Tatabánya
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
| County | Komárom-Esztergom |
|---|---|
| Area | 91,45 km² |
| Population |
|
| Postal code | 2800 |
| Area code | 34 |
Tatabánya is a city with county rights in Hungary in the Northern Transdanubian region. It is the capital of county Komárom-Esztergom.
| Contents |
Location
The city is located in the valley between the Gerecse and Vértes Mountains, some 55 km from the capital. By the virtue of its location, the city is a railway and road junction. Motorway M1 (E60, E75) from Vienna to Budapest passes through the outer city limits, the railway line Budapest–Vienna go 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 Ottomans 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, Felsőgalla had 842 inhabitants. The coal resources of the area were discovered around this time. Population began to grow, and a new mining colony was formed, later developing into the village of Tatabánya.
During the industrialization wave which took over the country after World War II several Hungarian towns were 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.) In the 1980s it already 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.
Infrastructure
According to the 2001 census Tatabánya has more than 30.000 households. 60% of them has central heating and telephone. Almost all households have access to the cable TV network. 98% of the city roads are paved, mass transport is well organized.
Education
Until the mid-20th century the educational standards in the city was average, but in the second half of the century they were below average, mostly because the mines didn't require the high level of education of their employees. By the end of the century this trend have changed. At the present time the city has two colleges, ten secondary schools, 16 primary schools, 18 kindergartens and 5 créches.
Culture and sports
The most important cultural institution is the Mari Jászai Theatre. The city has several other institutions (museums, libraries.)
Tatabánya has a football team called TBSC, founded in 1910.
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 popular tourist attractions.
Twin towns
Tatabánya is twinned with:
- Aalen (Germany)
- Bedzin (Poland)
- Christchurch (United Kingdom)
- Fairfield (Connecticut, USA)
- Izhevsk (Russia)
- Odorheiu Secuiesc (Romania)
| Counties of Hungary | |
|---|---|---|
| Counties: Bács-Kiskun | Baranya | Békés | Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén | Csongrád | Fejér | Győr-Moson-Sopron | Hajdú-Bihar | Heves | Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok | Komárom-Esztergom | Nógrád | Pest | Somogy | Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg | Tolna | Vas | Veszprém | Zala | ||
| Capital: (usually treated as the 20th county) Budapest | ||
| Urban counties: Békéscsaba | Debrecen | Dunaújváros | Eger | Győr | Hódmezővásárhely | Kaposvár | Kecskemét | Miskolc | Nagykanizsa | Nyíregyháza | Pécs | Salgótarján | Sopron | Szeged | Szekszárd | Székesfehérvár | Szolnok | Szombathely | Tatabánya | Veszprém | Zalaegerszeg | ||
| See also: List of historic counties of Hungary | ||
