Vas (, ; ; or ; ) is an administrative county (

comitatus Comitatus may refer to: *Comitatus (warband), a Germanic warband who follow a leader * ''Comitatus'', the office of a Roman or Frankish comes, translated as count. * ''Comitatus'', translated as county, a territory such as governed by medieval cou ...

or ''vármegye'') of

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. It was also one of the counties of the former

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. It is part of the Centrope Project.

Geography

Vas County lies in western Hungary. It shares borders with

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

(

Burgenland Burgenland (; ; ; Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Burgnland''; Slovene language, Slovene: ''Gradiščanska''; ) is the easternmost and least populous Bundesland (Austria), state of Austria. It consists of two statutory city (Austria), statut ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

(

Mura Statistical Region The Mura Statistical Region () is a Statistical regions of Slovenia, statistical region in northeast Slovenia. It is predominantly agriculture, agricultural with field crops representing over three-quarters of the total agricultural area (twice as ...

), and the Hungarian counties of Győr-Moson-Sopron,

Veszprém Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name. Etymology The city's name derives ...

, and Zala. The capital of Vas County is

Szombathely } Szombathely (; ; also see #Etymology, names) is the 10th largest city in Hungary. It is the administrative centre of Vas County in the west of the country, located near the border with Austria. Szombathely lies by the streams ''Perint'' and '' ...

. Its area is 3,336 km².

History

Vas is also the name of a historic administrative county (

) of the

. Its territory is now in western Hungary, eastern Austria, and eastern Slovenia. The capital of the county was

. Vas County arose as one of the first comitatus of the

. In 1920, by the

Treaty of Trianon The Treaty of Trianon (; ; ; ), often referred to in Hungary as the Peace Dictate of Trianon or Dictate of Trianon, was prepared at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace Conference. It was signed on the one side by Hungary ...

the western part of the county became part of the new Austrian land

, and a smaller part in the southwest, known as Vendvidék, became part of the newly formed

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () has been its colloq ...

(later renamed to Yugoslavia). In the Vendvidék in 1919 was founded an unrecognized state the Prekmurje Republic, similar to Burgenland the

Lajtabánság Lajtabánság (; ), or the Banate of Leitha, was a short-lived western Magyars, Hungarian state in the region where the Austrian States of Austria, federal state of Burgenland now exists. It existed between 4 October and 10 November 1921, foll ...

. The remainder stayed in

, as the present Hungarian county Vas. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

due to Communist reforms, a small part of the former

Sopron Sopron (; , ) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century In the Iron Age a hilltop settlement with a burial ground existed in the neighbourhood of Sopron-Várhely. When ...

county went to Vas County, some villages north of

Zalaegerszeg Zalaegerszeg (; ; ; ) is the administrative center of Zala County, Zala county in western Hungary. Location Zalaegerszeg lies on the banks of the Zala River, close to the Slovenian and Austrian borders, and west-southwest of Budapest by road. Hi ...

went to

Zala county Zala (, ; ; ) is an administrative county (Counties of Hungary, comitatus or ''vármegye'') in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia (Koprivnica–Križevci County, Koprivnica–Križevci and Me� ...

, and a small region west of

Pápa Pápa is a historical town in Veszprém county, Hungary, located close to the northern edge of the Bakony Hills, and noted for its baroque architecture. With its 28,549 inhabitants (2024), it is the cultural, economic and tourism centre of the r ...

went to

county. Since 1991, when Slovenia became independent from

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, the Yugoslav part of the former Vas County (around

Murska Sobota Murska Sobota (, Slovenian abbreviation: ''MS'' ; ;''Radkersburg und Luttenberg'' (map, 1:75,000). 1894. Vienna: K.u.k. Militärgeographisches Institut. ) is a town in northeastern Slovenia. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Murska Sob ...

) is part of Slovenia. Vas County is home to a small Slovene minority, which lives in the area between the town of

Szentgotthárd Szentgotthárd () is the westernmost town of Hungary. It is situated on the Rába River near the Austrian border. History The town took its name from, and grew up round, the Cistercian Szentgotthárd Abbey, founded here in 1183. In 1664, it was ...

and the Slovenian border (see

Hungarian Slovenes Hungarian Slovenes ( Slovene: ''Madžarski Slovenci'', ) are an autochthonous ethnic and linguistic Slovene minority living in Hungary. The largest groups are the Rába Slovenes (, dialectically: ''vogrski Slovenci, bákerski Slovenci, porábsk ...

Demographics

In 2015, the county had a population of 253,997 and the

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 76/km².

Ethnicity

Besides the Hungarian majority, the main minorities are the Croats (approx. 3,000), Roma (2,500), Germans (2,000) and Slovenes (1,500). Total population (2011 census): 256,629
Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 225 052 persons: *

Hungarians Hungarians, also known as Magyars, are an Ethnicity, ethnic group native to Hungary (), who share a common Culture of Hungary, culture, Hungarian language, language and History of Hungary, history. They also have a notable presence in former pa ...

: 214 512 (95.32%) *

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

: 3 102 (1.38%) *

Gypsies {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , ...

: 2 559 (1.14%) *Others and indefinable: 4 879 (2.17%) Approx. 39,000 persons in Vas County did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.

Religion

Religious adherence in the county according to 2011 census: *Catholic – 150,912 (

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

– 150,575;

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

– 276); *

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

– 15,135; *

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

– 7,113; *other religions – 2,087; *

Non-religious Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, religious skepticism, ration ...

– 13,621; *

Atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...

– 1,895; *''Undeclared'' – 65,866.

Regional structure

Politics

The Vas County Council, elected at the 2014 local government elections, is made up of 15 counselors, with the following party composition:A Vas Megyei Közgyűlés tagjai,

'

Presidents of the General Assembly

Municipalities

Vas County has 1 Town with county rights, urban county, 12

towns A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and 203 villages. ;City with county rights (ordered by population, as of 2011

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

) *

(78,884) – county seat ;Towns *

Sárvár Sárvár ( or ; ; ) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. Sárvár lies on the banks of the River Rába at Kemeneshát. The population is nearly 16,000. The town has become a tourist centre of international renown. Etymology ''Sár'' means "mud" i ...

(14,777) *

Körmend Körmend ( Prekmurje Slovene: ''Karmadén,'' ) is a town in Vas County, Western Hungary. Places of interest The town is especially well known for its castle which used to belong to the Batthyány family, one of the most important aristocrat famili ...

(11,950) *

Kőszeg Kőszeg (; ; ; ; ) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is known for its historical character. History Medieval Period The origins of the only free royal town in the historical garrison county of Vas (Eisenburg) go back to the third quart ...

(11,666) *

Celldömölk Celldömölk () is the fifth largest town in Vas County, Hungary. Parts of the Eragon movie were filmed here. The town with 11,000 inhabitants can be found in the centre of Kemenesalja Hills. History Celldömölk has a history older than 750 ye ...

(11,113) *

(8,678) * Vasvár (4,387) *

Vép Vép is a town in Vas county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and s ...

(3,534) *

Bük Bük is a town in Vas County, Hungary, close to the Austrian border. Nowadays it has a reputation for being a popular holiday destination in Hungary and one of the major spa and wellness spots in Central Europe. Location The town is situated 27 ...

(3,301) * Csepreg (3,286) * Répcelak (2,575) * Jánosháza (2,529) *

Őriszentpéter Őriszentpéter () is a town in Vas County, Hungary. Geography The town extends on the hills of the region Őrség, where the river Zala (river), Zala flows through. The Zala has its source about away at Szalafő. The town has an ancient szer ...

(1,178) ;Villages * Acsád * Alsószölnök * Alsóújlak * Andrásfa *

Apátistvánfalva Apátistvánfalva (, ) is a village in Vas County, Hungary. Notable residents

* Károly Krajczár (born 1936), Hungarian Slovene teacher * Ferenc Marics (1791–1844), Hungarian teacher * Antal Stevanecz (1861–1921), Hungarian Slovene teach ...

* Bajánsenye * Balogunyom * Bejcgyertyános * Bérbaltavár * Boba * Borgáta * Bozsok * Bozzai * Bögöt * Bögöte *

Bő Bő is a village in Sárvár District of Vas County, Hungary, with a population of 679 (2004), covering an area of .népesség.com, "Bő népessége"' References External links Official websiteStreet map Populated places in Vas County ...

* Bucsu * Cák * Chernelházadamonya * Csákánydoroszló * Csánig *

Csehi Csehi is a village in Vas County, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and ...

* Csehimindszent *

Csempeszkopács Csempeszkopács is a village in Vas County, Hungary. History The village was created by uniting two villages, Csempeszháza and Kopács, in the 19th century. In 1910 the village had 313 inhabitants. The Árpád Age Church * The most important arc ...

* Csénye * Csipkerek * Csönge * Csörötnek * Daraboshegy * Dozmat * Döbörhegy * Döröske * Duka * Egervölgy * Egyházashetye * Egyházashollós * Egyházasrádóc * Felsőcsatár * Felsőjánosfa * Felsőmarác * Felsőszölnök * Gasztony * Gencsapáti * Gersekarát * Gérce * Gór * Gyanógeregye * Gyöngyösfalu * Győrvár * Halastó * Halogy * Harasztifalu *

Hegyfalu Hegyfalu is a village in Vas county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east ...

* Hegyháthodász * Hegyhátsál * Hegyhátszentjakab * Hegyhátszentmárton * Hegyhátszentpéter * Horvátlövő * Horvátzsidány * Hosszúpereszteg * Ikervár * Iklanberény * Ispánk * Ivánc *

Ják Ják is a village in Vas County, on the western boundary of Hungary. Church of Saint George The parish church of Ják is the best preserved Romanesque church in Hungary. It was originally built as the church of a Benedictine monastery. The v ...

* Jákfa * Karakó * Katafa * Káld * Kám * Keléd * Kemeneskápolna * Kemenesmagasi * Kemenesmihályfa * Kemenespálfa * Kemenessömjén * Kemenesszentmárton * Kemestaródfa * Kenéz * Kenyeri * Kercaszomor * Kerkáskápolna * Kétvölgy * Kisrákos * Kissomlyó * Kisunyom * Kiszsidány * Kondorfa *

Köcsk Köcsk is a village in Vas county, in western Hungary. References

Populated places in Vas County {{Vas-geo-stub ...

* Kőszegdoroszló * Kőszegpaty * Kőszegszerdahely * Lócs * Lukácsháza * Magyarlak * Magyarmádalja * Magyarszecsőd * Magyarszombatfa * Meggyeskovácsi * Megyehíd * Mersevát * Mesterháza * Mesteri * Meszlen * Mikosszéplak * Molnaszecsőd * Nagygeresd * Nagykölked * Nagymizdó * Nagyrákos * Nagysimonyi * Nagytilaj * Nádasd * Nárai * Narda *

Nemesbőd Nemesbőd is a village in Vas county, Hungary. Geography, geology, and demographics The village of Nemesbőd is located in the middle section of the Gyöngyös plain, about 10 km northeast from Szombathely and adjacent to Szombathely's ...

* Nemescsó * Nemeskeresztúr * Nemeskocs * Nemeskolta * Nemesládony * Nemesmedves * Nemesrempehollós *

Nick Nick may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nick (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Désirée Nick, German actress and writer Places * Nick, Hungary, a village * Nick, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, a ...

* Nyőgér * Olaszfa * Ostffyasszonyfa * Oszkó * Orfalu * Ólmod *

Ölbő Ölbő is a village in Vas county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east a ...

* Őrimagyarósd * Pankasz * Pácsony * Pápoc * Pecöl * Perenye * Peresznye * Petőmihályfa * Pinkamindszent * Pornóapáti * Porpác * Pósfa * Pusztacsó * Püspökmolnári * Rábagyarmat * Rábahídvég * Rábapaty * Rábatöttös * Rádóckölked * Rátót * Répceszentgyörgy * Rönök *

Rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

* Sajtoskál * Salköveskút * Sárfimizdó * Sé * Simaság * Sitke * Söpte * Sorkifalud * Sorkikápolna * Sorokpolány * Sótony * Szaknyér * Szakonyfalu *

Szalafő Szalafő ( or ''Glava Zale'') is a village in Vas county, Hungary. It lies near the borders with Austria and Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to th ...

* Szarvaskend * Szatta * Szeleste * Szemenye *

Szentpéterfa Szentpéterfa (; ) is a village in Vas County, Hungary. Famous people * Stefan Geosits (* 1927), writer and translator of the Burgenland Croats * Barnabás Varga (1994), footballer References

Populated places in Vas County {{Vas-g ...

* Szergény * Szőce * Tanakajd * Táplánszentkereszt * Telekes * Tokorcs * Tompaládony * Tormásliget * Torony * Tömörd * Uraiújfalu * Vasalja * Vasasszonyfa * Vasegerszeg * Vashosszúfalu * Vaskeresztes * Vassurány * Vasszécseny * Vasszentmihály * Vasszilvágy * Vámoscsalád * Vásárosmiske * Vát * Velem * Velemér * Viszák *

Vönöck Vönöck is a village in Vas county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the eas ...

* Zsennye *

Zsédeny Zsédeny is a village in Vas county, Hungary. It is located along the 84th main transportation route, approximately 10 km from Sárvár, on flat, lean, sandy terrain, towards Sopron. History Its ancient roots are evident in the archaeolo ...

Gallery

File:Szombathely püspöki palota és székesegyház.jpg,

, the capital of the county File:Maria oszlop01.jpg, Jurisics Square in

File:Szt. Jakab-kápolna (14886. számú műemlék) 2.jpg, Saint George's Abbey and the Saint James Chapel in

File:Nádasdy-várkastély 1.JPG, Nádasdy Castle,

File:Egykori Batthyány-kastély (9005. számú műemlék).jpg, Batthyány Mansion in

File:Batthyány-kastélyegyüttes ThT.jpg, Batthyány Mansion in Csákánydoroszló File:Szentgotthárd Abbey Hungary.JPG, Cistercian Abbey of Szentgotthárd File:Zsoldos-féle kerített lakóház (9345. számú műemlék).jpg, Traditional Hungarian house in

References

External links

Official site
in Hungarian and English
Vas Népe (vaol.hu) - The county portalHungary at GeoHive
{{Authority control Counties of Hungary