Hungary - Magyarország
Landlocked country in Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.
Anthem: "God, bless the Hungarians" - "Isten áldd meg a magyart"
Capital: Budapest
Official Language: Hungarian (Magyar)
Form of Government: Parliamentary Republic
Accession to the European Union: May 1, 2004
Area: Total - 93,030 km2 (35,919 sq mi)
Timezone: Central European Time (GMT+1)
Electricity: 230V 50Hz
Electric Plug Details: European plug with two circular metal pins
Currency: Hungarian Forint (HUF)
Health Requirements:no immunizations are required.
Medication: Tourists are permitted to bring medication for personal use. Products containing narcotic substances can only enter with the special permission of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

History of Hungary in brief
(Source: Wikipedia)
This country has more than a 1000 years old history and it was really full of happenings, battles, kings, allies and enemies and sometimes peaceful years. Here you can get a quick picture about the main events led the country and its people to be as they are today.
Hungarians were nomadic people and believed to have moved to the Carpathian basin from east, somewhere around the Ural hills. Under the leadership of Árpád, Hungarians population  take over the land.
In 895, King Stephen (St. Stephen I.) founded the state of Hungary and accepted the catholic religion as standard. In 1000 Stephen was crowned the Holy Crown of Hungary and blessed by the Pope. The crown is now displayed in the building of Parliament.
In 1241-2142 the invasion of the Mongols made serious destruction in the country and half of the population were killed or deported as slaves (1 million people). After the invasion King Béla ordered the construction of a strong stone castle system to defend the country by further attacks. The second Mongolian strike was stopped at Pest by the royal army of the King thanks to these castles.
After the Turkish conqueror army defeated the Hungarian royal army at Mohács in 1526, the country split into three parts by 1541; the Hungarian Kingdom, the Habsburg dominion and the Turkish dominion. It took 150 years before the Hungarians could stand up to this situation, reunite and drive out the Turks. After the Turkish domination, the country became part of the Habsburg domination, but under the leadership of Ferenc Rákóczi II. Hungarians partly took back their independence, and signed the treaty of peace at Szatmár in 1711.
In the 19th century very important reforms were made. Hungarian became the official language of the country and the language was renewed and elected to a literary level.
In 1848 there were independence revolutions in Europe, as well as in Hungary. The Magyars tried to remove the boundaries of the Habsburg domination. After the suppression of the revolution, the silent resistance made the nation stronger than ever before. In 1867, the Hungarian delegation, led by Ferenc Deák finally came to an agreement with the Habsburgs and so the dualistic system of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy was born and peace descended across the land.
In World War I Hungary was ally to Germany and Austria and had to send hundreds of thousands to die for foreign interests. In 1918 the Monarchy broke up, the first government was established and the country became the Republic of Hungary. After losing the war, the allied Atlantic countries over ran Hungary and by the Treaty of Trianon split up the country. The country of more than 20 million became the small country of less than 8 million. Hungary was now the form we know today.
World War II brought more tribulations to the people of Hungary. Fighting by the Germans against the Soviets wasn't a good idea. As the government tried to change sides to the allied Atlantic countries (Entente) Germans over ran the country and deposed the government to their nationalist allies. Hundreds of thousands died during the wars or were deported to German concentration camps.
After the Germans were beat by the Entente, Soviets took over the country, drove out the Germans, and stayed for 44 years. In 1956 the people tried to force the leadership to stop this domination, and dictatorship by the soviets, but the attempt was unsuccessful and punished mercifully. However it did have some effects on the government and some concessions were made. The soviet domination lasted until 1989, when Hungary finally became an independent democracy.
In 1999 Hungary joined the NATO, and in 2004 the European Union.

Famous Hungarians
Hungarians are a talented and resourceful bunch, and they feature heavily in lists of internationally significant inventors, musicians, artists and sports stars.
Inventors
Albert Szent-Györgyi was the first to discover vitamin C, after extracting it from paprika, the zesty yellow peppers of Hungary.
Ede (Edward) Teller helped to develop the atomic bomb in the 1930s.
László József Bíró invented the ballpoint pen the most popular tool for everyday writing.
Ernő Rubik was the one who came up with the world's best-known toy or puzzle– the Magic Cube.
József Galamb designed the world's first affordable car, the Ford Model T.
János Irinyi was the mastermind behind safety matches.
Dennis Gabor is most notable for inventing holography for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971.
John George Kemény is best known for co-developing the BASIC programming language in 1964.
John Von Neumann was a pioneer of the application of operator theory and quantum mechanics.
Business
George Soros is a well-known Hungarian-American businessman, philanthropist and political activist.
Charles Simonyi is the former head of Microsoft's application software group.
 
Music
Ferenc Liszt The wild-haired 19th-century composer and pianist is one of the greats in the canon of classical music, and established a musical academy in Budapest.
Béla Bartók took inspiration from the traditional folk music of the country's villages for his compositions during the early 20th century.
Zoltán Kodály was similarly fascinated by folk songs, also famously came up with a unique and radical way of teaching music to students. (the relative Solfege mehtod is the hand-signals-for-notes system you may have seen in the film "Close Encounters of the third kind")
George Szell was the Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra.
Márta Sebestyén is one of the many contemporary musicians who have left their mark on the cultural landscape (the folk singer who performed on the sound track of the film The English Patient).
 
Books, movies and photography
Imre Kertész Jewish author's novel Fateless was based on his real experiences in a concentration camp – was a Nobel Prize winner in 2002.
Tony Curtis was born as Bernard Schwartz in New York as the son of Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Curtis played in more than a hundred movies: Some like it hot (1959), Spartacus (1960), Goodbye Charlie (1964) etc.
Jerry Seinfeld American comedian, actor and writer is the descendent of a Hungarian Jewish family. Aside from being a stand-up comedian, he is best known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld (1989–1998).
Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian born American actor. Well known for playing Count Dracula in the Broadway play and the subsequent film version.
István Szabó is a successful director, responsible for films including Being Julia (for which Annette Bening was Oscar-nominated in 2004).
William Fox (or, rather, Vilmos Fried) started out in Hungary and went on to found the film studio 20th Century Fox.
Vilmos Zsigmond won the Academy Award for the best Cinematography for Steven Spielberg's film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Lajos Koltai is a Hungarian cinematographer and film director. He gained international recognition during his collaborations with István Szabó, namely by his film Mephisto, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1981.
Zsa Zsa Gabor made her film debut in 1952's Lovely to Look at. She appeared in many films, made hundreds of television appearances and starred several plays on Broadway.
Joe Eszterhas is a Hungarian-American writer, best known for his work in the films Basic Instinct and Showgirls.
Andy Vajna is a film producer, who has made numerous movies including the Rambo series, Die Hard with a Vengeance and multiple Terminator movies and series.
Robert Capa was a 20th century combat photographer who covered five different wars and co-founded the prestigious Magnum Photos with Henri Cartier-Bresson.
 
Sports and entertainment
The country has a proud Olympic tradition, and has fared particularly well in the sports of water polo, fencing and pentathlon.
Judit Polgár can justly claim to be the greatest female chess player who ever lived. (achieved grandmaster status at the age of 15)
Ferenc Puskás was captain of the all-conquering Hungarian soccer team of the 1950s and one of the brightest lights to grace a soccer field.
Monica Seles was the World's No. 1 player in the women's tennis game during 1991 and 1992.
Mickey Hargitay became Mr. Universe in 1955 and he is also known as the father of actress Mariska Hargitay.
Harry Houdini, the renowned escape artist, was born Erik Weisz in Budapest.

Culture
Hungary is a land of particularly rich folk heritage. Folk culture is not only preserved in museums, however - traditions live on in many of Hungary's small villages, kept alive by local communities, and even modern-day city-dwellers do things that might surprise you first.
Hungary is very diverse when it comes to rural architecture, craftsmanship, folk music and dance. The black pottery of Mohács, the opulence of the embroidery of Matyó and Kalocsa, the delicacy of the Halas lacework – they all tell the distinct story of the locals.
For a comprehensive view of the architecture and a peak into the customs of Hungarian villages a couple of hundred years back, head to one of the numerous open-air village museums scattered around the country. Probably the most prestigious one is the Skanzen Open-Air Ethnographic Museum near Szentendre, just a stones-throw from Budapest (www.skanzen.hu). Don't miss the Village Museum of Göcsej (actually the very first village museum to be established in Hungary) with a beautiful water-mill from the 19th century at its heart. The Museum Village of Sóstó is a must-see too, as it's one of the most diverse in Hungary, showing the multicoloured folk architecture and customs of five ethnographical regions (Szatmár, Rétköz, Nyírség, Nyíri Mezőség and Bereg) – all in one ‘village'. The tavern is actually in use, so you can clink glasses here too. To travel back further in time, head to Tiszaalpár - here you'll find a reconstructed village of the Árpád-age (1000 – 1301), built according to archaeological finds, only using materials available at the time.
For a piece of living tradition, head to the beautifully preserved village of Hollokó, that's actually a world heritage site . What makes Hollókő really special is that it hasn't been turned into an open-air museum – it's a living village with locals leading a tradition-bound life. Of course there are other small villages where locals keep up their centuries-old traditions. A secret tip: visit Hollókő in the spring – Easter celebrations bring out the most of this beautiful little village. Pottery, central to the folk culture of the Hungarians, is kept alive at the small villages of the Őrség and the Hortobágy regions.
It is not just the architecture and the objects from the past, however, that define who we are. It is the great variety of folksy customs that are just as alive today. Want to hear examples? Well, there is the so-called Busójárás, for a starter. In the carnival season people dressup in scary costumes and wooden masks roam the streets to scare winter (or the Turks, according to another interpretation...) away.
At Easter, boys sprinkle girls with perfume while citing one of the funny little poems written for these occasions. According to the tradition, women who are not ‘watered' will fade away – boys couldn't let that happen, could they? In old times, it used to be a bucket of cold water, however today it's a  tamer version that's in use. Part of the Easter celebrations (and a favourite among kids) is the painting of eggs. In some regions egg-painting developed into an art form of its own, with local motifs scratched into and embroidered onto the egg – and guess what, sometimes eggs are even adorned with tiny horse shoes.
Weddings in Hungary have their own choreography and traditions as well, of course. The wedding procession is particularly important and is usually followed by the whole village. The bridal dance is supposed to ensure the young couple's financial stability – guests have to pay to take the bride to dance. Breaking glasses will drive bad ghosts away, and by cleaning up the mess together the young couple can demonstrate how well they can cooperate. Oh, and don't be surprised if the bride gets stolen. The young husband has to perform some tasks to get her back... And believe it or not, thereis no other event in Hungary where more pálinka is drank than a wedding.
In fact every religious or ancient celebration will have their own customs that remain with us in some form such as the annual harvest and the pig sticking; as well as important days such as August 20th which celebrates the creation of the Hungarian state and remembering the Hungarian Revolution on March 15th. Make sure to visit Hungary for one of them and find out more about these odd people called Magyars!

Hungaricums
Hungaricums are those noteworthy assets from Hungary, which characterise the Hungarians by their uniqueness, specialty and quality, and represent the peak performance of Hungary.
Porcelain of Herend
This Hungarian manufacturing company has specialised in luxury hand painted and gilded porcelain for generations. Founded in 1826, it is still based in the town of Herend near the city of Veszprém.
Busó Festivities in Mohács
The Busó March and carnival in Mohács in southern Hungary is an old tradition. People put on fleece cloaks and wooden masks and start bonfires to chase away the winter. The tradition has nowadays spread into a large festival, for which visitors travel to Mohács from all over Hungary and nearby countries. Handcrafted souvenirs and traditional food and drink await tourists during the 6 days of the event.
Dance-House method
Dance-houses (Táncházok) in Hungary means culture-clubs where cultural heritage, such as folk dancing is practiced and passed on from generation to generation.
Matyó Folk Art
Folk Art from Matyó is well known for the embroideries on souvenirs and villagers' clothes. Matyó motifs are mainly flowers and birds with ornamental plants coloured in red, green, black and blue. Now it enjoys its second renaissance as young designers rediscover the possibilities of these traditional motifs in fashion and design.
Falconry
Hungarian falconry is as old as the nation itself. Hungarians had very well-developed skills in hunting with falcons when they entered the Carpathian Basin in 895. Falconry is now officially part of the country's heritage.
Pottery of Mezőtúr
In the village of Mezőtúr in eastern Hungary, you will find a 100-year-old tradition in every single product that the locals make. People here are very proud of their heritage, as the techniques are taught by old masters to the young apprentices, passing the knowledge from generation to generation.
Halasi LaceHalasi Csipke
Lace from Halas is a 110-year-old handicraft Hungaricum. Mostly used as an exclusive decoration for rooms and halls. Even Pope John Paul II was given gifts of Halas Lace when he visited Hungary.
Mangalica
Mangalica or Mangalitsa, known also as the curly-hair hog, is a breed of pig raised especially in Hungary and the Balkans, originally bred in 1833 by the Hungarian Royal Archduke Jozsef. Unlike all popular hog breeds, which are bred for their meat, the Mangalitsa is an extreme lard-type. Meat breeds efficiently produce lean meat. Lard-type breeds produce high-quality fat and very marbled, juicy and flavourful meat. Raised properly the mangalica's genes allow it to produce some of the world's best meat and fat.
Hungarian grey cattle
This is an ancient beef cattle breed from Hungary. Although nowadays Hungarian grey cattle are kept mainly as tourist attractions in the Hortobágy National Park and other Hungarian national parks, these herds also serve as gene banks, due to their reported resistance to bovine diseases which affect more highly-bred cattle types.

Puli
The Puli is an ancient breed of Hungarian sheep dog. It is medium-sized and sturdy with a unique corded coat. The Puli is a lively, cheerful little dog who is very loyal to its family. Its innate intelligence makes it easy to train but also gives it a mind of its own. Pulis came to Hungary with the first Hungarian settlers, but at the time of World War II, the breed had almost died out. A special breeding program was initiated, which ensured the survival of these unique little Hungarians.
Hungarian Vizsla
The most commonly-seen breed in the country, the Hungarian Vizsla (pron. Viz-shla) is also known as the Hungarian Pointer or Magyar Pointer. It is an active, energetic working dog with enormous stamina. In earlier times it was used almost exclusively by nobility in falconry and hunting, as it is a fine retriever with an excellent nose, and a good hunter/pointer for small game and birds. In the past few years this breed has become a popular work, show and companion dog. It is reliable with children and quickly adapts to family life. The Hungarian Vizsla is a sleek, muscular, medium-sized, short-haired hunting dog with a beautiful rusty-gold colour. In Hungarian "Vizsla" means alert and responsive.
 
World Heritage sights in Hungary
The preservation and transmission to a new generation of one's own culture, history and traditions is an important task for every nation. Recognition of this heritage is necessary for an understanding of the present and planning for the future. Some cultural and natural values have local significance, while others are important for the whole of mankind, because they are unique and special.
It was to preserve and protect the most outstanding of these values that the UNO created the World Heritage Committee and accepted the Agreement regarding the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage, to which 175 countries have attached themselves. In 2005, 812 World Heritage sites in the territories of 137 states were added to the list. The original two categories have been joined by a third, that of cultural region. Here can be found treasures where the natural and man-made environments are tightly interdependent and mutually worthy of preservation.
Budapest including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy avenue (1987+2002)
Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape (2002)
Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival custom (2009)
Old Village of Hollókő and its surroundings (1987)
Fertő / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape (2001)
Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst (1995)
Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta (1999)
Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment (1996)
Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (2000)

Architecture
Hungary is well known and beloved for its architecture and cultural heritage. Visitors may find themselves several hundred years back in the past standing on a single street corner or visiting one of Hungary's most admired sites. In Hungary you can find roman ruins, gothic churches, hundred-year old houses and modern buildings, all next to each other.
Within the often changing borders of Hungary during its history, fine arts developed in strong interaction with European art, and although they always reflected European tendencies, they have retained a strong character of their own.
Beside the Hungarian architecture many foreign culture and religion represents itself throughout the country. For example the largest synagogue in Europe is the Great Synagogue in Budapest, the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath is the largest medicinal bath in Europe, one of the largest basilicas in Europe is the Esztergom Basilica, the second largest territorial abbey in the world is the Pannonhalma Archabbey, and the largest Early Christian Necropolis outside Italy is in Pécs.
Roman remains
The Aquincum HÉV urban railway station on the way to Szentendre is named after the ancient capital of the Roman province of Pannonia Inferior. Extensive remains of this garrison town can still be seen even today, including two amphitheatres, an aqueduct and the Roman baths, where there is now an outdoor bathing complex. Outside Budapest, the tombs in Pécs are a rare example of early Christianity outside Rome itself.
Romanesque
When the Hungarian Christian state was founded by Szent István in 1,000, a host Romanesque churches, cathedrals and fortresses sprang up. Very little remains today, but Romanesque relics can be observed in parts of the Esztergom Castle. The most celebrated complete buildings are the abbey churches of Ják near Sopron and Bélapátfalva north of Eger.
Gothic
Some burgher houses in the Castle District and parts of the Buda Palace and The Matthias Church bear the gothic hallmark. Several parish churches have incorporated Gothic remains and the Calvinist church in Nyírbátor to the east is one of the largest in the region. The few remaining medieval castles, including those in Diósgyor and Siklós, all have Gothic elements.
Renaissance
The Renaissance movement was initially brought to Hungary by King Mátyás's Italian wife and can be seen in the remains of the Visegrád Palace and in the castle in Sárospatak in north eastern Hungary.
Turkish
Little remains of the 150-year Turkish occupation of Hungary except the beautiful Rudas, Király and Rác baths the tomb of Gülbaba in Budapest, and the main parish church in Pécs, a converted mosque.
Baroque
Baroque was the dominant architectural style during the economic boom under Maria Theresia, whose legacy includes the stately palaces of Fertod, Keszthely and Gödöllo, as well as numerous churches scattered all over Hungary.
Classicist
Following the floods of 1838, when many of buildings in District V were washed away, the area was largely redeveloped in the classicist style. A little further from the city centre, the National Museum is a powerful and attractive display of huge Roman-style columns at their most impressive.
Eclectic
The prosperous times at the end of the 19th century and just before the First World War brought a boom in the construction industry, and a number of past styles were revisited. The Parliament is typically Gothic, but with a Renaissance dome, and a stroll down Andrássy út reveals buildings shamelessly combining Renaissance and Baroque elements.
Art Nouveau
Gresham PalaceThe celebrated Art Nouveau style (sometimes referred to a Secessionist, in line with the Viennese and Germanic look) was pioneered by just a handful of prolific architects at the same time as Eclectic building was all the rage. All the same, it left an indelible mark on the Budapest cityscape. If you can afford it, stay at the restored Four Seasons Gresham Palace to enjoy it in all its pomp and glory, or visit the Museum of Applied Arts or the Geological Institute by Városliget to see the majolica tiles made especially in the Zsolnay factory in Pécs.
Modernist/Bauhaus
Hungarians had a major hand in Walter Gropius' Bauhaus movement in Weimar, helping spread its principles of design and architecture all over Europe and America after 1933. Some returned to Hungary to build prominent villas in the Buda hills, and the simple but beautiful Városmajor church in the park behind Moszkva tér.
Socialist Realist
Budapest - Tranzit Cafe. Thankfully, the influence of Russian rule didn't quite extend to architecture – Hungary was largely spared the concrete behemoths of socialist realism. Nonetheless, traces of it can be found, the most obvious being the Fehér Ház (White House), the former government building between the Parliament and Margit híd, the Moszkva tér metro station or the former bus station near Deák tér. But to really see Socialist Realism, you need to visit spaciously laid-out steel town of Dunaújváros further downstream.

Music
Whether folk or rock, techno or classic – Hungary has all the tunes a demanding ear desires. Let us show you some major Hungarian contributions to the international body of music and all the places you can hear Magyar performers.
Hungary has some important contributions to the field of classical music, no doubt about that. Franz Liszt is probably the greatest of all Hungarian composers: a piano virtuoso (he was a sort of rock star of his age – his contemporaries lauded him as the greatest pianist of all time) as well as a composer, inspiring forwardlooking contemporaries and even anticipating some ideas and trends that would only come in the 20th century. Head to the Franz Liszt Memorial Museum and Research Centre to find out more about him (www.lisztmuseum.hu) The beginning of the 20thcentury brought about two other exceptional characters: Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály both set out to collect Hungarian folk songs all over the Carpathian Basin and incorporate them into their music.
Where should you go if you're in the mood for some classical music? Well, there's plenty to choose from. The Opera House shows all major European operas (including Hungarian ones of course), features grand classical concerts and shows beautiful ballets (www.opera.hu). Its building is one of great history: many important artists were guests here, including the composers Gustav Mahler and Otto Klemperer, both working as directors at the Opera. You cannot go wrong with the Palace of Arts either. Next to the Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art it is the home of the Bartók National Concert Hall, bringing the world's top artists to your ears (www.mupa.hu), whether it's classical, world music or jazz. And the building itself is pretty amazing too (make sure to check out the organ – it's one of the biggest in Europe). In the summertime, music finds a new home at the open-air stage of Margaret Island, but the church concerts at the majestic St. Stephen's Basilica or the Kiscelli Church are a good choice as well. More into Operetta? Witness the epic loves of Romeo and Juliet or the Beauty and the Beast – some performances come with English subtitles (www.operettszinhaz.hu)

What about folk music? In the years of communism folk culture was seen as a deviation from the mainstream ideology and was thus marginalized, so over the last decades of socialist rule the folk movement emerged as a form of resistance. Today, there are a vast number of great folk bands and dance companies. Márta Sebestyén is the name that probably pops in your head first – the former student of Mr. Kodály is practically the embodiment of Hungarian folk music today, giving sold-out concerts all over the world. For the whole folk-band experience however, book a ticket for one of the performances of the Csík Band or Ghymes

Festivals
Popular music is featured at numerous festivals across the country. First and foremost: Sziget Festival (www.sziget.hu), elected to be Europe's best major festival. In the beginning of August, Budapest  is deluged by a vast number of young people loaded with giant backpacks, tents and sleeping bags – they're heading to the island, in case you wondered. The festival takes place on the 108-hectare leafy Óbuda Island in the middle of the Danube, which is transformed into a gigantic party town, with numerous stages, countless party arenas and chill-out tents, as well as artsy installations.
For those who like things electronic, Balaton Sound is the place to go - lie back in one of the comfy hammocks at the lakeshore beach of Zamárdi and enjoy the pumping music(www.sziget.hu/balatonsound) A more underground contestant in the category of electronic music festivals is Ozora, a Goa festival that labels itself a ‘psychedelic tribal gathering'. If that calls to you, check www.ozorafestival.eu for details. Hard rock and rock fans head to the Hegyalja Fesztival each year. It takes place in Tokaj, one of the biggest wine-growing regions of Hungary, so there's certainly no shortage of cooling fröccs drinks here (www.facebook.com/hegyaljafesztival) 
NEO, Irie Maffia, Anima Sound System, Zagar – do these names ring a bell? Whether pop, alternative or electronic - several Hungarian bands have made it to international recognition and thus worthwhile seeing in concert.. They are frequent guests at the ship turned into a concert hall called A38, voted best club by Lonely Planet!
Jazz life is quite popular in Hungary as well. Since their formation in 1957, the Benko Dixieland Band has won numerous international prices and festivals, was praised by President Ronald Reagan and gives about 250 sold-out concerts a year – make sure to see one of them! Called ‘one of the best drummers around' by Pat Metheny, Elemér Balázs is one to watch out for as well. He has his own Jazz band touring the country (and the world) – check them out. Where do you find all that jazz? At the Budapest Jazz Club, the Columbus Jazz Club and the Jazz Garden, for example.

History of Hungary in brief

 

This country has more than a 1000 years old history, and it was really full of happenings, battles, kings, allies and enemies and sometimes peaceful years. Here you can get a quick picture about the main events led the country and its people to be as they are today.

Hungarians were nomadic people and believed to have moved to the Carpathian basin from east, somewhere around the Ural hills. Under the leadership of Árpád, Hungarians population  take over the land.

In 895, King Stephen (St. Stephen I.) founded the state of Hungary, and accepted the catholic religion as standard. In 1000 Stephen was crowned the Holy Crown of Hungary and blessed by the Pope. The crown is now displayed in the building of Parliament.

In 1241-2142 the invasion of the Mongols made serious destruction in the country, and half of the population were killed or deported as slaves (1 million people). After the invasion King Béla ordered the construction of a strong stone castle system to defend the country by further attacks. The second Mongolian strike was stopped at Pest by the royal army of the King thanks to these castles.

After the Turkish conqueror army defeated the Hungarian royal army at Mohács in 1526, the country split into three parts by 1541; the Hungarian Kingdom, the Habsburg dominion and the Turkish dominion. It took 150 years before the Hungarians could stand up to this situation, reunite and drive out the Turks. After the Turkish domination, the country became part of the Habsburg domination, but under the leadership of Ferenc Rákóczi II. Hungarians partly took back their independence, and signed the treaty of peace at Szatmár in 1711.

In the 19th century very important reforms were made. Hungarian became the official language of the country, and the language was renewed and elected to a literary level.

In 1848 there were independence revolutions in Europe, as well as in Hungary. The Magyars tried to remove the boundaries of the Habsburg domination. After the suppression of the revolution, the silent resistance made the nation stronger than ever before. In 1867, the Hungarian delegation, led by Ferenc Deák finally came to an agreement with the Habsburgs and so the dualistic system of the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy was born and peace descended across the land.

In World War I Hungary was ally to Germany and Austria and had to send hundreds of thousands to die for foreign interests. In 1918 the Monarchy broke up, the first government was established and the country became the Republic of Hungary. After losing the war, the allied Atlantic countries over ran Hungary and by the Treaty of Trianon split up the country. The country of more than 20 million became the small country of less than 8 million. Hungary was now the form we know today.

World War II brought more tribulationsto the people of Hungary. Fighting by the Germans against the Soviets wasn't a good idea. As the government tried to change sides to the allied Atlantic countries (Entente) Germans over ran the country and deposed the government to their nationalist allies. Hundreds of thousands died during the wars or were deported to German concentration camps.

After the Germans were beat by the Entente, Soviets took over the country, drove out the Germans, and stayed for 44 years. In 1956 the people tried to force the leadership to stop this domination, and dictatorship by the soviets, but the attempt was unsuccessful and punished mercifully. However it did have some effects on the government and some concessions were made. The soviet domination lasted until 1989, when Hungary finally became an independent democracy.

In 1999 Hungary joined the NATO, and in 2004 the European Union.

(source Wikipedia)

 

World Heritage sights in Hungary

 

The preservation and transmission to a new generation of one's own culture, history and traditions is an important task for every nation. Recognition of this heritage is necessary for an understanding of the present and planning for the future. Some cultural and natural values have local significance, while others are important for the whole of mankind, because they are unique and special.

It was to preserve and protect the most outstanding of these values that the UNO created the World Heritage Committee and accepted the Agreement regarding the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage, to which 175 countries have attached themselves. In 2005, 812 World Heritage sites in the territories of 137 states were added to the list. The original two categories have been joined by a third, that of cultural region. Here can be found treasures where the natural and man-made environments are tightly interdependent and mutually worthy of preservation.

 

Budapest including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy avenue (1987+2002)

 

Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape (2002)

 

Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival custom (2009)
    
Old Village of Hollókő and its surroundings (1987)

 

Fertő / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape (2001)

 

Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst (1995)

 

Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta (1999)

 

Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment (1996)

 

Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (2000)