Bihar (Hungary)

Bihar is the name of a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is presently in north-western Romania and eastern Hungary. The capital of the county was Oradea (Romanian, Nagyvárad in Hungarian).

Geography

Bihar county shared borders with the Hungarian counties Békés, Hajdú, Szabolcs, Szatmár, Szilágy, Kolozs, Torda-Aranyos and Arad. Three tributaries of the river Criş/Körös flow through the county (Crişul Repede, Crişul Negru and Berettyó). The western half of the county is in the Pannonian plain, the eastern half is part of the Apuseni mountains. Its area was 10962 km² around 1910.

History

Bihar was one of the oldest counties of the Kingdom of Hungary, formed before the 12th century.

A Short History of Australia-Hungary and Poland, by H. Wickham Steed, Walter Alison Phillips, and David Hannay ( Published by The Encyclopaedia Britannica Company Limited, London, 1914) indicate that in 1876 the Kingdom of Hungary was divided into seven Circles, with total of 64 counties[1]. The Circle on the left bank of the Theiss contained eight counties, and Bihar Megye (Megye means county) was one of them, the other seven being Bekes, Hajdu, Maramaros, Szabolcs, Szatmar, Szilagy and Ugocsa. Bihar county in the Austro-Hungarian Empire contained Debrecen and Nagyvarad.

In 1918 (confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon 1920), about 75% of the county became part of Romania. The west of the county remained in Hungary. The capital of this smaller county Bihar was Berettyóújfalu.

After World War II, the Hungarian county Bihar was merged with Hajdú county to form Hajdú-Bihar county. The southernmost part of Hungarian Bihar (the area around Sarkad and Okány) went to Békés county.

The Romanian part of former Bihar county now forms the Romanian county Bihor, except the southernmost part (around Beliu), which is in Arad county.

Districts

In the early 20th century, the districts (járás) and their capitals were:

• Központ, capital Oradea (Hungarian: Nagyvárad)
• Sălard (Hungarian: Szalárd)
• Marghita (Hungarian: Margitta)
• Valea lui Mihai (Hungarian: Érmihályfalva)
• Săcueni (Hungarian: Székelyhid)
• Derecske
• Berettyóújfalu
• Torda, capital Biharkeresztes
• Cefa (Hungarian: Cséffa)
• Salonta (Hungarian: Nagyszalonta)
• Tinca (Hungarian: Tenke)
• Beliu (Hungarian: Bél)
• Ceica (Hungarian: Magyarcséke)
• Beiuş (Hungarian: Belényes)
• Vaşcău (Hungarian: Vaskoh)
• Aleşd (Hungarian: Élesd)

Urban county:

• Oradea (Hungarian: Nagyvárad)

The towns Derecske, Berettyóújfalu and Biharkeresztes are presently in Hungary, the other mentioned towns are in Romania.

Today

For current affairs see: Bihor and Hajdú-Bihar County