economic structure of the city has changed remarkably.

Largest groups of foreign residents
NationalityPopulation (2011)
 Germany1,749
 Slovakia263
 Poland58
 Greece51
 Russia46

Infrastructure

Communist housing developments in Tatabánya
Credo Econell at Tatabánya bus station

According to the 2001 census, Tatabánya had 28,912[2] households and 92% of them had central heating and telephone access. Almost all households have access to the cable TV network. 98% of the city roads are paved, mass transport is well organized. T-Busz provides local bus services and KNYKK provides the regional bus services.[3]

Education

Until the mid-20th century, educational standards in the city were average, but in the second half of the century they deteriorated to below average, mostly because the local mines did not require their employees to have a high level of education. By the end of the 20th century, this trend had reversed again. The city currently has two colleges, ten secondary schools, 16 primary schools,[4] 18 kindergartens, and five crèches.

Culture and sports

The most important cultural institution is the Mari Jászai Theatre. The city has several other institutions, including museums and libraries.

Tatabánya has a football team called FC Tatabánya, founded in 1910. The town also has a successful handball team, Tatabánya Carbonex KC.

One of Tatabánya's most prominent residents is József Kiprich, formally known as "the Wizard from Tatabánya". He became the top goalscorer in the Hungarian League in 1985, scoring 18 goals in 26 matches. In total, he played nine seasons at Tatabánya before making the move to the Netherlands. He had just played his first match in his 10th season at Tatabánya when Feyenoord of Rotterdam got interested in signing him. Kiprich didn't hesitate and signed a contract and left Tatabánya for Rotterdam.[5] He is also one of Hungary's top goal scorers. In eleven seasons of football with the Hungarian national team, "the Wizard" managed to score 28 goals in 70 appearances.

Tourist sights

  • The Turul monument, above the city on the top of Gerecse Mountain, is the largest bird statue in Central Europe.
  • The Szelim cave and the forest park of Gerecse Mountain are local tourist attractions.
  • Nearby mountains (Vértes, Gerecse) and villages are a great place to spend time; neighbouring Tata has a lake and a medieval castle.

Politics

The current mayor of Tatabánya is Ilona Szücsné Posztovics (DK).

The local Municipal Assembly, elected at the 2019 local government elections, is made up of 18 members (1 Mayor, 12 Individual constituencies MEPs and 5 Compensation List MEPs) divided into this political parties and alliances:[6]

Party Seats Current Municipal Assembly
  Opposition coalition[lower-alpha 1] 9 M                
  Fidesz-KDNP 8                  
  Our Homeland Movement 1                  

List of mayors

List of City Mayors from 1990:

Member Party Term of office
János Bencsik Fidesz (-KDNP) 1990–2010
Csaba Schmidt Fidesz-KDNP 2010–2019
Ilona Szücsné Posztovics Independent[lower-alpha 1] 2019–

Town districts

Tatabánya is currently divided into the following 7 districts:

  • Alsógalla
  • Sárberek
  • Újváros
  • Bánhida
  • Kertváros
  • Dózsakert
  • Felsőgalla
  • Óváros

Nearby villages

Residents

International relations

Twin towns of Tatabánya in Europe.
Twin towns of Tatabánya in the World.

Twin towns — Sister cities

Tatabánya is twinned with:

Town partnerships

Tatabánya also maintains partnerships with the following towns:

References

Notes
  1. Coalition of DK-Jobbik-MSZP-Momentum-Dialogue.
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