Hatvan is a town in Heves County, Hungary, and the seat of Hatvan District, ranking as the countys third most populous town after Eger and Gyongyos. Its name comes from the Hungarian word for sixty, though scholars believe it more likely derives from a Pecheneg tribal term for a small tribe or splinter group rather than from any distance to Budapest. The towns notable landmark is the Grassalkovich Palace. Covering 80.66 square kilometers, Hatvan had 20,228 residents according to 2019 data.
Facts
Area (sq km) Founding Year Founding Year Population Estimate Year Latitude47.668056 degrees north 1 Elevation Band Climate Zone FAQs
Is Hatvan named after being 60 kilometers from Budapest?
No. The name appears in medieval sources and likely comes from a Pecheneg word for a small tribe.
No. Hatvan is the Hungarian word for sixty, and it is a common urban legend that the town was named for being 60 kilometers from Budapest. In fact the name appears in medieval sources, many years before the kilometer existed, and the real distance to the capital is closer to 50 kilometers. The name more likely comes from a Pecheneg root word meaning small tribe or splinter group, because the Turkic Pechenegs were divided into small groups when they settled in the early Kingdom of Hungary.
Sources
1. Hatvan (Wikidata)
P1082 (population)
population 19,505 (2025)
P625 (coordinate location)
latitude 47.668056, longitude 19.669722
P2046 (area)
area 80.66 sq km
P1082 (population), P585 (point in time)
population 19505 (2025)
View the Source2. Wikipedia (Hungarian): Hatvan
Wikipedia (Hungarian)Source text, founding-year-range-start: 1235
században már prépostság volt), a település első írásos említése is tőlük való 1235 -ből.
Source text, founding-year-range-end: 1235
században már prépostság volt), a település első írásos említése is tőlük való 1235 -ből.
Source text, founding-year: 1235
században már prépostság volt), a település első írásos említése is tőlük való 1235 -ből.
View the Source 3. GeoNames: Hatvan - GeoNames
GeoNamescities500 record 3051621
47.66667 19.68333 P PPLA2 HU 11 20228 117 Europe/Budapest
Place record, elevation
Elevation ca. 117 m
View the Source 4. Koeppen-Geiger map (Kottek et al., University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna): World Map of the Koeppen-Geiger Climate Classification, present climate data
Koeppen-Geiger map (Kottek et al., University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna)Koeppen-Geiger-ASCII.txt grid cell 47.75, 19.75Quote, Koeppen-Geiger-ASCII.txt grid cell 47.75, 19.75
47.75 19.75 Cfb
Hatvan (Wikipedia)
In Group: Cities of Eastern Europe (World), Wikipedia; part-of country and UN M49 subregionView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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