Brief History
Hungary began as a separate state with the arrival of the Hungarians under the leadership Árpád in the 9th century. Stephen I. was the first king of Hungary who introduced Christianity and created a constitutional kingdom of the tribal state.
In 1241 Hungary was invaded by the Tartars then two centuries later the country faced the Turkish threat. In 1458 Matthias Hunyadi was elected the king of Hungary and his name has become a legend in Hungary because he was popular for his sense of social justice and was a great patron of Renaissance art and literature. Turkish army defeated the Hungarians at Mohács in 1526, and a 150-year period of Turkish rule began this is why 2000-year-old Roman remains and 400-year old Turkish monuments stand side by side.
After the Turks were driven away with the help of the Austrians Hungary was dominated by the Hapsburgs. When the Paris revolution of 1848 broke out period of fighting against the Hapsburg began for independence. The revolution was crushed in 1849 and Hungary was continued to be oppressed. Though in 1867 Austria granted some concessions to Hungary, the First World War found the two countries in a common Monarchy. The end of the war brought another revolution and Hungary became independent from Austria.
Hungary fared no better during the Second World War and after the end of the war the period of reconstruction and the build of a new society began.
Finally in 1989 Hungary got rid of the Soviet troops stayed in the country after the end of the war and society had the chance to be active participant of the first free election.
In 2004 Hungary became a member of the European Union.
Hungary’s demography and geography
Facts and figures
Official name: Hungary
Area: 93.030 sq km
Population: 2014 estimate -9,877,365
Population density: around 110 per sq km
around 70 % of the Hungarian population live in towns
Capital city: Budapest, area 525 sq km
Time: GMT + 1 hour
Daylight saving time: last weekend of March to last weekend of October
Official language: Hungarian
Look at the map of Europe. Hungary is a small landlocked country in the heart of Europe, in the Carpathian Basin. The greatest distance from North to South is 268 km, from East to West 528 km. The climate is temperate with four distinct seasons – spring, summer, autumn, winter – with minimum temperature –10 C and maximum 20-30 C. The country is fairly protected from environmental pollution.
Geographically, the country is divided into two parts by one of the largest rivers of Europe, the Danube. The Danube also divides the capital city, Budapest which is one of the world’s finest capital cities, the “Pearl of the Danube”, whose wonderful panorama is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The other river flowing through Hungary is called Tisza that is one of the main rivers of Central Europe.
Lake Balaton, the so-called “Hungarian Sea” - the largest and warmest lake in Central Europe - is in the western part of the country, in Transdanubia (Dunántúl).
The lowest point of Hungary is at the Tisza river (75 m), the highest point is Kékes Mountain.
Sights
Hungary has a long and rich history in culture, with remarkable sights. The United Nations, UNESCO, has developed and maintained a list of significant places in the world, known as the World Heritage List, which is selected by a committee. Of the more than 1000 world wide properties selected for their outstanding universal value, eight are in Hungary:
1. Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, The Buda Castle Quarter and Andrassy Avenue – The Gothic castle of Buda and the remains of Roman monuments have had a considerable influence on the architecture of various periods. Budapest is one of the world’s prominent urban landscapes, illustrating the great periods in the history of the capital of Hungary.
2. Old Village of Hollokő and its Sorroundings – The village of Holloko is situated in the County of Nograd. It was developed during the 17th and 18th centuries, making a living example of rural life before the 20th century agricultural revolution. People are still living there using the origin
al buildings according to their proper rule.
3. Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst – The variety of formations which are concentrated in a restricted area makes the 712 currently identified caves in a typical temperate-zone karstic system. The combination of tropical and glacial climate effects makes possible to study geological history inside the caves. The climate in the caves is not following the climate changes of the surface level: it is always about 10 degrees above zero. It is situated in the County of Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen.
4. Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and it’s Natural Environment – The first Benedictine Monks settled in Hungary in 996. The monks converted the Hungarians to Christianity, and founded the country’s first school. In 1055 the first document in Hungarian was written by the monks. Since its foundation this monastic community has been significant for promoting culture. The monastery has a 1000 year history. It is still houses a school and monastic community.
5. Hortobagy National Park – the Puszta – The park consists of a vast area of plains and wetlands in Eastern Hungary. The traditional forms of land use and grazing domestic animals have been present in this pastoral society for more than two thousand years. The Hungarian Puszta is a remarkable example of cultural landscapes shaped by a pastoral society.
6. Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs – Sopianae – A remarkable series of decorated tombs were constructed in the 4th century in the provincial town of Sopianae, which is now Pécs. The tombs are important structurally and architecturally, since they were built as underground burial chamber with memorial chapels above ground. The richly decorated tombs are decorated with high quality murals of Christian themes.
7. Fertő / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape - The Ferto – Neusiedler Lake area has served as a meeting place for different cultures for hundreds of years. The villages surrounding the lake and several 18th and 19th century places add to the beauty and cultural interest of the area: Botanic garden of Sopron, Arboretum of Pannonhalma and a Lime tree lane leading at Nagycenk are all part of this heritage.
8. Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape – The landscape demonstrates the long tradition of the region’s wine production. The region has low hills and river valleys with patterns of vineyards, farms villages and the small town of Tokaj itself. The historic networks of deep wine cellars illustrate every factor for the production of the famous Tokaj wines that is often called the “Gold of Tokaj”
