Báránd is situated 50 kilometres away from Debrecen
in the South Western part of Hajdú-Bihar county. It is the west-most
settlement of the Bihar county.The trunk road 42 crossing the village
connects Budapest with the frontier station at Ártánd. It can be accessed
from Debrecen on road 4801. It has direct railway connection to the
capital and the Rumanian border. It also has regular coach service
to Püspökladány and Földes.

Archaeological findings allow for the conclusion that Báránd has been
inhabited since at least 5000 BC. The settlement came into being on
the original terrain dissected by natural waters.The village was built
on the mounts in the marshes. Due to the embanking and land drainage
in the previous century the terrain has desiccated. The name of the
settlement is assumed to originate from a Slavonic or Turkish common
noun. It first appeared in a charter of László IV from 1285. It was
the estate of the Bishop of Várad in the Middle Ages. The village
survived the Turkish rule of Hungary and the 17th century. Its inhabitants
converted to Calvinist creed when the Reformation reached Hungary.
But in the 18th century it became an estate of the reorganised episcopacy
of Várad. In spite of that the majority of residents remained still
Calvinist.

The first official census of 1870 in
Hungary the population of the village was 3664 and now it has 3029
residents. 22 % of the population are old age pensioners, 25% are
children or juvenile while the proportion of the active population
is about 54%. In the village only primary education is provided in
a 16 classroom-primary school and in a kindergarden.
Medical care is provided for the village by two general practitioners,
a dentist, a health visitor and a pharmacy. Specialist care is available
either in Püspökladány or in Berettyóújfalu.

Báránd has less than excellent agricultural assets that provides the
primary basis of livelihood. 15 % of the active population works in
the agricultural sector while 5, 3 and 2 % is employed in industry,
commerce and tourism, and transportation . Public services, education
and medical care employ 6 % of the population. 15 % of the active
population is unemployed.
According to recent statistical survey in the village there are a
limited-liability company, 3 commandite partnerships and 46 private
entrepreneurs. The largest economic organisation is the co-operative
employing 150 people. It principal lines of activity are farming,
agricultural services and herding.

The infrastructure of the village is far from being satisfactory.
The international highway crossing the village causes environmental
hazard. 20 % of homes in the villages are not connected to the water
pipeline, 56 % of them has gas and 40 % is on the telephone. The village
has no sewage system and only 16 % of the roads are paved.
The baroque Calvinist and Catholic churches,
the latter was rebuilt in 1891 , are worth mentioning. The baroque
statue of St. John of Nepomuk, the memorial of the heroes of World
War II and the statue of Lajos Kossuth can be seen on the main square.
The most important plans for development
are building a by-pass and the 7 or 8 kilometre long road connecting
Báránd and Biharnagybajom.
Belzyce, in Poland is the sister settlement of Báránd since 1986.