Tatabánya and Its Surroundings

Our City

Tatabánya is a City of County Rank with 72.000 inhabitants and the capital of Komárom-Esztergom County. It is located next to the M1 motorway and the Budapest-Vienna international railway line, therefore it is a railway and road junction. It has been inhabited since the Stone Age. In the Szelim cave above the Újváros district on the Kő-hegy (Stone Mountain) archeologists have found signs of human life from the second half of the Ice Age. According to the legend the Hungarian settlers defeated the Moravian army on the plain of Bánhida.
The story of the area in the following centuries was driven by the events of Hungarian history. In the time of Maria Theresa (mid 1700’s), new life and colour was brought by the Germans populated in Alsógalla and Felsőgalla and Slovaks settling in Bánhida. The real boom of the area commenced in the late 19th century driven by brown coal mining and the industrialization that followed. The three villages and Tatabánya mining colony united in 1947, elevating to town status and developed into a big industrial town in the following decades.
The local government handled the social and economic difficulties arising from the 1989 transition by conscious town policy, planned economic development and the active contribution of resident citizens. As a result the economy of the city revived: several new factories were built and more than 6.000 new workplaces were created. Today Tatabánya is considered to be one of the most dynamically developing cities of the country.

Past and Present

Coal mining significantly changed the life of local residents and it determined the future of the town for decades. The first mine opened at the borders of Bánhida, Alsógalla and Felsőgalla in 1896. Coal exploitation brought rapid development to the villages. Workers colonies were built and families from all around the country moved to the region in hope of a secure existance. Due to the expansion of coal mining, new industrial plants were established: the compressed slack factory, the carbide factory, the cement plant and the aluminum mill. By the 1940’s the mines and factories provided workplaces for 10.000 and subsistence for nearly 30.000 people. Following the nationalization in 1945, mining still blossomed for decades, however the coal riches gradually ran out. The mining company was liquidated in the 90’s and the material remains were placed in the Outdoor Mining Museum.
The role of enterprises is significant in the city. In Tatabánya it is commonly believed that due to the conscious city policy, planned economic development and the contribution of resident citizens in the past 12 years, the economy of the city has revived. Following the elimination of the previously prevailing mining and mining related activities, numerous factories were built, prominent overseas and Western European companies have located in the county capital of Komárom-Esztergom. Today Tatabánya is not any more perceived to be the once thriving socialist heavy industry city, but one of the most dynamically developing local participants of the country. In recent years the accelerating economic development has expanded to the entire Tata Basin. As Oroszlány, Tata and Kisbér caught up with the region it became stronger and more unified, placing the city in a more favorable position. While the economic performance potential is dynamically increasing, the city still has to deal with the constant transformation of the economic structure. The local government has to be attentive to the further intensifying competition for investors. In Tatabánya it is considered, that the awareness and regular analysis of domestic and international economic processes enable the local government to make the right decisions in favor of the city. The increase in intellectual capital and the preparedness of local labor enabled the city to locate manufacturers producing products of greater value besides the ones implementing simple assembly operations. Furthermore, the preparedness of local labor has reached a level which is required to locate higher added value advanced technologies in Tatabánya.
Development of the optimal economic structure still remains the primary objective of the city. The location of such activities is promoted , on the one hand, that represent the most dynamically developing industries of the worldwide market and those which endeavor to serve the demand of local and regional markets on the other hand. Prior to decisions affecting the local economy, the city desires to increasingly rely on the analysis regarding the economic environment in which the favorable and unfavorable elements of production, service, labor market, infrastructure and financial givens are to be elaborated on. The local government is devoting an increasing role to the scientific research of the College for Modern Business Studies. In order to ensure the continuous supply of skillful labor, the local government takes an important role in developing efficient cooperation between investors and vocational institutions.