| Békés County | |
|---|---|
| County of the Kingdom of Hungary (11th century-1541) County of the Eastern Hungarian Kingdom (1541-1566) County of the Kingdom of Hungary (1699-1786, 1790-1853, 1860-1946) | |
Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Capital | Békés; Gyula (1405-1946) |
| Area | |
| • Coordinates | 46°39′N 21°16′E / 46.650°N 21.267°E / 46.650; 21.267 |
• 1910
| 3,670 km2 (1,420 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 1910 | 298,710 |
| History | |
• Established | 11th century |
• Ottoman conquest | 1566 |
• County recreated | 1699 |
• Merged into Békés-Csanád-Csongrád County | 1 June 1786 |
• County recreated | 26 April 1790 |
• Merged into Békés-Csanád County | 10 January 1853 |
• County recreated | 20 October 1860 |
• Monarchy abolished | 1 February 1946 |
| Today part of | Hungary |
Békés was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory, which was smaller than that of present Békés county, is now in southeastern Hungary. The capital of the county was Gyula.
Békés county shared borders with the Hungarian counties Csongrád, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Hajdú, Bihar, Arad and Csanád. The river Körös flowed through the county. Its area was 3,670 km2 around 1910.
Békés county arose as one of the first comitatus of the Kingdom of Hungary, in the 11th century. In 1950, the territory of Békés county was expanded with:
| Census | Total | Hungarian | Slovak | Romanian | German | Other or unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880[1] | 229,757 | 152,877 (69.84%) | 53,517 (24.45%) | 5,347 (2.44%) | 6,611 (3.02%) | 530 (0.24%) |
| 1890[2] | 258,386 | 188,781 (73.06%) | 56,876 (22.01%) | 6,019 (2.33%) | 6,110 (2.36%) | 600 (0.23%) |
| 1900[3] | 278,731 | 201,619 (72.33%) | 64,467 (23.13%) | 6,069 (2.18%) | 6,191 (2.22%) | 385 (0.14%) |
| 1910[4] | 298,710 | 219,261 (73.40%) | 66,770 (22.35%) | 6,125 (2.05%) | 6,048 (2.02%) | 506 (0.17%) |
| Census | Total | Lutheran | Calvinist | Roman Catholic | Eastern Orthodox | Jewish | Other or unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 229,757 | 82,780 (36.03%) | 82,129 (35.75%) | 50,838 (22.13%) | 7,149 (3.11%) | 6,255 (2.72%) | 606 (0.26%) |
| 1890 | 258,386 | 92,327 (35.73%) | 91,339 (35.35%) | 58,867 (22.78%) | 7,477 (2.89%) | 7,189 (2.78%) | 1,187 (0.46%) |
| 1900 | 278,731 | 98,882 (35.48%) | 95,548 (34.28%) | 66,857 (23.99%) | 7,870 (2.82%) | 7,358 (2.64%) | 2,216 (0.80%) |
| 1910 | 298,710 | 105,724 (35.39%) | 98,596 (33.01%) | 75,738 (25.36%) | 8,374 (2.80%) | 7,444 (2.49%) | 2,834 (0.95%) |
In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of Békés county were:
| Districts (járás) | |
|---|---|
| District | Capital |
| Békés | Békés |
| Békéscsaba | Békéscsaba |
| Gyoma | Gyoma |
| Gyula | Gyula |
| Orosháza | Orosháza |
| Szarvas | Szarvas |
| Szeghalom | Szeghalom |
| Urban districts (rendezett tanácsú város) | |
| Gyula | |
