Favorable location, strong regional ties
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County is located in the northeastern part of Hungary, on the northern border of the country. It is directly connected to Slovakia, while also bordering five Hungarian counties – Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Hajdú-Bihar, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Heves and Nógrád. Due to its location, it is simultaneously part of the economic relations systems of Northern Hungary, the Northern Great Plain and the cross-border ones. The county, with an area of 7,247 square kilometers, is the second largest county in Hungary, so its economic area includes several regions with different characteristics, urban centers and industrial districts.
The backbone of the county's accessibility is the M3 and M30 motorways. The M30 connects the M3 motorway with the Slovak R4 expressway via Miskolc and Tornyosnémeti. The route is part of the Via Carpathia international transport corridor, which connects the regions of Northern and Southern Europe. With the construction of the motorway section between Miskolc and Tornyosnémeti, the central and northeastern parts of the county, especially the Szikszó and Encs regions, have also gained a direct expressway connection. The route also provides quick access to Košice and the eastern Slovak economic region.
The M3 motorway provides an east-west connection to Budapest capital's economic region, as well as Nyíregyháza and the eastern part of the country. The route affecting the county is part of the Pan-European Transport Corridor V, which in a broader context connects Western and Central Europe with the regions of Eastern Europe. This location not only supports businesses in accessing domestic markets more quickly, but also provides a favorable starting point for organizing export and supplier relationships.
The expressway network is complemented by a radial network of main roads connecting the Miskolc area. Main road number 3 leads to the Slovak border via Budapest, Mezőkövesd, Miskolc, Szikszó and Encs. Main road number 26 connects Miskolc with Sajószentpéter, Kazincbarcika and Bánréve, and main road number 37 provides connections towards Felsőzsolca, Szerencs and Sátoraljaújhely. Highway 35 connects Polgár and Debrecen, and highway 38 connects Nyíregyháza. As a result, the county's industrial, tourist and service centers can be reached from several directions, interconnected with each other.
The county development plan designates several logistics centers of regional importance. The location of Bánréve, Emőd, Mezőkövesd–Mezőkeresztes, Miskolc, Tiszaújváros, Sátoraljaújhely and Tornyosnémeti allows logistics activities to not be concentrated exclusively in a single center, but to be connected to the various economic regions of the county. Logistics hubs, together with industrial parks, main roads and the railway network, support the development of a system that can also strengthen connections between production sites, suppliers and consumer markets.
In addition to the road network, the railway also plays a decisive role in the regional connections of the county. The total built length of public railway lines in 2023 was 432 kilometers, and there are 84 railway stations and stops in the county. The Budapest–Miskolc–Szerencs–Nyíregyháza international trunk network main line provides national and eastern Hungarian connections, while the Miskolc–Szikszó–Encs–Hidasnémeti line creates international connections towards Košice. The Miskolc–Kazincbarcika–Bánréve–Ózd railway line is one of the most important passenger and freight transport routes of the traditional industrial axis of the county.
The railway network is directly linked to industrial production and freight transport. The rail transport of large volumes of raw materials, machine parts and ready-made products can be an important logistical opportunity, especially for chemical, mechanical, energy and heavy industry activities. Road and rail routes run nearly parallel to each other in several regions, so connecting different modes of transport, developing industrial sidings and multimodal logistics solutions can create an additional competitive advantage.
International business and passenger traffic is supported by three international airports, which are also accessible by motorway. Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport provides connections to the world's major business centres, Debrecen International Airport provides air transport opportunities for the eastern part of the country, while Košice International Airport is geographically particularly close to the northern part of the county. The airports are connected to the county's transport system via the M3, M30 and M35 motorways.
The favorable external accessibility is accompanied by a strong internal settlement and economic network. There are 358 settlements and 29 cities in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County. Its center is Miskolc, which is the most significant city in Northern Hungary and is also an industrial, commercial, educational, cultural and service center. The city is located at the intersection of the north-south Sajó Valley axis and the east-west trade axis running at the junction of the Northern Central Mountains and the Great Plain. Thanks to its central location and road and rail connections, it connects not only the settlements of the county, but also the surrounding regions. In addition to Miskolc and its agglomeration, Kazincbarcika, Tiszaújváros, Ózd, Mezőkövesd, Szerencs, Sárospatak and Sátoraljaújhely also have independent regional roles. These cities operate as labor market and service centers for several settlements with their industrial, commercial, tourist, educational or administrative functions. The Miskolc agglomeration is the second largest population density in Hungary, while the other urban centers help the economic integration of the more distant parts of the county. The polycentric settlement network creates the opportunity for investments to be based on an appropriate labor market and service background not only in the county seat, but also in several regional centers.
In addition to geographical and transport connections, the region's cooperation networks also represent an important investment value. Local governments, economic interest groups, educational and vocational training institutions, large companies, and local small and medium-sized enterprises all participate in the county's economic development. Cross-border, twinning and institutional relationships provide further opportunities for the development of business networks, supplier collaborations and knowledge transfer.
The value of Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County's location does not only come from its position on the map. The expressways, international and national railway lines, nearby airports, border connections and the multi-centered settlement network together make the county a well-connected economic region. All this creates favorable conditions for those businesses that are looking for a stable investment location in the northeastern part of Hungary, at the intersection of the domestic and Central European markets, that can be developed in the long term.