Trenčín county (in Latin: comitatus Trentsiniensis/Trenchiniensis, in Hungarian Trencsén (vár)megye, in Slovak Trenčiansky komitát/ Trenčianska stolica/ Trenčianska župa, in German Trentschiner Gespanschaft/Komitat) is the name of a historic administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is presently in western Slovakia.

Geography

Trenčín county shared borders with the Austrian lands Moravia and Galicia and the Hungarian counties Árva (Orava), Turóc (Turiec), Nyitra (Nitra). The county's territory was a strip in the extreme northwestern edge of present-day Slovakia, i. e. the territory between the Czech border, the town of Nové Mesto nad Váhom , the Turiec county, the Orava county and the Polish border. The river Váh flowed through the county. Its area was 4456 km² around 1910.

Capitals

The capital of Trenčín county was the Trencin Castle , and from around 1650 the town of Trenčín.

History

A predecessor of the Trenčín county existed already in the 9th century at the time of Great Moravia. In the 10th and 11th century it was probably temporarily part of Bohemia and then temporarily of Poland (castellania Trecen).

The Trenčín county as a Hungarian comitatus arose at the end of the 11th century, when most parts of the territory were conquered by the Kingdom of Hungary. When Slovakia became part of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the Trenčín county (Trenčianska župa) continued to exist till 1922, but it had completely different powers etc.

When Slovakia became independent temporarily between 1939 and 1945, the Trenčín county (Trenčianska župa) was created again in 1940, but its territory was slightly extended. After World War II Trenčín county was in Czechoslovakia again. In 1993, Czechoslovakia was split and Trenčín became part of Slovakia.

The name "Trenčín county" is also used erronously to designate the Trenčín Region (Trenčiansky kraj) which was created in 1948.

Districts

In the early 20th century, the districts and their capitals were:

• Trenčín (Hungarian: Trencsén)
• Bánovce nad Bebravou (Hungarian: Bán)
• Čadca (Hungarian: Csaca)
• Ilava (Hungarian: Illava)
• Kysucké Nové Mesto (Hungarian: Kiszucaújhely)
• Bytča (Hungarian: Nagybicscse or Nagybittse)
• Púchov (Hungarian: Puchó or Puhó)
• Považská Bystrica (Hungarian: Vágbeszterce)
• Žilina (Hungarian: Zsolna)

Urban district:

• Trenčín (Hungarian: Trencsén)