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.

• Lake Tisza
• Bükk National Park
• Bélapátfalva, abbey
• Castle and City of Eger
• Erdőtelek Arboretum
• Feldebrő, 11th century Romanesque church
• Gyöngyös, Mátra Museum
• Hatvan, Grassalkovich mansion
• Kisnána castle
• Noszvaj, De la Motte mansion
• Parád
• Sirok castle
• Szilvásvárad, Szalajka Valley
• Szarvaskő, castle ruins

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).

• Zagyva
• Tarna
• Tisza
• Laskó

• Kékestető, Mátra Mountains (1014 m; highest in Hungary)

• Kisköre (86 m.)

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

In 2015, it had a population of 301,296 and the population density was 83/km.

Year	County population	Change
1949	316,273	n/a
1960	347,856	9.99%
1970	340,146	-2.22%
1980	350,360 (record)	3.00%
1990	334,408	-4.55%
2001	325,727	-2.60%
2011	308,882	-5.17%
2015	301,296	-2.51%
2018	295,792	-1.86%

Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minorities are the Roma (approx. 19,000), Germans (1,000) Slovaks (500) and Romanians (500).

Total population (2011 census): 308,882
Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 279,714 persons:

• Hungarians: 257,659 (92.12%)
• Gypsies: 19,312 (6.90%)
• Others and indefinable: 2,743 (0.98%)

Approx. 43,000 persons in Heves County did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.

Religious adherence in the county according to 2011 census:

• Catholic – 162,014 (Roman Catholic – 160,885; Greek Catholic – 1,098);
• Reformed – 14,729;
• Evangelical – 1,084;
• Other religions – 4,894;
• Non-religious – 43,193;
• Atheism – 3,298;
• Undeclared – 79,670.

№	English and Hungarian names	Area (km)	Population (2011)	Density (pop./km)	Seat	№ of municipalities
1	Bélapátfalva District Bélapátfalvai járás	180.89	8,978	50	Bélapátfalva	8
2	Eger District Egri járás	602.05	87,939	146	Eger	22
3	Füzesabony District Füzesabonyi járás	578.55	30,416	53	Füzesabony	16
4	Gyöngyös District Gyöngyösi járás	750.78	73,834	98	Gyöngyös	25
5	Hatvan District Hatvani járás	352.16	51,246	146	Hatvan	13
6	Heves District Hevesi járás	697.68	35,036	50	Heves (town)	17
7	Pétervására District Pétervásárai járás	475.07	21,433	45	Pétervására	20
Heves County		3,637.25	308,882	85	Eger	121

The Heves County Council, elected at the 2024 local government elections, is made up of 15 counselors, 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

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

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

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

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

• 
  Eger, the capital of the county
• 
  Autumn in the Bükk Mountains
• 
  Keglevich Mansion in Pétervására
• 
  Romanesque church in Bélapátfalva
• 
  Waterfall in the Szalajka Valley near Szilvásvárad
• 
  Grassalkovich Mansion in Hatvan
• 
  Lake Tisza is the 3rd largest lake of Hungary
• 
  Traditional residential house in Abasár

Heves County has a partnership relationship with:

Banská Bystrica Region, Slovakia Covasna County, Romania Harghita County, Romania

Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France Przemyśl County, Lesser Poland, Poland Värmland County, Sweden

References

Notes

• Official site in Hungarian
• Heves Megyei Hírlap (heol.hu) - The county portal

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