Nagykovácsi (whose name in English translates as "Great Smithy") is a small town in the Pilisvörösvári kistérség district of Hungary situated some 15 km (9 mi) north-east of the centre of Budapest, in a valley, at an altitude of 340 metres. It is located next to the second district of Budapest. In December 2007 its population was given as 6,128 by the town council (Nagykovácsi Nagyközség Önkormányzat), though this figure does not include the many people who own a property there as a second residence. The town is known for the natural beauty of its surrounding hills and forests and many parts of the nearby forest have been designated conservation areas—Budai Tájvédelmi Körzet (the "Buda Land Protection Area")—in order to protect several rare species of flora growing there.

From archaeological finds it is known that this region has been inhabited since time immemorial. Objects found in the caves of the Remete ravine and along the banks of Ördög indicate that people lived here during the Ice, Iron, and Stone ages. Various tools, coins and fragments of stone statues unearthed in the area show that there were inhabitants, too, under the Roman Empire. Of these stone fragments, the most interesting were embedded in the wall of the local church when it was built.