Gran , (Hung. Esztcrgom). I. A N. W. county of Hungary, traversed from W. to E. by the Danube; area, 424 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 65,-306, mostly Magyars. The surface toward the centre is flat, in the north generally level, and mountainous in the south. The river Gran (Hung. Garam), which rises in the Carpathians, traverses the N. E. portion of the county. The soil, which is generally fertile, produces corn, fruits, and wine, of which the Neszmelyi is favorably known in commerce. Coal, limestone, and gray, red, and variegated marble are found. II. A city, capital of the county, on the right bank of the Danube, crossed here by a bridge, opposite the mouth of the Gran, 24 m. N. N. W. of Pesth; pop. in 1870, 8,780. It is a royal free city, the seat of an archbishop, primate of Hungary, who was made cardinal in 1874, and contains many remarkable buildings, the most conspicuous of which are the palace of the primate, the houses of the chapter, and the cathedral, in the Italian style, one of the finest churches of Europe, built on a precipitous height overlooking the Danube. It has also a gymnasium and a theological seminary. The inhabitants are chiefly employed in the manufacture of woollen cloth.

Gran is said to have been founded by the Romans. It continued to flourish until it was destroyed by the Tartars, on their invasion of Hungary, 1241-3. At a later period it was taken by the Turks, and reconquered in 1683 by John Sobieski.