Győr-Moson-Sopron County
Győr-Moson-Sopron County is located in the North-West of Hungary, and includes areas of the Little Hungarian Plain (Kisalföld), the “Feet of the Alps” (Alpoklalja) and the bottom of the Bakony Mountains (Bakonyalja). It covers an area of 4.209 km2, with a population of 446.000. There are 172 localities and 11 towns in the territory of the county, including Győr and Sopron, which comprise a County authority.
Both the urban and the rural settlements of the region are particularly rich in cultural heritage and national monuments. The rural towns in Hungary that are richest in national monuments can be found in the County of Győr-Moson-Sopron: Győr and Sopron. The Benedictine Abbey in Pannonhalma have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1996. In 2001 the cultural landscape of Fertő/Neusiedler Lake was awarded the same prestigious acknowledgement, which it shared with Austria.
The County has a relatively well developed public road and rail network, and it is on the way to becoming a regional logistics centre, owing to the transport infrastructure provided by Gönyű Port on the Danube and a regional airport in Pér. According to the economic indices, Győr-Moson-Sopron County is one of the strongest rural Counties in Hungary.
The Coat of Arms of Győr-Moson-Sopron County
The coat of arms of Győr-Moson-Sopron County is an upright shield with a half-round bottom. The upper, blue part of the shield is divided vertically. On the left is what used to be Moson County's conventional coat of arms: on a blue field and, on a green triple pile, two golden lions face each other, raising the Holy Crown of Hungary (Crown of Saint Stephen). In the middle, on a slightly higher pile, there are three flowers which have gold pistils and silver petals. On the right, there is what used to be Sopron County's simplified coat of arms: on the green yard of the blue field there is a knight standing in the basic fencing position, who is turning slightly to the right and wearing a full silver suit of armour with closed helmet, holding a silver sword in his right hand. The lower red shield-field with the three wavy silver strips recalls what used to be the coat of arms of Győr County. A five-armed gold leaf crown is placed on the shield, decorated with sapphires and rubies, showing the rank of the County (comitatus). The common feature of the three original Counties is that they were all established as frontier Counties fortified with natural and artificial ramparts. The current coat of arms of the County was created in 1991, modelled on the former Counties' arms.
Arms of the former counties:
Győr
Moson
Sopron
The Local Government of Győr-Moson-Sopron County
The Local Government of Győr-Moson-Sopron County was established as the legal successor of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Council following the government elections held in 1990. Besides its statutory tasks, the local government – which is organised on a representative basis – contributes to the development and improvement of the County through a number of other activities.
The first County Assembly comprised 52 members, but later – as a result of the local government elections in 1994 – a body comprising 41 members was formed. Since the elections which followed the legislative changes in 2010, 21 members of the County Assembly are elected every five years.
The Assembly – within the legal framework of its operation – can make independent decisions in individual cases within the scope of its duties and competence; and it can also act as a regulatory body within its legal powers.