| Mátraballa | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Hungary |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Hungary |
| Coordinates: | 47.9861°N 20.0219°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | County |
| Subdivision Name1: | Heves |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Pétervására |
| Established Title: | First mentioned |
| Established Date: | 1311 |
| Leader Party: | MEMO |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Péter Mayer |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 26.36 |
| Population Total: | 668 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +1 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 3247 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 36 |
| Website: | www.matraballa.hu |
Mátraballa is a village in Heves County, Hungary, under the Mátra mountain range, beside of the Balla creek. As of 2022 census, it has a population of 668 (see Demographics). The village located 18.8 km from the main road 21 and 40.8 km from the M25 expressway. The (Nr. 84) Kisterenye–Kál-Kápolna railway line going across the village. Although the settlement has its own railway station, public transport on the railway line ceased on . The closest train station with public transport is in Bátonyterenye 18.9 km away.
The first documented mention of the settlement was in the form of Ballya, in 1447 it was already known as Barla. Due to the destruction by the Ottomans, it became depopulated in the 16th century. The owner of the village was, then, and then the crown. King Maximilian pledged it in 1575 to the chief captain of Eger, Baron Christoph von Ungnad. His widow donated it to her second husband, Count Sigismund Forgách, and then in 1603 Baron Sigismund Rákóczi bought it. After several changes of ownership, the other part of the village was sold by Count Ferenc Wesselényi to György Semsey in 1654, who obtained a royal donation for it. The settlement's church was built of stone in 1696. Count Antal Grassalkovich acquired the right of ownership over the village from 1730. The built the clergy house in 1806, which still stands today as a listed building. became the new owner of the village in 1847. The settlement also created a Palóc folk museum, which preserves the objects of daily use in the village. The writer spent his childhood in the settlement and later wrote several works about the everyday life of Palóc people. The monument to the Millennium Deer, by Róbert Király, was built in 2000 on a 30-ton stone.[1]
According the 2022 census, 93.0% of the population were Hungarians, 0.6% were Gypsies and 7.0% did not wish to answer. The religious distribution was as follows: 58.9% Roman Catholic, 3.6% Calvinist, 8.9% non-denominational, and 25.9% did not wish to answer. 670 people lived in the village and only 1 person on a farm.[2]
Population by years:[3]
| Year | 1870 | 1880 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1941 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 978 | 852 | 970 | 1014 | 1118 | 1208 | 1268 | 1291 | |
| Year | 1949 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2001 | 2011 | 2022 | |
| Population | 1186 | 1265 | 1245 | 1142 | 1028 | 903 | 823 | 668 |
Mayors since 1990: