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Tatabánya
—  City  —
Tatabánya33
Tatabánya
Tatabánya címere új
Coat of arms
HU county Komarom-Esztergom
:ocation of Komárom-Esztergom County in Hungary



Tatabánya is located in Hungary
Red pog
Tatabánya
Location of Tatabánya in Hungary



Tatabánya is located in Komárom-Esztergom County
Red pog
Tatabánya
Location in of Tatabánya in Komárom-Esztergom County
Coordinates: 47°35′10″N 18°23′41″E / 47.58611, 18.39472
Country Flag of Hungary Hungary
Region Central Transdanubia
County Komárom-Esztergom County
Subregion Tatabányai
Government
 • Mayor Schmidt Csaba
Area
 • Total 91.43 km2 (35.30 sq mi)
Elevation 167 m (548 ft)
Population (1 Jan 2014)
 • Total 67,043
 • Density 765.48/km2 (1,982.6/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 2800
Area code 34
Website http://www.tatabanya.hu

Tatabánya is a city of 67,043 inhabitants in northwestern Hungary, in the Central Transdanubia Region. It is the capital of Komárom-Esztergom County.

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, 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.

Infrastructure[]

Tatabánya34

Communist housing developments in Tatabánya

According to the 2001 census, Tatabánya had 28.912[1] households and 60% 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. Vértes Volán provides local and nearby coach services (http://www.vertesvolan.hu/).

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, 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.[2] 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 popular tourist attractions.
  • Nearby mountains (Vértes, Gerecse) and villages are a great place to spend time; neighbouring Tata has a beautiful lake and a medieval castle.

Town districts[]

Tatabánya is currently divided into the following 6 districts:

  • Alsógalla
  • Újváros
  • Bánhida
  • Kertváros
  • Dózsakert
  • Felsőgalla

Nearby villages[]

  • Gyermely
  • Héreg
  • Környe
  • Szárliget
  • Szomor
  • Tarján
  • Tardos
  • Várgesztes
  • Vértessomló
  • Vértesszőlős

Residents[]

  • Josef Papp, American engineer

International relations[]

Twin towns — Sister cities[]

Tatabánya is twinned with:

Town partnerships[]

Tatabánya also maintains partnerships with the following towns:

References[]

External links[]

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This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Tatabánya. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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