Tárnok

47°21′35″N 18°51′31″E / 47.35972°N 18.85861°E / 47.35972; 18.85861Country HungaryCountyPestDistrictÉrdFirst mentioned1257Government • MayorLászló Lukács (Ind.)Area • Total23.61 km² (9.12 sq mi)Population • Total10,392 • Density440/km² (1,100/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeArea code23Websitewww.tarnok.hu

Тárnok is a large village in Pest County, Hungary, beside of the Benta creek, 23.3 km far from Budapest. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 10,392 (see Demographics). The settlement located beside of the (Nr. 30) Budapest–Murakeresztúr railway line, and between the Main road 7 [fr] and the M7 motorway. The settlement have an own railway station with public transport.

The area of the settlement has been constantly inhabited since prehistoric times, thanks to its favorable geographical capabilities. During the archaeological excavations, traces of Neanderthaler hunting camps, neolithic cemetery and Roman residential houses were found. The survived stone debris, tegula, dish fragment, gravestone, sculpture fragments, amber, bronze and glass beads, jugs. The Romans started quarrying. In 381 there was a clash between the Huns and the Romans according to the Chronicon Pictum. In Tárnok revealed an 8th century cemeteries with human skeletons, container and animal bones.
The name of the settlement was first mentioned in 1250 as Tavarnuk, which was the Queen's estate. Later sources are referred to as Tawarnucweg, Taarnuk, Tharnok and Tharnuk. The name may have referred to the merchants of the majority of the population. King Ladislaus IV donated it to the nuns of Margaret Island. The settlement was destroyed y the Ottomans in the 1540s and was only populated again in the 18th century with Polish, Slovak and Hungarian families. The Our Lady of the Rosary Church built in 1737.^[1] Philipp Batthyány-Strattmann [de] bought the area in 1832, but after 1849 it was acquired by Georgios Sinas, and later became the property of the Károlyi family. Tárnok was sold by Count Imre Károlyi [hu] in 1913 to Sándor Nagy de Üszög. The new owner built a castle, which made it indebted, so it sold part of the area in 1941 to István Zoltán Juhász, who emigrated in 1944. The population of the village lived largely from animal husbandry, with 290 families in 1911 to pigs, cows or horses. Already in the 1930s, the settlement had its own train station, hotel, post office, school and doctor.^[2]

According the 2022 census, 89.0% of the population were of Hungarian ethnicity, 1.0% were Germans, 0.7% were Slovaks and 10.8% were did not wish to answer. The religious distribution was as follows: 22.7% Roman Catholic, 7.9% Calvinist, 1.1% Lutheran, 1.1% Greek Catholic 18.6% non-denominational, and 46.1% did not wish to answer. The Slovaks have a local nationality government. 301 people live in Margitliget other inner area. 722 people live on the grape hill and 166 beside of the lake in resort places. And other 30 people live in 3 farms.^[3]

Population by years:^[4]

Year	1870	1880	1890	1900	1910	1920	1930	1941
Population	1745	2038	2211	2284	2435	2482	2648	3719
Year	1949	1960	1970	1980	1990	2001	2011	2022
Population	3670	4163	5001	5442	5676	7519	8545	10392

Mayors since 1990:

• 1990–1998: Andor Rozbora (MDF, independent after 1994)^[5][6]
• 1998–2006: István Gergely (independent)^[7][8]
• 2006–2019: Gábor Károly Szolnoki (Fidesz–KDNP, from 2010 supported by the OTVSZ too)^[9][10][11]
• 2019–: László Lukács (independent)^[12]

The biggest issue regarding public safety is illegal waste dumping, followed by private property or garden thefts and bicycle thefts. These issues are concentrated mostly in the outskirts. The settlement has its own police office. Thanks to the years of hard work by officers, the number of crimes has significantly decreased in the village. However unknown broken into a famous singer's (Sarolta Zalatnay) house.^[13] The nowaday attractions (church, St. Roch's chapel, the cellar row and fishing lake) are safe.