Hungary (Hungarian: Magyarország; IPA: [m???rorsa?g];
listen (help·info)), officially in English the Republic of
Hungary (Magyar Köztársaság listen (help·info),
literally Magyar (Hungarian) Republic), is a landlocked country
in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria,
Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital
is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU and a Schengen
state. The official language is Hungarian also known as Magyar,
part of the Finno-Ugric family, thus one of the three official languages
of the European Union that is not of Indo-European origin.
Following a Celtic (after c. 450 BC) and a Roman (9 BC - c. 4th
century) period, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late
Ninth Century by the Magyar chieftain Árpád, whose
great grandson István ascended to the throne with a crown
sent from Rome in 1000. The Kingdom of Hungary existed with minor
interruptions for more than 900 years, and at various points was
regarded as one of the cultural centers of the Western world. It
was succeeded by a Communist era (1947-1989) during which Hungary
gained widespread international attention regarding the Revolution
of 1956 and the seminal move of opening its border with Austria
in 1989, thus accelerating the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. The
present form of government is Parliamentary Republic (1989-). Hungary's
current goal is to become a developed country by IMF standards,
having become already developed by most traditional measures, including
GDP and HDI[3] (world ranking 36th and rising). The country's first
ever term of EU presidency is due in 2011[4].
Hungary is one of the 15 most popular tourist destinations in the
world[5][6], with a capital regarded as one of the most beautiful
in the world[7][8]. Despite its relatively small size, the country
is home to numerous World Heritage Sites, UNESCO Biosphere reserves,
the second largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Hévíz),
the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton), and the largest
natural grassland in Europe (Hortobágy).
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 The land before the Magyars
1.2 Medieval Hungary (896 – 1526)
1.3 Ottoman occupation 1526-1686
1.4 18th and 19th century
1.4.1 The 1848 Revolution (1848-1849) and aftermath
1.4.2 Austria-Hungary (1867-1918)
1.5 Reds and Whites (1918-1919)
1.6 The Regency 1920-1944
1.7 Hungary in World War II (1941-1945)
1.8 Communist era (1947-1989)
1.9 Hungarian Republic (1989-)
2 Politics
3 Regions, counties, and subregions
3.1 Counties (County Capital)
3.2 Regions
4 Economy
5 Geography
5.1 Landscape
5.2 Climate
6 Military
7 Demographics
7.1 Hungary's population by ethnicity
7.2 Ethnic Hungarians in neighbouring countries
7.3 Religion in Hungary
7.3.1 In the past
7.3.2 Jewish Hungarians
7.3.3 Today
8 Culture
8.1 Architecture
8.2 Music
8.3 Literature
8.4 Comics
8.5 Cuisine
8.6 Science
8.7 Sport
8.8 Spa Culture
8.9 Folk Art
8.9.1 Folk Dance
8.9.2 Embroidery
8.9.3 Black pottery
9 Hungarian public holidays and special events
9.1 Hungary has nine fixed public holidays:
9.2 Holidays not endorsed by the state:
9.3 Hungarian domestic animals
9.4 Special events
9.5 Budapest Spring Festival
9.6 Haydn Festival in Eszterháza
9.7 Gyor Summer Festival
10 Miscellaneous
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
[edit] History
[edit] The land before the Magyars
Main articles: History of Hungary, Hungary before the Magyars, Hungarian
prehistory, and Pannonia
The arrival of the Magyars (Hungarians) in the Carpathian Basin.
Galgóci tarsolylemez, a Medieval Hungarian pouch plate.
In the time of the Roman Empire, the region west of the Danube
river was known as Pannonia. After the Western Roman Empire collapsed
under the stress of the migration of Germanic tribes and Carpian
pressure, the Migration Period continued bringing many invaders
to Europe. Among the first to arrive were the Huns, who built up
a powerful empire under Attila. It is believed that the origin of
the name "Hungary" does not come from the Central Asian
nomadic invaders called the Huns, but rather originated from a later,
7th century Bulgar alliance called On-Ogour, which in Old Turkish
meant "(the) Ten Arrows"[9][10]. After Hunnish rule faded,
the Germanic Ostrogoths then the Lombards ruled in Pannonia, and
the Gepids ruled in the eastern part of the Carpathian Basin for
about 100 years, during which the Slavic tribes began migrating
into the region. In the 560s, the Slavs were dominated by a Turkic/Mongol
group from Central Asia, the Avars,[11] who maintained their supremacy
of the land for more than two centuries. The Franks under Charlemagne
from the west and the Bulgars from the southeast managed to overthrow
the Avars in the early 9th century. However, the Franks soon retreated,
and the Slavonic kingdom of Great Moravia and the Balaton Principality
assumed control of much of Pannonia until the end of the century.
The Magyars migrated to Hungary in the late 9th century[12].
The Holy Crown of Hungary
[edit] Medieval Hungary (896 – 1526)
Main articles: Kingdom of Hungary in the Middle Ages, Doctrine of
the Holy Crown, Árpád dynasty, Battle of Mohács,
Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), Mongol invasion of Europe, Islam
in Hungary, History of the Székely people, Battle of Mohi,
and John Hunyadi
Europe in 998 , Hungary in lightblueMedieval Hungary controlled
more territory than medieval France, and the population of medieval
Hungary was the third largest of any country in Europe. Árpád
was the Magyar leader whom sources name as the single leader who
led the conquering Hungarian tribes to the territory of the Carpathian
Basin in the 9th century[13]. A later defeat at the Battle of Lechfeld
in 955 signaled an end to raids on foreign territories, and links
between the tribes weakened. The ruling prince (fejedelem) Géza
of the House of Árpád, who was the ruler of only some
of the territory, but the nominal overlord of all seven Magyar tribes,
intended to integrate Hungary into Christian (Western) Europe, rebuilding
the state according to the Western political and social model[14].
He established a dynasty by naming his son Vajk (later called Stephen)
as his successor. This was contrary to the then dominant tradition
of the succession of the eldest surviving member of the ruling family.
Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom under Stephen I of
Hungary, who was crowned in December 1000 AD in the capital, Esztergom.
He was the son of Géza[15] and thus a descendant of Árpád.
By 1006, Stephen had solidified his power, eliminating all rivals
who either wanted to follow the old pagan traditions or wanted an
alliance with the orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire. Then he started
sweeping reforms to convert Hungary into a feudal state, complete
with forced Christianisation[16]. What emerged was a strong kingdom[17]
that withstood attacks from German kings and Emperors, and nomadic
tribes following the Magyars from the East, integrating some of
the latter into the population (along with Germans invited to Transylvania
and present-day Slovakia, especially after 1242), and subjugating
Croatia in 1102[18].
In 1241-1242, this kingdom received a major blow in the form of
the Mongol invasion of Europe: after the defeat of the Hungarian
army in the Battle of Muhi[19], King Béla IV fled, and a
large part (though not as great as suspected by historians earlier)
of the population died[20] (leading later to the invitation of settlers
from neighbours in the West and South) in the ensuing destruction
(Tatárjárás). Only strongly fortified cities
and abbeys could withstand the assault. As a consequence, after
the Mongols retreated, King Béla ordered the construction
of stone castles, meant to be defence against a possible second
Mongol invasion. These castles proved to be very important later
in the long struggle with the Ottoman Empire in the following centuries
(from the late 14th century onwards), but their cost indebted the
King to the major feudal landlords again, so the royal power reclaimed
by Béla IV after his father King András II weakened
it (leading to the issue of the so called 'Arany Bulla' or Golden
Bull, in 1222), was lost again.
A miniature of the king Stephan from the Chronicon (Hungariae) PictumÁrpád's
descendants in the male line ruled the country until 1301. During
the reigns of the Kings after the house of Árpád,
the Kingdom of Hungary reached its greatest extent, yet royal power
was weakened as the major landlords greatly increased their influence.
Meanwhile, the Ottoman Turks confronted the country ever more often.
The second Hungarian king in the 'Anjou' Angevin line of Italian
origin Louis I the Great (I. or Nagy Lajos, king 1342-1382) extended
his rule over territories from the Black Sea to the Adriatic Sea,
and temporarily occupied the Kingdom of Naples (after his brother
was murdered there by his wife, who was also his cousin). From 1370,
the death of Casimir III the Great, he was also king of Poland.
The alliance between Casimir and Charles I of Hungary, the father
of Louis, was the start of a still lasting Polish-Hungarian friendship.
Sigismund, a prince from the Luxembourg line succeeded to the throne
by marrying Louis's daughter, Queen Mary. In 1433 he even became
Holy Roman Emperor. His rule in Hungary, however, was marked by
territorial losses in the South (especially surrounding the 1396
defeat of a late Western crusade against the Ottoman Turks at Nicopolis),
the open dissent of feudal landlords, the Hussite rebellion in Bohemia
and partly in the territory that is now Slovakia, and a major peasant
rebellion in Transylvania. The last strong king was the renaissance
king Matthias Corvinus. He was the son of the feudal landlord and
warlord John Hunyadi, who led the Hungarian troops in the 1456 Siege
of Nándorfehérvár. Building on his fathers'
vision, the aim of taking on the Ottoman Empire with a strong enough
background, Matthias set out to build a great empire, expanding
southward and northwest, while he also implemented internal reforms.
His army called the 'Fekete Sereg' (Black Army) accomplished a series
of victories also capturing the city of Vienna in 1485. After Matthias's
death, the weak king Ladislaus II of the Polish/Lithuanian Jagiellon
line nominally ruled the areas Matthias conquered except Austria,
but real power was in the hand of the nobles. In 1514, two years
before Ladislaus' death, there was a major peasant rebellion in
the Pannonian lowlands and parts of Transylvania (called the Dózsa
Insurrection [after its Transylvanian leader] or Hungarian Peasant's
War), crushed barbarously by the nobles. As central rule degenerated,
the stage was set for a defeat at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.
In 1521, Nándorfehérvár (modern Belgrade) fell
to the Turks, and in 1526, the Hungarian army was destroyed in the
Battle of Mohács. Within a few years after Mohács,
the country came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire.
Through the centuries the Kingdom of Hungary kept its old "constitution",
which granted special "freedoms" or rights to the large
nobility and ethnic or ethnic-like groups like the Saxons resident
in Hungary or the Jassic people, and to free royal towns such as
Buda, Kassa (Košice, now Slovakia), Pozsony (German Pressburg,
Slovak Bratislava, now the capital of Slovakia), Kolozsvár
(today Cluj-Napoca, Romania).
[edit] Ottoman occupation 1526-1686
Main articles: Ottoman Hungary, Wesselényi conspiracy, Kuruc,
House of Esterházy, Battle of Saint Gotthard (1664), and
Knightly Order of Vitéz
Dózsa's peasant war
Hungary around 1550After some 150 years of wars with the Ottoman
Empire in the south, the Turks conquered parts of Hungary, and continued
their expansion until 1556. The Ottomans gained their first decisive
victory over the Hungarian army at the Battle of Mohács in
1526. The next decades were characterised by political chaos; the
divided Hungarian nobility elected two kings simultaneously, 'Szapolyai
János' (1526-1540) and Ferdinand Habsburg (1527-1540), whose
armed conflicts weakened the country further. With the conquest
of Buda in 1541 by the Turks, Hungary fell into three parts. The
north-western part (Present-day Slovakia, western Transdanubia,
present-day Burgenland, western Croatia and parts of north-eastern
present-day Hungary) remained under the rule of the Habsburgs, and
although formally was independent, subsequently became a province
of their empire under the informal name Royal Hungary. The Habsburg
Emperors were crowned as Kings of Hungary. The eastern part of the
kingdom (Partium and Transylvania), in turn, became an independent
Principality, and a Turkish vassal state. The remaining central
area (mostly present-day Hungary), including the capital of Buda,
became a province of the Ottoman Empire. A large part of the area
became devastated by permanent warfare. Most smaller settlements
disappeared. Rural people could survive only in larger settlements
owned directly and protected by the Sultan, in the so called Khaz
towns. The Turks were indifferent to the type of Christian religion
of their subjects and the Habsburg counter-reformation measures
could not reach this area. As a result, the majority of the population
of the area became Protestant (Calvinist). In 1686, Austria-led
Christian forces reconquered Buda, and in the next few years, all
of the country except areas near Temesvár. In the 1699 Treaty
of Karlowitz these changes were officially recognized, and in 1718
the entire Kingdom of Hungary was restored from the Ottomans.
Ferenc RákócziPozsony (Pressburg, today: Bratislava)
became the new capital (1536-1784), coronation town (1563-1830)
and seat of the Diet (1536-1848) of Hungary. Trnava in turn, became
the religious center in 1541. Parallelly, between 1604 and 1711,
there was a series of anti-Habsburg (i.e. anti-Austrian) and anti-Catholic
(requiring equal rights and freedom for all Christian religions)
uprisings, which – with the exception of the last one –
took place in Royal Hungary, more exactly on the territory of present-day
Slovakia. The uprisings were usually organized from Transylvania.
The last one was an uprising led by 'II. Rákóczi Ferenc',
who was chosen by the people to be the future king. When Austrians
crushed the rebellion in 1711, Rákóczi was in Poland.
He later fled to France, finally Turkey, and lived to the end of
his life (1735) in nearby Rodosto. Afterwards, to make further armed
resistance impossible, the Austrians blew up some castles (most
of the castles on the border between the now-reclaimed territories
occupied earlier by the Ottomans and Royal Hungary), and allowed
peasants to use the stones from most of the others as building material
(the végvárs among them).
[edit] 18th and 19th century
Main articles: History of Hungary 1700-1919 and István Széchenyi
Much of the 18th century was characterized by a reconstruction of
the country. The Habsburg rulers pursued a re-settlement of ravaged
areas with new immigrants from present-day Austria and Germany,
from the northern and eastern parts of the country (present-day
Slovakia and Romania), and from Serbia. In the final decades of
the century, influenced by the French revolution, and in response
to attempts at Germanisation by Joseph II (ruled 1780-1790), there
emerged a national revival movement in Hungary of the Magyars, but
also of all the other non-Magyar nationalities living in the Kingdom
of Hungary. During the Napoleonic Wars and afterwards, the Hungarian
Diet had not convened for decades. In the 1820s, the Emperor was
forced to convene the Diet, and thus a Reform Period began. Nevertheless,
its progress was slow, because the nobles insisted on retaining
their privileges (no taxation, exclusive voting rights, etc.). Therefore
the achievements were mostly of national character (e.g. introduction
of Hungarian as the official language of the country, instead of
the former Latin). The other nationalities of the country protested
against these measures. The first measurements of the population
on the area of the Kingdom of Hungary (including Croatia) were performed
in the late 18th century. Different estimates based on these measurements
put the proportion of the Magyars in the Kingdom (with or without
Croatia) at 29% to 42% towards the end of the 18th century. A first
thorough research in 1836-40 put the percentage of Magyars at 36-37%
(without Croatia 48%) and a census in 1850-51 at 45.4% in all the
territory of the Kingdom of Hungary. The official percentages of
the other nationalities according to the 1850-51 census (although
it was criticised for bias towards the percentage of Hungarians
and Germans already at that time) were:
Slovaks (18.6%)
Germans (11.8%)
Romanians (10.1%)
Serbs and Croats (5.6%)
Ruthenians (Rusyns) (4.8%)
Others (3.7%)
The Habsburg Emperors and particularly the chancellor Metternich
refused to implement reforms and this led to a national revolution.
[edit] The 1848 Revolution (1848-1849) and aftermath
Main articles: Revolutions of 1848 in Hungary, Lajos Kossuth, and
Battle of Pákozd
Artist Mihály Zichy's rendition of Sándor Petofi reciting
the Nemzeti dal to a crowd on March 15, 1848On March 15, 1848, mass
demonstrations in Pest and Buda enabled Hungarian reformists to
push through a list of 12 demands. Faced with revolution both at
home and in Vienna, Austria first had to accept Hungarian demands.
Later, under governor Lajos Kossuth and the first Prime minister,
Lajos Batthyány, the House of Habsburg was dethroned and
the form of government was changed to create the first Republic
of Hungary. After the Austrian revolution was suppressed, and Franz
Joseph replaced his epileptic uncle Ferdinand I as Emperor during
the subsequent war, the Magyars (and failed revolutionaries from
abroad) had to fight against the Austrian Army, but also against
those Serbs, Croats, Slovaks, Romanians and Transylvanian Germans
living on the territory of the Kingdom of Hungary, who had their
own ethnic-national movements, and were unwilling to accept Hungarian
dominance. At the same time, some members of these ethnic groups
fought with the Hungarian army, like General János Damjanich,
an ethnic Serb who became a Hungarian national hero through his
command of the 3rd Hungarian Army Corps. Initially, the Hungarian
forces (Honvédség) defeated Austrian armies. To counter
the successes of the Hungarian revolutionary army, Franz Joseph
asked for help from the "Gendarme of Europe," Czar Nicholas
I, whose Russian armies invaded Hungary. The huge army of the Russian
Empire and the remnants of the Austrian forces proved too powerful
for the Hungarian army, and General Artúr Görgey surrendered
in August 1849. Julius Freiherr von Haynau, the leader of the Austrian
army, then became governor of Hungary for a few months and on October
6, ordered the execution of 13 leaders of the Hungarian army as
well as Prime Minister Batthyány. Lajos Kossuth escaped into
exile.
Map of the counties in the Kingdom of Hungary around 1880
Heroes' Square in BudapestFollowing the war of 1848-49, the whole
country was in "passive resistance". Archduke Albrecht
von Habsburg was appointed governor of the Kingdom of Hungary, and
this time was remembered for Germanization pursued with the help
of Czech officers.
[edit] Austria-Hungary (1867-1918)
Main articles: Austria-Hungary, Magyarization, and Black Hand
Due to external and internal problems, reforms seemed inevitable
to secure the integrity of the Habsburg Empire. Major military defeats,
like the Battle of Königgrätz (1866), forced the Emperor
to concede internal reforms. To appease Hungarian separatism, the
Emperor made a deal with the Hungarian nobility led by Ferenc Deák,
called the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, by which the dual
Monarchy of Austria-Hungary came into existence. The Empire was
reorganised into two entities: the mostly western half of the realm,
Cisleithania, and the Kingdom of Hungary, Transleithania. The two
realms were governed separately with a common ruler and common external,
military, and economic policies. The first premier of the Kingdom
of Hungary after the Compromise was Count Gyula Andrássy.
The Hungarian Constitution was restored, and Franz Joseph was crowned
as King of Hungary. The autonomy of the Kingdom was partly achieved.
There was also a Hungarian-Croatian Compromise of 1868, as Croatia,
an already highly autonomous part of the Kingdom, broadened its
constitutional freedom. Hungarian politicians gained strong influence
on the Empire's political life and successfully prevented the change
of the status quo in favour of other ethnic groups, notably the
Czechs and the Southern Slavs. By the turn of the century, the diverse
political development of the two realms raised increasing doubts
about the political framework of the Monarchy. Attempts to transform
the dual monarchy to a trial state or a confederacy remained futile.
Besides the German-Magyar, Czech-Magyar conflicts about the future
of the dual monarchy, ethnic problems escalated inside the Kingdom
of Hungary. The intensifying Hungarian nationalism – intended
to strengthen the integrity of the Kingdom – gradually alienated
the non-Magyar population (see Magyarization). As a reaction, the
already significant Romanian, Serbian and Slovak nationalism further
escalated. According to the census in 1910, 54% of the population
of the Kingdom (excluding Croatia, mostly autonomous since 1868)
used the Hungarian language. The percentages of the next 3 most
numerous languages were as follows: Romanian 16%, Slovak 11%, German
10%. In contrast to political problems, the era witnessed an impressive
economic development. The formerly backward Kingdom of Hungary become
a relatively modern, industrialized country by the turn of the century,
although agriculture remained the dominant part of the economy.
Many of the state institutions and the administrative system of
modern Hungary were established during this period. In First World
War Hungary was fighting on the side of Austria. Hungarian troops
were fighting against Russians near Premsyl, in Caporetto, where
they were thought to be very reliable and been on the forefront,
also, Hungarians have pushed back Romanian forces from Transylvania.
In 1918, by a notion of Wilson's pacifism, the army of Hungary was
dismissed, leaving the country undefended.
[edit] Reds and Whites (1918-1919)
Main articles: Hungarian Soviet Republic, Hungarian Communist Party,
Union of Transylvania with Romania, Béla Kun, and Hungarian
Revolutionary War
Difference between the borders of the Kingdom of Hungary before
and after the Treaty of Trianon.In 1918, as a result of defeat in
World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy collapsed. On October
31, 1918, the success of the Aster Revolution in Budapest brought
the liberal count Mihály Károlyi to power as Prime-Minister.
The new government officially declared Hungary an independent republic
on November 16, after the end of the war. On 22 November 1918 the
Central Romanian Council of Romanians from Transylvania announced
to the Hungarian government that it had assumed control of Transylvania.
On 1 December 1918 the gathering of Alba Iulia (Gyulafehérvár)
proclaimed union of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania. By
February 1919 the government had lost all popular support, having
failed on the domestic and military fronts. On March 21, after the
Entente military representative demanded more territorial concessions
from Hungary, Károlyi resigned. The Communist Party of Hungary
came to power, led by Béla Kun, and proclaimed the Hungarian
Soviet Republic. The Communists – "The Reds" –
came to power largely thanks to being the only group with an organized
fighting force, and they promised that Hungary would regain the
lands it had lost (possibly with the help of the Soviet Red Army).
The Communists also promised equality and social justice. Initially,
Kun's regime achieved some impressive military successes: the Hungarian
Red Army, under the lead of the genius strategist, Colonel Aurél
Stromfeld, ousted Czechoslovak troops from disputed lands, proclaimed
an ephemeral Slovak Soviet Republic, and planned to march against
the Romanian army in Transylvania. In terms of domestic policy,
the Communist government nationalized industrial and commercial
enterprises, socialized housing, transport, banking, medicine, cultural
institutions, and all landholdings of more than 400,000 square metres.
Still, the popular support of the Communists proved to be short
lived. In the aftermath of a coup attempt, the government took a
series of reprisals (called the Red Terror) by half-regular and
half-militarist detachments (like the "Lenin boys"). A
total of 590 people were executed without trial, which alienated
much of the population. Land reform took land from the nobles but
did not effectively distribute it amongst peasants. The Soviet Red
Army was never able to aid the new Hungarian republic. Although
it did not lose any battles, the Hungarian Red Army gave up land
under pressure from the Entente. In the face of domestic backlash
and an advancing Romanian force, Béla Kun and most of his
comrades fled to Austria, while Budapest was occupied on August
6. All these events, and in particular the final military defeat,
led to a deep feeling of dislike among the general population against
the Soviet Union (which had not kept its promise to offer military
assistance) and the Jews (since many members of Kun's government
were Jewish, making it easy to blame the Jews for the government's
mistakes). The new fighting force in Hungary were the Conservative
counter-revolutionaries – the "Whites". These, who
had been organizing in Vienna and established a counter-government
in Szeged, assumed power, led by István Bethlen, a Transylvanian
aristocrat, and Miklós Horthy, the former commander in chief
of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Starting in Western Hungary and spreading
throughout the country, a White Terror began by other half-regular
and half-militarist detachments (as the police power crashed, there
were no serious national regular forces and authorities), and many
Communists and other leftists were executed without trial. Radical
Whites launched pogroms against the Jews, displayed as the cause
of all the difficulties of Hungary. The leaving Romanian army pillaged
the country: livestock, machinery and agricultural products were
carried to Romania in hundreds of freight cars. [21][22] The estimated
property damage of their activity was so much that the international
peace conference in 1919 did not require Hungary to pay war redemption
to Romania.[citation needed] On November 16, with the consent of
Romanian forces, Horthy's army marched into Budapest. His government
gradually restored security, stopped terror, and set up authorities,
but thousands of sympathizers of the Károlyi and Kun regimes
were imprisoned. Radical political movements were suppressed.
[edit] The Regency 1920-1944
Main articles: Conflict between Charles I of Austria and Miklós
Horthy, Treaty of Trianon, Hungary between the two world wars, Greater
Hungary (political concept), History of the Jews in Hungary, Hungarian
interwar economy, Carpathian Ruthenia, First Vienna Award, Second
Vienna Award, and Slovak-Hungarian War
In January 1920, Hungarian men and women cast the first secret ballots
in the country's political history. The voting was not totally democratic,
because the entire left-wing either boycotted or was excluded from
the voting. A large right-wing majority was elected to a unicameral
assembly. In March, the parliament annulled the Compromise of 1867,
and it restored the Hungarian monarchy but postponed electing a
king until civil disorder had subsided. Instead, Miklos Horthy was
elected Regent and was empowered, among other things, to appoint
Hungary's Prime Minister, veto legislation, convene or dissolve
the parliament, and command the armed forces.
Hungary's signing of the Treaty of Trianon on June 4, 1920, ratified
the country's dismemberment. The territorial provisions of the treaty,
which ensured continued discord between Hungary and its neighbors,
required Hungary to surrender more than two-thirds of its pre-war
lands. Nearly one-third of the 10 million ethnic Hungarians found
themselves outside the diminished homeland. The country's ethnic
composition was left almost homogeneous, Hungarians constituting
about 90% of the population, Germans made up about 6%, and Slovaks,
Croats, Romanians, Jews and Gypsies accounted for the remainder.[citation
needed] New international borders separated Hungary's industrial
base from its sources of raw materials and its former markets for
agricultural and industrial products. Hungary lost 84% of its timber
resources, 43% of its arable land, and 83% of its iron ore.[citation
needed] Because most of the country's pre-war industry was concentrated
near Budapest, Hungary retained about 51% of its industrial population,
56% of its industry, 82% of its heavy industry, and 70% of its banks.[citation
needed] Horthy appointed Count Pál Teleki as Prime Minister
in July 1920. His right-wing government issued a numerus clausus
law, limiting admission of "political insecure elements"
(these were often Jews) to universities and, in order to quiet rural
discontent, took initial steps toward fulfilling a promise of major
land reform by dividing about 3,850 km² from the largest estates
into smallholdings. Teleki's government resigned, however, after
the former emperor, Charles IV, unsuccessfully attempted to retake
Hungary's throne in March 1921. King Charles's return produced split
parties between conservatives who favored a Habsburg restoration
and nationalist right-wing radicals who supported election of a
Hungarian king. Count István Bethlen, a non-affiliated right-wing
member of the parliament, took advantage of this rift forming a
new Party of Unity under his leadership. Horthy then appointed Bethlen
prime minister. Charles IV died soon after he failed a second time
to reclaim the throne in October 1921. (For more detail on Charles's
attempts to retake the throne, see Charles IV of Hungary's conflict
with Miklós Horthy.)
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya, Regent of HungaryAs prime
minister, Bethlen dominated Hungarian politics between 1921 and
1931. He fashioned a political machine by amending the electoral
law, providing jobs in the expanding bureaucracy to his supporters,
and manipulating elections in rural areas. Bethlen restored order
to the country by giving the radical counterrevolutionaries payoffs
and government jobs in exchange for ceasing their campaign of terror
against Jews and leftists. In 1921, he made a deal with the Social
Democrats and trade unions (called Bethlen-Peyer Pact), agreeing,
among other things, to legalize their activities and free political
prisoners in return for their pledge to refrain from spreading anti-Hungarian
propaganda, calling political strikes, and organizing the peasantry.
Bethlen brought Hungary into the League of Nations in 1922 and out
of international isolation by signing a treaty of friendship with
Italy in 1927. The revision of the Treaty of Trianon rose to the
top of Hungary's political agenda and the strategy employed by Bethlen
consisted by strengthening the economy and building relations with
stronger nations. Revision of the treaty had such a broad backing
in Hungary that Bethlen used it, at least in part, to deflect criticism
of his economic, social, and political policies. The Great Depression
induced a drop in the standard of living and the political mood
of the country shifted further toward the right. In 1932 Horthy
appointed a new prime-minister, Gyula Gömbös, that changed
the course of Hungarian policy towards closer cooperation with Germany
and started an effort to magyarize the few remaining ethnic minorities
in Hungary. Gömbös signed a trade agreement with Germany
that drew Hungary's economy out of depression but made Hungary dependent
on the German economy for both raw materials and markets. Adolf
Hitler used promises of returning lost territories, and threats
of military intervention and economic pressure to compel Hungarians
into supporting Nazi policies, including those related to Jews.
In 1935, Hungary's leading fascist party, Ferenc Szálasi's
Arrow Cross, was founded. Gömbös' successor, Kálmán
Darányi attempted to appease both the Nazis and Hungarian
antisemites by passing the First Jewish Law, which set quotas limiting
Jews to 20% of positions in several professions. The law satisfied
neither the Nazis nor Hungary's own radicals, and when Darányi
resigned in May of 1938, Béla Imrédy was appointed
Prime Minister. Imrédy’s attempts to improve Hungary’s
diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom initially made him
very unpopular with Germany and Italy. Undoubtedly aware of Germany's
Anschluss with Austria in March, he realized that he could not afford
to alienate Germany and Italy on a long term basis; in the autumn
of 1938 his foreign policy became very much pro-German and pro-Italian.
[23] Intent on amassing a base of power in Hungarian right wing
politics, Imrédy began to suppress political rivals, so the
increasingly influential Arrow Cross Party was harassed, and eventually
banned by Imrédy’s administration. As Imrédy
drifted further to the right, he proposed that the government be
reorganized along totalitarian lines and drafted a harsher Second
Jewish Law. The new government of Pál Teleki approved the
Second Jewish Law, which greatly restricted Jewish employment and
defined Jews by race instead of religion. This definition altered
the status of those who had formerly converted from Judaism to Christianity.
[edit] Hungary in World War II (1941-1945)
Main articles: Hungary during the Second World War, First Army (Hungary),
Hungarian Second Army, Arrow Cross Party, Hungarian Gold Train,
Battle of Debrecen, Hungarian Volunteers in the Winter War, Occupation
of Vojvodina, 1941-1944, Raoul Wallenberg, and Soviet occupation
of Hungary
A Turan I tank of the Hungarian 2nd Armoured Division in action
near Debrecen, 1944.In 1941, Hungary participated in the invasion
of Yugoslavia, gaining some territory but effectively joining the
Axis powers in the process (showing his non-agreement, prime minister
Pál Teleki committed suicide). On 22 June 1941, Germany invaded
the Soviet Union using the code name Operation Barbarossa. Hungary
joined the German effort and declared war on the Soviet Union on
26 June, and entered World War II on the side of the Axis. In late
1941, the Hungarian troops on the Eastern Front experienced success
at the Battle of Uman. By 1943, after the Hungarian Second Army
suffered extremely heavy losses at the river Don, the Hungarian
government sought to negotiate a surrender with the Allies. On 19
March 1944, as a result of this duplicity, German troops quietly
occupied Hungary in what was known as Operation Margarethe. But,
by now it was clear that the Hungarians were Germany's "unwilling
satellite". On 15 October 1944, Horthy made a token effort
to disengage Hungary from the war. This time the Germans launched
Operation Panzerfaust and Horthy was replaced by a puppet government
under the pro-German Prime Minister Ferenc Szálasi. Szálasi
and his pro-Nazi Arrow Cross Party remained loyal to the Germans
until the end of the war. In late 1944, Hungarian troops on the
Eastern Front again experienced success at the Battle of Debrecen.
But this was followed immediately by the Soviet invasion of Hungary
and the Battle of Budapest. During the German occupation in May-June
1944, the Arrow Cross Party and Hungarian police deported nearly
440,000 Jews, mostly to Auschwitz.[24] Over 400,000 Hungarian Jews
were murdered during the Holocaust, as well as tens of thousands
of Romani people. Hundreds of Hungarian people were also executed
by the Arrow Cross Party for sheltering Jews. The war left Hungary
devastated destroying over 60% of the economy and causing huge loss
of life. On 13 February 1945, the Hungarian capital city surrendered
unconditionally. On 8 May 1945, World War II in Europe officially
ended.
Communist era (1947-1989)
Main articles: State Protection Authority, Hungarian Revolution
of 1956, Imre Nagy, People's Republic of Hungary, Germans of Hungary,
Goulash Communism, József Mindszenty, and Golden Team
Statue Park
Hungarian Revolution of 1956Following the fall of Nazi Germany,
Soviet troops occupied all of the country and through their influence
Hungary gradually became a communist satellite state of the Soviet
Union. After 1948, Communist leader Mátyás Rákosi
established Stalinist rule in the country complete with forced collectivization
and planned economy. The rule of the Rákosi government was
nearly unbearable for Hungary's war-torn citizens. This led to the
1956 Hungarian Revolution and Hungary's temporary withdrawal from
the Warsaw Pact. The Soviets retaliated massively with military
force, sending in over 150,000 troops and 2,500 tanks[25]. Nearly
a quarter of a million people left the country during the brief
time that the borders were open in 1956. From the 1960s through
the late 1980s, Hungary was often satirically referred to as "the
happiest barrack" within the Eastern bloc. This was under the
autocratic rule of its controversial communist leader, János
Kádár. The last Soviet soldier left the country in
1991 thus ending Soviet military presence in Hungary. With the Soviet
Union gone the transition to a market economy began.
[edit] Hungarian Republic (1989-)
In June 1987 Károly Grósz took over as premier. In
January 1988 all restrictions were lifted on foreign travel. In
March demonstrations for democracy and civil rights brought 15,000
onto the streets. In May, after Kádár’s forced
retirement, Grósz was named party secretary general. Under
Grósz, Hungary began moving towards full democracy, change
accelerated under the impetus of other party reformers such as Imre
Pozsgay and Rezso Nyers. Also in June 1988, 30,000 demonstrated
against Romania’s plans to demolish Transsylvanian villages.
In February, 1989 the Communist Party’s Central Committee,
responding to ’public dissatisfaction’, announced it
would permit a multi-party system in Hungary and hold free elections.
In March for the first time in decades, the government declared
the anniversary of the 1848 Revolution a national holiday. Opposition
demonstrations filled the streets of Budapest with more than 75,000
marchers. Grósz met Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow, who condoned
Hungary’s moves toward a multi-party system and promised that
the USSR will not interfere in Hungary’s internal affairs.
In May, Hungary began taking down its barbed wire fence along the
Austrian border – the first tear in the Iron Curtain. June
brought the reburial of Prime Minister Nagy, executed after the
1956 Revolution, that drew a crowd of 250,000 at the Heroes’
Square. The last speaker, 26-year-old Viktor Orbán publicly
called for Soviet troops to leave Hungary. In July U.S. President
George Bush visited Hungary. In September Foreign Minister Gyula
Horn announced that East German refugees in Hungary would not be
repatriated but would instead be allowed to go to the West. The
resulting exodus shook East Germany and hastened the fall of the
Berlin Wall.
At a party congress in October 1989 the Communists agreed to give
up their monopoly on power, paving the way for free elections in
March 1990. The party’s name was changed from the Hungarian
Socialist Workers’ Party to simply the Hungarian Socialist
Party (MSZP) and a new programme advocating social democracy and
a free-market economy was adopted. This was not enough to shake
off the stigma of four decades of autocratic rule, however, and
the 1990 election was won by the centrist Hungarian Democratic Forum
(MDF), which advocated a gradual transition towards capitalism.
The social-democratic Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ), which
had called for much faster change, came second and the Socialist
Party trailed far behind. As Gorbachev looked on, Hungary changed
political systems with scarcely a murmur and the last Soviet troops
left Hungary in June 1991.
In coalition with two smaller parties, the MDF provided Hungary
with sound government during its hard transition to a full market
economy. Antall died in December 1993 and was replaced by Interior
Minister Péter Boross.
The economic changes of the past few years have resulted in declining
living standards for most people in Hungary. In 1991 most state
subsidies were removed, leading to a severe recession exacerbated
by the fiscal austerity necessary to reduce inflation and stimulate
investment. This made life difficult for many Hungarians, and in
the May 1994 elections the Hungarian Socialist Party led by former
Communists won an absolute majority in parliament. This in no way
implied a return to the past, and party leader Gyula Horn was quick
to point out that it was his party that had initiated the whole
reform process in the first place (as foreign minister in 1989 Horn
played a key role in opening Hungary's border with Austria). All
three main political parties advocate economic liberalisation and
closer ties with the West. In March 1996, Horn was re-elected as
Socialist Party leader and confirmed that he would push ahead with
the party’s economic stabilisation programme.
In 1997 in a national referendum 85% voted in favour of Hungary
joining the NATO. A year later the European Union began negotiations
with Hungary on full membership. In 1999 Hungary joined NATO. Hungary
voted in favour of joining the EU, and joined in 2004.
[edit] Politics
The Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest.Main article: Politics
of Hungary
The President of the Republic, elected by the Parliament every five
years, has a largely ceremonial role, choosing the dates of the
parliamentary elections.
The Prime Minister is elected by Parliament and can only be removed
by a constructive vote of no confidence. The prime minister selects
Cabinet ministers and has the exclusive right to dismiss them. Each
Cabinet nominee appears before one or more parliamentary committees
in open hearings and must be formally approved by the President.
A unicameral, 386-member National Assembly (the Országgyulés)
is the highest organ of state authority and initiates and approves
legislation sponsored by the Prime Minister. National Parliamentary
elections are held every four years; the next are due to be held
in 2010.
An 11-member Constitutional Court has power to challenge legislation
on grounds of unconstitutionality.
[edit] Regions, counties, and subregions
Counties of HungaryMain articles: Counties of Hungary, Regions of
Hungary, and Subregions of Hungary
See also List of historic counties of Hungary
Administratively, Hungary is divided into 19 counties. In addition,
the capital city (fováros), Budapest, is independent of any
county government. The counties and the capital are the 20 NUTS
third-level units of Hungary.
The counties are further subdivided into 173 subregions (kistérségek),
and Budapest is comprised of its own subregion. Since 1996, the
counties and City of Budapest have been grouped into 7 regions for
statistical and development purposes. These seven regions constitute
NUTS' second-level units of Hungary.
There are also 23 towns with county rights (singular megyei jogú
város), sometimes known as "urban counties" in
English (although there is no such term in Hungarian). The local
authorities of these towns have extended powers, but these towns
belong to the territory of the respective county instead of being
independent territorial units.
Places Images
Counties (County Capital)
Bács-Kiskun (Kecskemét)
Baranya (Pécs)
Békés (Békéscsaba)
Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén (Miskolc)
Csongrád (Szeged)
Fejér (Székesfehérvár)
Gyor-Moson-Sopron (Gyor)
Hajdú-Bihar (Debrecen)
Heves (Eger)
Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok (Szolnok)
Komárom-Esztergom (Tatabánya)
Nógrád (Salgótarján)
Pest (Budapest)
Somogy (Kaposvár)
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg (Nyíregyháza)
Tolna (Szekszárd)
Vas (Szombathely)
Veszprém (Veszprém)
Zala (Zalaegerszeg)
Budapest, capital city
Regions
Western Transdanubia
Southern Transdanubia
Central Transdanubia
Central Hungary
Northern Hungary
Northern Great Plain
Southern Great Plain
Budapest, capital city
Debrecen
Szeged
Pécs
Gyor
Miskolc
Kecskemét
Székesfehérvár
Veszprém
Eger
Sopron
Koszeg
[edit] Economy
Hungarian National BankMain article: Economy of Hungary
Hungary held its first multi-party elections in 1990, following
four decades of Communist rule, and has succeeded in transforming
its centrally planned economy into a market economy. Both foreign
ownership of and foreign investment in Hungarian firms are widespread.
The governing coalition, comprising the Hungarian Socialist Party
and the liberal Alliance of Free Democrats, prevailed in the April
2006 general election. Hungary needs to reduce government spending
and further reform its economy in order to meet the 2012-13 target
date for accession to the euro zone.
Planned general government net lending 2005-2010.Hungary continues
to demonstrate economic growth as one of the newest member countries
of the European Union (since 2004). The private sector accounts
for over 80% of GDP. Hungary gets nearly one third of all foreign
direct investment flowing in to Central Europe, with cumulative
foreign direct investment totalling more than US$23 billion since
1989. It enjoys strong trade, fiscal, monetary, investment, business,
and labor freedoms. The top income tax rate is fairly high, but
corporate taxes are low. Inflation is low, it was on the rise in
the past few years, but it is now starting to regulate. Investment
in Hungary is easy, although it is subject to government licensing
in security-sensitive areas. Foreign capital enjoys virtually the
same protections and privileges as domestic capital. The rule of
law is strong, a professional judiciary protects property rights,
and the level of corruption is low. Total government spending is
high, and many state-owned enterprises have not been privatized.
Business licensing is also a problem, as regulations are not applied
consistently.[26]
Hungarian Forint (obverse)According to the conservative thinktank
Heritage foundation, Hungary's economy was 67.2 percent "free"
in 2008[27], which makes it the world's 43rd freest economy. Its
overall score is 1 percent lower than last year, partially reflecting
new methodological detail. Hungary is ranked 25th out of 41 countries
in the European region, and its overall score is slightly lower
than the regional average.[28]
The Hungarian sovereign debt's credit rating is BBB+ as of July
2006, making Hungary the only other country in the EU apart from
Poland not to enjoy an A grade score. Foreign investors' trust in
the Hungarian economy has declined, as they deem that the stringency
measures planned in the second half of 2006 are not satisfactory,
their focus being mainly on increasing the income side rather than
curbing government spendings. Economic reform measures such as health
care reform, tax reform, and local government financing are being
addressed by the present government.
[edit] Geography
Main article: Geography of Hungary
See also: List of national parks of Hungary
Topographic map of Hungary
[edit] Landscape
Kékes Peak in Mátra MountainsSlightly more than one
half of Hungary's landscape consists of flat to rolling plains of
the Carpathian Basin: the most important plain regions include the
Little Hungarian Plain in the west, and the Great Hungarian Plain
in the southeast. The highest elevation above sea level on the latter
is only 183 metres.
Transdanubia is a primarily hilly region with a terrain varied
by low mountains. These include the very eastern stretch of the
Alps, Alpokalja, in the west of the country, the Transdanubian Medium
Mountains, in the central region of Transdanubia, and the Mecsek
Mountains and Villány Mountains in the south. The highest
point of the area is the Írott-ko in the Alps, at 882 metres.
The highest mountains of the country are located in the Carpathians:
these lie in the northern parts, in a wide band along the Slovakian
border (highest point: the Kékes at 1,014 m (3327 ft)).
Hungary is divided in two by its main waterway, the Danube (Duna);
other large rivers include the Tisza and Dráva, while Transdanubia
contains Lake Balaton, a major body of water. The largest thermal
lake in the world, Lake Hévíz (Hévíz
Spa), is located in Hungary. The second largest lake in the Carpathian
Basin is the artificial Lake Tisza (Tisza-tó).
[edit] Climate
Hungary has a Continental Climate [29], with hot summers with low
overall humidity levels but frequent rainshowers and frigid to cold
snowy winters. Average annual temperature is 9.7 °C (49.5 °F).
Temperature extremes are about 42 °C (110 °F) in the summer
and -29 °C (-20 °F) in the winter. Average temperature in
the summer is 27 to 35 °C (81 to 95 °F), and in the winter
it is 0 to -15 °C (32 to 5 °F). The average yearly rainfall
is approximately 600 millimeters (24 in). A small, southern region
of the country near Pécs enjoys a reputation for a Mediterranean
climate, but in reality it is only slightly warmer than the rest
of the country and still receives snow during the winter.
Visegrád by the Danube Bend
Hungarian Grey Cattle in the Great Hungarian Plain
Great Hungarian Plain
Transdanubia
Sunset by Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton
Old abbey in village Bélapátfalva at the foot of the
Bükk Mountains
The Castle of Vázsonyko in village Nagyvázsony
Military
Main article: Military of Hungary
[edit] Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Hungary
[edit] Hungary's population by ethnicity
Ethnic composition of Hungary
Hungarian ? 94%
Roma ? 2%
German ? 1.2%
Slovak ? 0.4%
Other ? 2.3%
For 95% of the population, mostly Hungarians, the mother tongue
is Hungarian, a Finno-Ugric language unrelated to any neighbouring
language and distantly related to Finnish and Estonian. Several
ethnic minorities exist: Roma (2.1%), Germans (1.2%), Slovaks (0.4%),
Croats (0.2%), Romanians (0.1%), Ukrainians (0.1%), and Serbs (0.1%).[30]
The Roma minority
Main article: Romani people
The real number of Roma people, known colloquially as "Gypsies",
in Hungary is a disputed question. In the 2001 census, only 190,000
people declared themselves Roma, but experts and Roma organisations
estimate that there are between 450,000 and 600,000 Roma living
in Hungary.[31] Since World War II, the size of the Roma population
has increased rapidly. Today every fifth or sixth newborn Hungarian
child belongs to the Roma minority. Estimates based on demographic
trends claim that in 2050 15-20 percent of the population (1.2 million
people) will be Roma.[32]
Counties with the highest concentration of Roma minority are Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg (officially 45'525 and 25'612
people in 2001)[33], but there are other regions with a traditionally
high Roma population like parts of Baranya and the middle reaches
of the Tisza valley. Although they were traditionally living in
the countryside, under general urbanization trends from the second
half of the 20th century many of them moved into the cities. There
is a sizeable Roma minority living in Budapest (12'273 people in
2001, officially).
Romas (called cigányok or romák in Hungarian) suffer
particular problems in Hungary. Rampant poverty and a subsequent
lack of education are the main origin of the bad position of the
Romas. Racial prejudice compounds the issue. The traditional lifestyle
of the Romas is often an obstacle to integration into society and
it is a source of conflicts, especially in the villages. As a result,
school segregation is especially acute, with many Roma children
sent to classes for pupils with learning disabilities. Slightly
more than 80% of Roma children complete primary education, but only
one third continue studies into the intermediate (secondary) level.
This is far lower than the more than 90% proportion of children
of non-Roma families who continue studies at an intermediate level.
The situation is made still worse by the fact that a large proportion
of young Roma are qualified in subjects that provide them only limited
chances for employment. Less than 1% of Roma hold higher educational
certificates. Their low status on the job market and higher unemployment
rates cause poverty, widespread social problems and crime.[34]
[edit] Ethnic Hungarians in neighbouring countries
For historical reasons (see Treaty of Trianon), significant Hungarian
minority populations can be found in the surrounding countries,
notably in Romania (in Transylvania), Slovakia, Serbia (in Vojvodina),
Ukraine (in Transcarpathia), Croatia (mainly Slavonia) and Austria
(in Burgenland); Slovenia is also host to a number of ethnic Magyars,
where Hungarian language has an official status. See also:
Hungarian minority in Romania
Hungarians in Vojvodina
Hungarians in Slovakia
[edit] Religion in Hungary
;
Religious affiliation in Hungary (2001) Denominations Population
% of total
Christianity 7,584,115 74.4
Catholicism 5,558,901 54.5
Roman Catholics 5,289,521 51.9
Greek Catholics 268,935 2.6
Protestantism 1,985,576 19.47
Calvinists 1,622,796 15.9
Lutherans 304,705 3.0
Baptists 17,705 0.2
Unitarians 6,541 0.1
Other Protestants 33,829 0.3
Orthodoxism 15,298 0.1
Other Christians 24,340 0.2
Judaism 12,871 0.1
Other religions 13,567 0.1
Total religions 7,610,553 74.6
No religion 1,483,369 14.5
Did not wish to answer 1,034,767 10.1
Unknown 69,566 0.7
total 10,198,315 100.00
[edit] In the past
Basilica in Esztergom
Matthias Church in BudapestThe majority of Hungarian people became
Christian in the 10th century. Hungary's first king, Saint Stephen,
took up Western Christianity, although his mother, Sarolt, was baptized
in the eastern rite. Hungary remained predominantly Catholic until
the 16th century, when the Reformation took place and, as a result,
first Lutheranism, then soon afterwards Calvinism became the religion
of almost the entire population. In the second half of the 16th
century, however, Jesuits led a successful campaign of counterreformation
among the Hungarians. The Jesuits founded educational institutions,
including Péter Pázmány, the oldest university
that still exists in Hungary, but organized so-called missions too
in order to promote popular piety. By the 17th century, Hungary
had once again become predominantly Catholic. The eastern parts
of the country, however, especially around Debrecen ("the Calvinist
Vatican") and Transylvania (except the majority of the Székelys),
remained predominantly Protestant. Orthodox Christianity in Hungary
has been the religion mainly of some national minorities in the
country, notably, Romanians, Rusyns and Ukrainians, Serbs.
Hungary has been the home of a sizable Armenian community as well.
They still worship according to the Armenian rite, but they have
reunited with the Church of Rome (Armenian Catholics) under the
primacy of the Pope. According to the same pattern, a significant
number of Byzantine Rite Christians became re-united with the rest
of the Catholic world (Greek Catholics).
[edit] Jewish Hungarians
Main article: History_of_the_Jews_in_Hungary
Hungary has been the home of a significant number of Jews, especially
since the 19th century when many Jews, persecuted in Russia, found
refuge in the Kingdom of Hungary. The largest synagogue in Europe
is located in Budapest. However, the Hungarian Jews did not escape
the Holocaust during World War II, and hundreds of thousands of
them were either deported to concentration camps or simply executed.
[edit] Today
The 2001 Hungarian Census[35] showed religious adherency to be the
following... Catholics 54.5%, Calvinist 15.9%, No Religion 14.5%,
refused to answer 10.1%, Lutheran 3% and other 2%.
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005,[36]
44% of Hungarian citizens responded that "they believe there
is a God".
31% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit
or life force".
19% answered that "they do not believe there is any sort of
spirit, God, or life force".
[edit] Culture
Main article: Culture of Hungary
[edit] Architecture
Romanesque Church in village ÓcsaHungary is home to the largest
synagogue in Europe (Great Synagogue), the largest medicinal bath
in Europe (Széchenyi Medicinal Bath), the third largest church
in Europe (Esztergom Basilica), the second largest territorial abbey
in the world (Pannonhalma Archabbey), the second largest Baroque
castle in the world (Gödöllo), and the largest Early Christian
Necropolis outside Italy (Pécs).
[edit] Music
The music of Hungary consists mainly of traditional Hungarian folk
music and music by prominent composers such as Liszt, Bartók
and Kodály. Hungarian traditional music tends to have a strong
dactylic rhythm, as the language is invariably stressed on the first
syllable of each word. Hungary also has a number of internationally
renowned composers of contemporary classical music, György
Ligeti, György Kurtág, Péter Eötvös
and Zoltán Jeney among them.
[edit] Literature
Ferenc Kölcsey, author of the lyrics of the Hungarian national
anthem.
Regions in Europe where the Hungarian language is spoken.
The oldest survivng Hungarian poem, Old Hungarian Laments of Mary
Chronicon PictumIn the earliest times Hungarian language was written
in a runic-like script (although it was not used for literature
purposes in the modern interpretation). The country switched to
the Latin alphabet after being Christianized under the reign of
Stephen I (1000–1038). There are no existing documents from
the pre-11th century era. The oldest written record in Hungarian
is a fragment in the founding document of the Abbey of Tihany (1055)
which contains several Hungarian terms, among them the words feheruuaru
rea meneh hodu utu rea, "up the military road to Fehérvár"
The rest of the document was written in Latin. The oldest complete
text is the Funeral Sermon and Prayer (Halotti beszéd és
könyörgés) (1192–1195), a translation of
a Latin sermon. The oldest poem is the Old Hungarian Laments of
Mary (Ómagyar Mária-siralom), also a (not very strict)
translation from Latin, from the 13th century. It is also the oldest
surviving Finno-Ugric poem. Among the first chronicles about Hungarian
history were Gesta Hungarorum ("Deeds of the Hungarians")
by the unknown author usually called Anonymus, and Gesta Hunnorum
et Hungarorum ("Deeds of the Huns and the Hungarians")
by Simon Kézai. Both are in Latin. These chronicles mix history
with legends, so historically they are not always authentic. Another
chronicle is the Képes krónika (Illustrated Chronicle),
which was written for Louis the Great.
Renaissance literature flourished under the reign of King Matthias
(1458–1490). Janus Pannonius, although wrote in Latin, counts
as one of the most important persons in Hungarian literature, being
the only significant Hungarian Humanist poet of the period. The
first printing house was also founded during Matthias' reign, by
András Hess, in Buda. The first book printed in Hungary was
the Chronica Hungarorum. The most important poets of the period
was Bálint Balassi (1554–1594) and Miklós Zrínyi
(1620–1664). Balassi's poetry shows Mediaeval influences,
his poems can be divided into three sections: love poems, war poems
and religious poems. Zrínyi's most significant work, the
epic Szigeti veszedelem ("Peril of Sziget", written in
1648/49) is written in a fashion similar to The Iliad, and recounts
the heroic Battle of Szigetvár, where his great-grandfather
died while defending the castle of Szigetvár. Among the religious
literary works the most important is the Bible translation by Gáspár
Károli, the Protestant pastor of Gönc, in 1590. The
translation is called the Bible of Vizsoly, after the town where
it was first published. (See Hungarian Bible translations for more
details.)
The Hungarian enlightenment delayed about fifty years compared
to the Western European enlightenment. The new thoughts arrived
to Hungary across Vienna. The first enlightened writers were Maria
Theresia's bodyguards (György Bessenyei, János Batsányi
and so on). The greatest poets of the time was Mihály Csokonai
Vitéz and Dániel Berzsenyi. The greatest figure of
the language reform was Ferenc Kazinczy. The Hungarian language
became feasible for scientific explanations this time, farther a
lot of new words were coined for describing new inventions.
Hungarian literature has recently gained some renown outside the
borders of Hungary (mostly through translations into German, French
and English). Some modern Hungarian authors became increasingly
popular in Germany and Italy especially Sándor Márai,
Péter Esterházy, Péter Nádas and Imre
Kertész. The latter is a contemporary Jewish writer who survived
the Holocaust and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2002. The
older classics of Hungarian literature and Hungarian poetry remained
almost totally unknown outside Hungary. János Arany, a famous
nineteenth century Hungarian poet is still much loved in Hungary
(especially his collection of Ballads), among several other "true
classics" like Sándor Petofi, the poet of the Revolution
of 1848, Endre Ady, Mihály Babits, Dezso Kosztolányi,
Attila József and János Pilinszky. Other well-known
Hungarian authors are Zsigmond Móricz, Gyula Illyés,
Albert Wass, and Magda Szabó.
[edit] Comics
Main article: Hungarian comics
[edit] Cuisine
Main article: Cuisine of Hungary
Goulash with gnocchi
A nicely prepared Hortobágyi palacsinta served in Sopron
A slice of Dobos CakeHungarian cuisine is also a prominent feature
of Hungarian culture, with traditional dishes such as the world
famous goulash (gulyás or gulyásleves) a main feature
of the Hungarian diet. Dishes are often flavoured with paprika (pure
powdered pepper), a Magyar innovation [37]. Goulash is, contrary
to popular belief, not a stew but an artistically prepared thick
soup. Sour cream is often used to soften flavour. Fisherman’s
soup (halászlé) is a rich mixture of several kinds
of poached fish, tomatoes, green peppers and paprika. It is a meal
in itself. Lake Balaton pike-perch (fogas) is generally served breaded
and fried or grilled. Other distinctive dishes include, chicken
paprika, homemade pörkölt (stew) and trout with almond.
Goose liver (libamáj) is also very popular, either fried
or grilled, cold or hot. Desserts include the iconic Dobos Cake,
strudels (rétes in Hungarian, they are layered pastries filled
with apple, cherry, poppyseed, curd or cheese), Gundel pancakes
(palacsinta), plum in pasta dumplings (szilvás gombóc),
somlói dumplings and gesztenyepüré (cooked chestnuts
mashed, topped with whipped cream). Specialities include salty and
sweet pastas, of which túrós csusza (pasta with curd
and sour cream) is the most famous[38].
Large supermarket chains like Csemege Julius Meinl, Kaiser’s
and Rothschild sometimes sell takeaway salads in plastic containers.
Healthy brown bread is made from four to six different grains and
is sprinkled with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and rolled oats.
Kifli is a wildly popular crescent roll made from reform dough.
The csárda is the most distinctive type of Hungarian inns,
an old-style tavern offering traditional cuisine, wine and pálinka.
Borozó usually denotes a cozy old-fashioned wine bar, pince
is a beer or wine cellar and a sörözo is a pub offering
draught beer (csapolt sör) and sometimes meals. The bisztró
is an inexpensive restaurant that is often self-service (önkiszolgáló).
The büfé is the cheapest place, although one may have
to eat standing at a counter. Pastries, cakes and coffee are served
at a cukrászda, while an eszpresszó is a cafeteria.
Drinks
Main articles: Hungarian wine and Hungarian beer
A cold bottle of Unicum
Tokaji, "Wine of Kings, King of Wines" ("Vinum Regum,
Rex Vinorum"). - said Louis XIV of FrancePálinka: This
alcoholic drink is distilled from fruit grown in the orchards situated
on the Great Hungarian Plain. It is a spirit native to Hungary and
comes in a variety of flavours including apricot (barack) and cherry
(cseresznye). However plum (szilva) is considered the best of all.
Beer: Beer goes well with many traditional Hungarian dishes and
many Hungarians chose to drink is with their lunch. The four main
Hungarian breweries are: Soproni, Arany Ászok, Kõbányai,
and Dreher.
Wine: As Hugh Johnson says in its book, The History of Wine: the
territory of Hungary is ideal for wine-making. Since the fall of
communism we have seen the renaissance of Hungarian wine-making.
The choice of good wine is widening from year to year. The country
can be divided to six wine regions: North-Transdanubia, Lake Balaton,
South-Pannónia, Duna-region or Alföld, Upper-Hungary
and Tokaj-Hegyalja. The Hungarian wine regions offer a great variety
of style: the main products of the country are elegant and full-bodied
dry whites with good acidity, although complex sweet whites (Tokaj),
elegant (Eger) and full-bodied robust reds (Villány and Szekszárd).
The main varieties are: Olaszrizling, Hárslevelu, Furmint,
Pinot gris or Szürkebarát, Chardonnay (whites), Kékfrankos
(or Blaufrankisch in German), Kadarka, Portugieser, Zweigelt, Cabernet
sauvignon, Cabernet franc and Merlot. The most famous wines from
Hungary are Tokaji Aszú and Egri Bikavér.
Tokaji: Tokaji, meaning "of Tokaj" in Hungarian, is used
to label wines from the wine region of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary.Tokaji
wine has received accolades from numerous great writers and composers
including Beethoven, Liszt, Schubert and Goethe; Joseph Haydn's
favorite wine was a Tokaji.Louis XV and Frederick the Great tried
to outdo one another in the excellence of the vintages they stocked
when they treated guests like Voltaire to some Tokaji.Napoleon III,
the last Emperor of the French, ordered 30–40 barrels of Tokaji
for the Court every year. Gustav III, King of Sweden, never had
any other wine to drink.In Russia, customers included Peter the
Great and Empress Elizabeth of Russia.
Zwack Unicum: For over 150 years, a blend of 40 Hungarian herbs
has been used to create Unicum. This is a bitter, dark-coloured
liqueur that can be drunk as an apéritif or after a meal,
thus helping digestion. The recipe is held in secrecy by the Zwack
family[39].
[edit] Science
Rubik's cubeHungary is famous for its excellent mathematics education
which has trained numerous outstanding scientists. Famous Hungarian
mathematicians include Paul Erdos, famed for publishing in over
forty languages and whose Erdos numbers are still tracked; János
(John) Bolyai, designer of non-Euclidean (or "absolute")
geometry in 1831;[40] and John von Neumann, a pioneer of digital
computing. Many Hungarian Jewish scientists, including Erdos, von
Neumann, Edward Teller, and Eugene Wigner, fled rising anti-Semitism
in Europe and made their most famous contributions in the United
States.
Hungarian inventions include the noiseless match (János
Irinyi), Rubik's cube (Erno Rubik), and the krypton electric bulb
(Imre Bródy). Several other inventions were made by Hungarians
who fled the country prior to World War II, including holography
(Dennis Gabor), the ballpoint pen (László Bíró),
the theory of the hydrogen bomb (Edward Teller), and the BASIC programming
language (John Kemeny, with Thomas E. Kurtz).[40]
[edit] Sport
Gábor Talmácsi (British GP)One of the most famous
Hungarians is the footballer Ferenc Puskás (1927 –
2006). He scored 84 goals in 85 internationals for Hungary, and
511 goals in 533 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. Puskás
played the 1954 World Cup final against West Germany. In 1958, after
the Hungarian Revolution, he emigrated to Spain where he played
in the legendary Real Madrid team that also included Alfredo Di
Stéfano, and Francisco Gento.
Hungarians are also known for their prowess at water sports, mainly
swimming, water polo (in which they have defeated the Soviet team
in 1956) and canoeing (they have won multiple medals); this can
be said to be surprising at first, due to Hungary being landlocked.
On the other hand, the presence of two major rivers (the Duna and
the Tisza) and a major lake (Balaton) give excellent opportunities
to practice these sports. Some of the world's best sabre fencing
athletes have historically hailed from Hungary.
[edit] Spa Culture
Rudas Baths is a thermal and medicinal bath that was first built
in 1550Hungary is a land of thermal water. A passion for spa culture
and Hungarian history have been connected from the very beginning.
It has been shown that Hungarian spa culture is multicultural. The
basis of this claim is architecture. Hungarian spas feature Roman,
Greek, Turkish, and northern country architectural elements. Due
to an advantageous geographical location thermal water can be found
with good quality and in great quantities on over 80% of Hungary’s
territory. The Romans heralded the first age of spa in Hungary,
the remains of their bath complexes are still to be seen in Óbuda,
to this day. The spa culture was revived during the Turkish Invasion
who used the thermal springs of Buda for the construction of a number
of bathhouses, some of which are still functioning (Király
Baths, Rudas Baths). In the 19th century the advancement in deep
drilling and medical science provided the springboard for a further
leap in bathing culture. Grand spas such as Gellért Baths,
Lukács Baths, Margaret Island, and Széchenyi Medicinal
Bath are a reflection of this resurgence in popularity. Approximately
1,500 thermal springs can be found in Hungary. About the half of
these are used for bathing. The spa culture has a nearly 2,000 year
history in Budapest. Budapest has the richest supply of thermal
water among the capitals of the world. The amount of thermal water
used in Budapest is roughly equal to two million bath tubs per day.
There are approximately 450 public baths in Hungary. Nowadays the
trend shows that bath operators are modernizing their facilities
and expanding the services offered. A total of 50 of the 160 public
baths are qualified as spas throughout the country. Services are
offered for healing purposes. These spas provide every type of balneal
and physical therapy. Throughout history bathing and spa tourism
has always played an important role in Hungary.
The thermal lake of Hévíz
Lake HévízThe thermal lake of Hévíz
is the largest biologically active, natural thermal lake of the
world. The oldest and most well-known bath of Hungary, in accordance
with records from the Roman era, has a history of 2000 years. The
Hévíz treatment, in its present sense, also dates
back more than 200 years. The 4.4 ha lake is fed by its spring rushing
up at a depth of 38 m, containing sulphur, radium and minerals.
Due to the high water output of the spring, the water of the lake
is completely changed within 48 hours. The water of the Hévíz
Lake is equally rich in dissolved substances and gases, combining
the favourable effects of naturally carbonated medicinal waters
and those containing sulphur, calcium, magnesium, hydrogen-carbonate,
as well as those with a slightly radioactive content. The medicinal
mud, which covers the bed of the lake in a thick layer, deserves
special attention. The Hévíz mud, which is unique
of its kind, contains both organic and inorganic substances and
the radium-salts and reduced sulphuric solutions in it represent
special medicinal factors. The medicinal water and mud originating
from the several then thousand year-old Pannonian Sea, together
with the complex physiotherapeutic treatments, are suitable for
treating all kinds of rheumatic and locomotory diseases. The temperature
of the water is 23-25 C in winter and 33-36 C in summer.
[edit] Folk Art
[edit] Folk Dance
Ugrós (Jumping dances): Old style dances dating back to the
Middle Ages. Solo or couple dances accompanied by old style music,
shepherd and other solo man’s dances from Transylvania, and
marching dances along with remnants of medieval weapon dances belong
in this group.
Karikázó: a circle dance performed by women only
accompanied by singing of folksongs.
Csárdás: New style dances developed in the 18-19.
centuries is the Hungarian name for the national dances, with Hungarian
embroidered costumes and energetic music. From the men's intricate
bootslapping dances to the ancient women's circle dances, Csárdás
demonstrates the infectious exuberance of the Hungarian folk dancing
still celebrated in the villages.
Verbunkos: a solo man’s dance evolved from the recruiting
performances of the Austro-Hungarian army.
The Legényes: is a men's solo dance done by the ethnic Hungarian
people living in the Kalotaszeg region of Transylvania. Although
usually danced by young men, it can be also danced by older men.
The dance is performed freestyle usually by one dancer at a time
in front of the band. Women participate in the dance by standing
in lines to the side and sing/shout verses while the men dance.
Each lad does a number of points (dance phrases) typically 4 to
8 without repetition. Each point consists of 4 parts, each lasting
4 counts. The first part is usually the same for everyone (there
are only a few variations).
[edit] Embroidery
Woman's Folk CostumeIt was in the beginning of the eighteenth century
that the present style of Hungarian folk art took shape, incorporating
both Renaissance and Baroque elements, depending on the area, as
well as Persian Sassanide influences. Flowers and leaves, sometimes
a bird or a spiral ornament, are the principal decorative themes.
The most frequent ornament is a flower with a centerpiece resembling
the eye of a peacock's feather. Nearly all the manifestations of
folk art practiced elsewhere in Europe also flourished among the
Magyar peasantry at one time or another, their ceramics and textile
being the most highly developed of all. The finest achievements
in their textile arts are the embroideries which vary from region
to region. Those of Kalotaszeg in Transylvania are charming products
of Oriental design, sewn chiefly in a single color - red, blue,
or black. Soft in line, the embroideries are applied on altar cloths,
pillow cases and sheets. In Hungary proper Sárköz in
Transdanubia and the Matyóföld in the Great Hungarian
Plain produce the finest embroideries. In the Sárköz
region the women's caps show black and white designs as delicate
as lace and give evidence of the people's wonderfully subtle artistic
feeling. The embroidery motifs applied to women's wear have also
been transposed to tablecloths and runners suitable for modern use
as wall decorations.
[edit] Black pottery
These vessels made of black clay reflect more than three hundred
years old Transdanubian folk patterns and shapes. No two are precisely
alike, since all work is done by hand: the shaping and the decorating.
The imprints are made by the thumbora finger of the ceramist who
makes the piece.
[edit] Hungarian public holidays and special events
[edit] Hungary has nine fixed public holidays:
Date English Name Local Name Remarks
January 1 New Year's Day Újév
March 15 National Day Nemzeti ünnep Márciusi ifjak ("March
youths"), memorial day of the 1848 Revolution. There are usually
speeches and music pieces performed; several people wear a cockade
with the national colours (red, white and green).
Moveable Easter Sunday Húsvétvasárnap Good
Friday work-free for Protestants
Moveable Easter Monday Húsvéthétfo Men visit
women and ask for permission for sprinkling by reciting a little
Easter poem, they sprinkle them with some perfume (or sometimes
a bucket of cold water in the countryside), and they get eggs (mostly
of chocolate) in exchange. Children get chocolate bunnies and eggs
(from the Bunny), and sometimes fruits, nuts etc. as well. They
sometimes have to look for these presents in the garden or in their
room. (Living bunnies are not infrequent, either.) Mothers often
cook turkey and/or ham for dinner.
May 1 Labour day;
anniversary of the accession to the EU A munka ünnepe The countries
of the EU are represented with special programmes, bridges are decorated
and exhibitions are arranged.
Moveable Pentecost Pünkösd Sunday, 50 days after Easter
August 20 Saint Stephen Day Szent István ünnepe St.
Stephen's Day, Foundation of State, "the day of the new bread"
as well. St. Stephen of Hungary (Szent István király
in Hungarian) (ca. 975 – August 15, 1038), was the first king
of Hungary.
Celebrated with a half-hour fireworks on the bank of the Danube
in the evening, attended by several hundreds of thousands of people.
October 23 National Day Nemzeti ünnep The day of the Republic
(since 1989), 1956 Revolution memorial day. Celebrated with speeches
and exhibitions.
November 1 All Saints Day, Day of the Dead Mindenszentek, Halottak
napja It is a day to remember the lost ones. On this day people
generally visit all their lost relatives' graves which they decorate
with flowers.
December 24 evening,
December 25 Christmas Karácsony People buy (or make) presents
for their relatives and friends in the preceding couple of weeks
(so this period is the absolute boom of the year for most stores).
Public vehicles stop running at about 4 p.m. Families reunite and
people prepare their (labelled) presents under the Christmas tree.
It is made of a fir which is decorated by one or two people in the
family so nobody else can see it before they signal with a little
bell for the rest to come in. The family sings Christmas songs together
and everyone unwraps their presents.
On 25th, people usually visit their farther relatives (eg. aunts,
uncles and grandparents) and exchange presents.
December 26 Boxing Day Karácsony másnapja
[edit] Holidays not endorsed by the state:
Date English Name Local Name Remarks
December 6 Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas Day Télapó,
Mikulás Children get various chocolate pieces from the Santa
Claus by morning. If they were bad, they might get (birch) rods
exclusively or beside their presents.
December 31 New Year's Eve Szilveszter Young people go partying
until morning. Streets are noisy with paper trumpets, hoots and
champagne cracks; people often wear masks. Those who stay home usually
see the comedies made for this occasion; at midnight they drink
champagne and wish each other good luck for the new year. National
television channels broadcast the orchestral and choral national
anthem at midnight, and then the speech of the current President.
With these finished, further comedies and various movies follow.
The next day streets are as empty as ever, and people sleep long
(or sleep themselves sober).
Moveable Carnival Busójárás A six day regional
carnival, originally celebrated by the Šokci (ethnic-Croatians)
living in the town of Mohács. Traditions include folk music,
masquerading, parades and dancing.
[edit] Hungarian domestic animals
Magyar Vizsla
White PuliThere are special Hungarian species of domestic animals
which are seen as national symbols in Hungary, and there are "gene
banks"[citation needed] to ensure their survival, especially
in national parks.
Long-horn Hungarian Grey Cattle- Hungarian breed, traditionally
kept in the open full year. Nowadays they are raised for infant
food due to natural, healthy meat.
Magyar Vizsla - one of the oldest hunting d
