Mátraszele

Mátraszele is a village in Nógrád County, Hungary, the Zagyva river flows through the settlement. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 904 (see Demographics). The village located 8.5 km from (Nr. 81) Hatvan–Fiľakovo railway line, 12.0 km far from Salgótarján, 10.4 km from the main road 21 and 52.8 km from the M3 motorway. The closest train station with public transport in Bátonyterenye 10.4 km far.

Mátraszele
Village
Village hall and post office
Coat of arms
Mátraszele Location in Hungary
Coordinates: 48°03′17″N 19°53′37″E
Country	Hungary
County	Nógrád
District	Salgótarján
First mentioned	1304
Government
• Mayor	László Vincze (Ind.)
Area
• Total	16.97 km2 (6.55 sq mi)
Population  (2022)
• Total	904
• Density	53/km2 (140/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	3142
Area code	32
Website	www.matraszele.hu/

History

The name of Mátraszele was mentioned for the first time between 1304-1321 in a deed as the property of the Rátót clan under the names Fel-Szele and Al-Szele. It became the property of the Lorántffy de Serke family [hu] in 1449. Pál Jánossy and Lestár Feleki owned it on 1548. The fate of the settlement in the 17th century is unknown. In Mátraszele were 10 families in 1715, and 9 families in 1720. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was owned by Count Pál Lázár and the Oláh family. At the end of the 19th century, several coal mines were opened, which were owned by the North Hungarian United Coal Company. Several mining communities were formed in connection with the mines, of which only Istvánbánya is inhabited nowadays. The church named as Patrona Hungariae.^[1]

Demographics

According the 2022 census, 90.2% of the population were of Hungarian ethnicity, 2.2% were Gypsies, 0.6% were Romanian and 9.5% were did not wish to answer. The religious distribution was as follows: 40.6% Roman Catholic, 16.1% non-denominational, and 39.0% did not wish to answer. 900 people live in the village and 2 person live in a mine site.^[2]

Population by years:^[3]

Year	1870	1880	1890	1900	1910	1920	1930	1941
Population	300	314	492	706	1006	961	1044	1194
Year	1949	1960	1970	1980	1990	2001	2011	2022
Population	1203	1284	1297	1221	1051	1046	992	904

Politics

Mayors since 1990:

• 1990–: László Vincze (independent)^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]}

Mátraszele is one of the few settlements in Hungary, where only one mayor existed since 1990.

References

1. "Our school: Short history of Mátraszele" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 15 February 2024.
2. "Mátraszele". ksh.hu. Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
3. "Population number, population density". Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
4. "Mátraszele settlement election results" (txt) (in Hungarian). National Election Office. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
5. "Mátraszele settlement election results" (in Hungarian). National Election Office. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
6. "Mátraszele settlement election results" (in Hungarian). National Election Office. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
7. "Mátraszele settlement election results" (in Hungarian). National Election Office. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
8. "Mátraszele settlement election results" (in Hungarian). National Election Office. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
9. "Mátraszele settlement election results" (in Hungarian). National Election Office. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
10. "Mátraszele settlement election results" (in Hungarian). National Election Office. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
11. "Mátraszele settlement election results" (in Hungarian). National Election Office. Retrieved 2024-02-12.