Zala County (former)

Zala was a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is currently in southwestern Hungary, northern Croatia and eastern Slovenia. The territory of the historic county comprises the present Hungarian county Zala and part of present Veszprém county, the Croatian region of Međimurje to the south-west of it, bordered by the river Drave, and a small region around Lendava in present-day Slovenia. The capital of the county was Zalaegerszeg.

Geography

Zala county shared borders with the Austrian land Styria and the Hungarian counties Vas, Veszprém, Somogy, Belovár-Körös and Varasd (the latter two in Croatia-Slavonia). The river Drave formed its southern border, Lake Balaton its eastern border. The rivers Mura and Zala flowed through the county. Its area was 5974 km² around 1910.

History

Zala county arose as one of the first comitati of the Kingdom of Hungary.

In 1918 (confirmed by the Treaty of Trianon 1920), the south-west of the county became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia). The remainder stayed in Hungary. In 1950, as part of the Communist reforms of local government, the county's borders were re-drawn again. A small part of former Vas county, north of Zalaegerszeg, went to Zala county. The part of Zala county north of Lake Balaton went to Veszprém County.

Since 1991, when Slovenia and Croatia became independent from Yugoslavia, the part of former Zala county between the rivers Mura and Drave is part of Croatia (region of Međimurje). The area around Lendava is in Slovenia.

Subdivisions

In the early 20th century, the subdivisions of Zala county were:

The towns of Prelog and Čakovec are in Croatia; Lendava is in Slovenia.