Mezei István: Urban development in Slovakia (Pécs-Somorja, 2010)

6. Towns along the Hungarian and Slovak border

The line of Hungarian and Slovak towns

Slovak districts

1. Senec

2. Dunajská Streda3. Galanta

4. Komárno

5. Šaľa

6. Nitra

7. Nové Zámky8. Levice

9. Veľký Krtíš

10. Lučenec

11. Revúca

12. Rimavská Sobota

13. Rožňava

14. Košice -okolie

15. Trebišov

16. Michalovce

Hungarian small regions

1. Mosonmagyaróvár

II. Győr

III. Komárom

IV. Tata

V. Esztergom

VI. Szob

VII. Balassagyarmat

Vili. Szécsény

IX. Salgótarján

X. Ózd

XI. Kazincbarcika

XII. Edelény

XIII. Encs

XIV. Sátoraljaújhely

In the analyses, the apparently much larger southern Slovak districts are usually regarded as borderland areas, which is mostly due to the Hungarian population living there. One of the latest examples for that is the book Southern Slovakia (Horváth 2004). Meanwhile, it is provable that the interested parties take part in cross-border cooperation regardless of ethnicity. There is no similarly explicit limitation confirmed by custom on the Hungarian side. Therefore, in their book (2003), Attila Hevesi and Károly Kocsis describe the geography of the Hungarian and Slovak borderland in wide zones based on map segments in their own edition.

Any limitation is made difficult by the continuous change resulting from the fact that, in the past few years, it has become easier and easier to cross the border. Actually, we can witness an ever-changing phenomenon, whose assessment and the analysis of the processes going on show the continuous increase in cooperation. With a practical method based on surveying the interested parties, we can mark out the borderland zone that is taking shape along the border of the two countries at present. The driving force of this cooperation is towns.

6. 1 The line of Hungarian and Slovak towns

This town line runs along the whole of the border, sometimes on this, sometimes on that, or sometimes on both sides. Being located in the borderland area has been a disadvantage, rather than an advantage for them. Accession to the European Union (2004), or rather the opening of the borders (2007) according to the Schengen agreement has made it possible for towns to exert their gravitation effect. Along the Danube, this means first of all strong gravitation to Hungary, which goes on along the river Ipeľ, too, although it is rather weak there. In turn, the Slovak towns to the north of them gravitate the borderland villages of Borsod- Abaúj-Zemplén County.

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