Facts about Hungary
Hungary continues to demonstrate economic growth as one of the newest member countries of the European Union (since 2004).
Spreading from western Hungary, Radical Whites executed many Communists and other leftists without trial, and launched pogroms against the Jews.
The law satisfied neither the Nazis nor Hungary's own radicals, and when Darбnyi resigned in May of 1938, Bйla Imrйdy (1891-1946) was appointed prime minister.
Enlightened absolutism ended in Hungary under Leopold's successor, Francis I (1768-1835), who developed an almost abnormal aversion to change after his reign began in 1792.
Hungary's transition to a Western-style democracy was one of the smoothest among the former Soviet bloc.
The war left Hungary devastated destroying over 60 percent of the economy and causing huge loss of life.
Joseph's reforms outraged Hungary's nobles and clergy, and the country's peasants grew dissatisfied with taxes, conscription, and requisitions of supplies.
Following the fall of Nazi Germany, Soviet troops occupied Hungary and through their influence Hungary gradually became a communist satellite state of the Soviet Union.
Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy.
The people of Hungary have a standard of living in the upper quarter of nations of the world.
The most popular of Hungary's great reform leaders, Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894), addressed passionate calls for change to the lesser nobles.
The title of king of Hungary was disputed between Jбnos Szapolyai and Ferdinand until 1540.
Hungary's strategic position in Europe and its relative high lack of natural resources also have dictated a traditional reliance on foreign trade.
Sьleyman's semi-vassal, named Jбnos Szapolyai (1487-1540), and his enemy Ferdinand I (1503-1564) both claimed the throne of Hungary.
Hungary is divided in two by its main waterway, the Danube (Duna); other large rivers include the Tisza and Drбva.
Charles Robert of Anjou was enthroned as Charles I (of Hungary) (1288-1342), on June 15, 1309.
Hungary was saved from the Turks chiefly through the capable military leadership of Jбnos Hunyadi (1387-1456]].
Among religions in Hungary, Roman Catholic Christianity is the predominant one, with 51.9 percent of the population counted as adherents, according to the 2001 census.
Later, under governor Lajos Kossuth and the first prime minister, Lajos Batthyбny, the first Republic of Hungary was created.
Many of the state institutions and the administrative system of modern Hungary were established during this period.
By signing the Peace Treaty of Paris on February 10, 1947, Hungary again lost all the territories that it gained between 1938 and 1941.
Count Istvбn Bethlen (1874 – 1945), elected as a non-affiliated liberal member of the parliament, represented Hungary's interests at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, then returned home to form a new Party of Unity.
Mбtyбs Rбkosi, the new leader of Hungary, demanded complete obedience from fellow members of the Hungarian Workers Party.
Kossuth argued that only political and economic separation from Austria would improve Hungary's plight.
The music of Hungary consists mainly of traditional Hungarian folk music and music by prominent composers such as Franz Liszt, Bйla Bartуk and Kodбly.
At the outbreak of World War II, the Hungarian government officially proclaimed neutrality, but in 1941, Hungary participated in the invasion of Yugoslavia, gaining some territory but effectively joining the Axis powers in the process.
Hungary also has a number of internationally renowned composers of contemporary classical music, Gyцrgy Ligeti, Gyцrgy Kurtбg, Pйter Eцtvцs and Zoltбn Jeney among them.
Hungary has sent a 300 strong logistics unit to Iraq in order to help the US occupation with armed transport convoys, though public opinion opposed the country's participation in the war.
On March 19, 1944, as a result of this, German troops quietly occupied Hungary in what was known as Operation Margarethe.
Hungary gained widespread international attention during its Communist era (1945-1989) 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.
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 Hungarian forces (Honvйdsйg) defeated Austrian armies, and in April 1849, the Hungarian Diet proclaimed the independence of Hungary.
Revision of the Treaty of Trianon 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.
Maria Theresa later took measures to reinforce links with Hungary's magnates.
Hungary's most notable liquors are undoubtedly Unicum, an herbal bitters, and Palinka, a fruit brandy.
Despite its relatively small size, Hungary is home to nine World Heritage Sites, including the only historic wine region in the world declared such (Tokaj-Hegyalja), and five UNESCO Biosphere reserves.
The new fighting forces in Hungary were the Conservative counter-revolutionaries – the "Whites."
Stephen I of Hungary (975-1038), the founder of the Бrpбd dynasty, who defeated a rival claimant, his uncle, in battle, established Hungary as a centralized Christian kingdom.
Hungary, officially in English the Republic of Hungary, is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe.
Hungarian footballer Ferenc Puskбs (1927–2006) is famous for scoring 84 goals in 85 internationals for Hungary, and 511 goals in 533 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues.
The empire was reorganized into two entities: the mostly western half of the realm, Cisleithania, and the Kingdom of Hungary, Transleithania.
Hungary provided airbases and support for NATO's air campaign against Serbia and has provided military units to serve in Kosovo as part of the NATO-led KFOR operation.
Some of the world's best sabre fencing athletes have hailed from Hungary.
Centuries of Ottoman occupation, rebellion, and war had reduced Hungary's population drastically, and large parts of the country's southern half were almost deserted.
Hungary's population more than tripled to eight million between 1720 and 1787.
On November 13, 1918, Charles IV surrendered his powers as king of Hungary.
the Emperor Theodosius abolished the Olympic Games, which by then had become corrupt, and gymnastics, along with other sports declined.
Part of that agreement was that the Habsburg monarch would rule Hungary as a king subject to the restraints of Hungary's constitution and laws.
Under the terms of the Treaty of Karlowitz, which ended the Great Turkish War in 1699, the Ottomans ceded nearly all the territory they had taken from the Kingdom of Hungary.
Using Ottoman Hungary as their base, the Ottomans attempted to use this religious division of their Christian opponents in 1620, and again in 1683 when they laid siege to Vienna for the second time.
Louis I the Great (1326-1382) was King of Hungary, Croatia, and Dalmatia from 1342, and of Poland from 1370, after the death of Casimir III the Great.
The older classics of Hungarian literature and Hungarian poetry remained unknown outside Hungary.
Towards the end of the reign of Louis I, however, the Ottoman Empire, had become established in several of Hungary’s southern buffer provinces.
The president of the Supreme Court and the Hungarian civil and penal legal system he leads is independent of the executive branch of government, as are the Attorney General or Chief Prosecutor of Hungary.
In 1966, the Central Committee approved the "New Economic Mechanism," through which it sought to rebuild the economy, increase productivity, make Hungary more competitive in world markets, and create prosperity to ensure political stability.
Hungarians are also known for their prowess at water sports, mainly swimming, water polo and canoeing; this can be said to be surprising at first, due to Hungary being landlocked.
Hungary has a continental climate, with cold, cloudy, humid winters and warm to hot summers.
The government pledged to increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP to 2006 to bring Hungary's military budget in line with those of NATO countries.
Teleki's government resigned, however, after the former emperor, Charles IV, attempted to retake Hungary's throne in March 1921.
One group of immigrants, known as Cumans who had fled into Hungary before the Mongols, became so turbulent that Bйla had his son, Stephen V (1239-1272), marry a Cuman princess to ensure their loyalty.
The counties and the capital are the 20 NUTS third-level units of Hungary.
The Transylvanians sided against the Habsburgs during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), led at first by Gabriel Bethlen (1580-1629), Prince of Transylvania and King of Hungary.
After the defeat of the Hungarian army in the Battle of Muhi on April 11, 1241, King Bйla IV (1206-1270) fled, and Hungary lay in ruins.
Anti-Semitism appeared in Hungary early in the century as a result of fear of economic competition.
The "Kingdom of Hungary," "Kingdom of Croatia," and the "Grand Principality of Transylvania" became a single imperial territory under one administration, called "Lands of the Crown of St Stephen."
Hungary has been the home of a significant number of Jews, especially since the nineteenth century when many Jews persecuted in Russia found refuge in the Kingdom of Hungary.
Hungary remained predominantly Catholic until the sixteenth century, when the Reformation took place and, as a result, first Lutheranism, then soon afterwards Calvinism became the religion of almost the entire population.
Franz Joseph died in 1916, and Charles IV (1916-1918) became Hungary's new king.
Hungary's signing of the Treaty of Trianon on June 4, 1920, with the victorious Allied nations, ratified the country's dismemberment.
Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Soviet Union, became increasingly concerned about these developments and on November 4, 1956, he sent the Red Army into Hungary.
The nobles and the church were freed from all taxes and could not be forced to go to war outside of Hungary, and were not obligated financing it.
Early Paleolithic Vйrtessz?l?s, which contains pebble tools of Homo heidelbergensis, is the oldest archaeological site in Hungary.
The Liberals argued that the Dual Monarchy improved Hungary's economic position and enhanced its influence in European politics.
Western Hungary (Pannonia) was initially tributary to the Franks, but in 839 the Slavic Balaton Principality was founded in southwestern Hungary, and in 883/884 the whole of western Hungary was conquered by Great Moravia.
In 1741, she appeared before the Diet of Budapest holding her newborn son and entreated Hungary's nobles to support her.
Stephen divided Hungary into 40 to 50 counties (megyйk), each under a royal official called an ispбn, who administered its not free population, and collected taxes.
Environmental issues include the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution to meet European Union requirements.
The country’s name was changed from the People’s Republic of Hungary to the Republic of Hungary.
The Entente, however, chose to consider Hungary a partner in the defeated Dual Monarchy and dashed the Hungarians' hopes with the delivery of successive diplomatic notes, each demanding the surrender of more land.
Julius Freiherr von Haynau, the leader of the Austrian army, became governor of Hungary for a few months.
Hungary gets nearly one third of all foreign direct investment flowing into Central Europe.
In 1932, Horthy appointed a new prime-minister, Gyula Gцmbцs (1886-1936), 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.
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.
Of the 3.6 million soldiers Hungary sent to war, 2.1 million were wounded or killed.
Famous films include Mephisto which was released in a co-production between Hungary and West Germany in 1981.
Hungary's strategic position in Europe and its relative high lack of natural resources also have dictated a traditional reliance on foreign trade.
The formerly backward Kingdom of Hungary became a relatively modern, industrialized country by the turn of the century, although agriculture remained the dominant part of the economy.
In 1794, after the death of Robespierre, 193 of his followers were sent to French Guiana.
Joseph's successor, Leopold II (1790-92), re-introduced the bureaucratic technicality which viewed Hungary as a separate country under a Habsburg king, similar to Croatia and Transylvania.
The non-Magyar minorities of Hungary received little for their support of Austria during the turmoil.
During the Socialist and the Warsaw Pact era (1955–1989), the entire 200,000 strong Southern Group of Forces was garrisoned in Hungary, complete with artillery, tank regiments, air force and missile troops (with nuclear weapons).
In 1935, Hungary's leading fascist party, Ferenc Szбlasi's Arrow Cross, was founded.
Nagy also released anti-communists from prison and talked about holding free elections and withdrawing Hungary from the Warsaw Pact.
Around 800, northeastern Hungary became part of the Principality of Nitra, which itself became part of Great Moravia in 833, while southeastern Hungary was conquered by Bulgaria, but was lost in 881 to Great Moravia.
Hungary's first king, Saint Stephen, took up Western Christianity, although his mother, Sarolt, was baptized in the eastern rite.
Hungarian literature has gained some renown outside the borders of Hungary (mostly through translations into German, French and English).
Other territorial acquisitions, which included Moravia, Silesia, and Lusatia, made Hungary for a time the strongest kingdom of central Europe.
Celts came from the west around 450 B.C.E., and spread over the whole of present-day Hungary in the Late Iron Age, while the Pannonian (in the southwest) and Thracian presence seems to have continued.
Stephen was canonized by Pope Gregory VII as Saint Stephen of Hungary in 1083, along with his son, Saint Imre and Bishop Gerhard (Hungarian: Szent Gellйrt).
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 Europe.
The Magyar national reawakening subsequently triggered national revivals among the Slovak, Romanian, Serbian, and Croatian minorities within Hungary and Transylvania, who felt threatened by both German and Magyar cultural hegemony.
Hungary is famous for its excellent mathematics education which has trained numerous outstanding scientists.
Leopold's successor, Charles III of Hungary (1711-1740), began building a workable relationship with Hungary after the Treaty of Szatmбr.
Soviet tanks immediately captured Hungary's airfields, highway junctions, and bridges.
The territorial provisions of the required Hungary to surrender more than two-thirds of its pre-war lands.
After Sultan Hassan, Brunei entered a period of decline due to internal battles over royal succession.
The Soviet commander in Hungary, Marshal Voroshilov, refused to allow the Smallholders Party to form a government.
Pozsony (Pressburg, today: Bratislava) became the new capital (1536-1784), coronation town (1563-1830), and seat of the Diet (1536-1848) of Hungary.
New international borders separated Hungary's industrial base from its sources of raw materials and its former markets for agricultural and industrial products.
Hungarians, or Magyars, are an ethnic group who have been the main inhabitants of the Kingdom of Hungary that existed through most of the second millennium.
By late 1918, Hungary's farms and factories were producing only half of what they did in 1913, and the war-weary people had abandoned hope of victory.
The Diet approved the Pragmatic Sanction in 1723, and Hungary thus agreed to become a hereditary monarchy under the Habsburgs for as long as their dynasty existed.
Many of the important cities of today's Hungary were founded during this period, such as Aquincum (Уbuda, now part of Budapest), Sopianae (Pйcs), Arrabona (Gy?r), Salva (Esztergom), Savaria (Szombathely) and Scarbantia (Sopron).
Rбkosi had difficulty managing the economy and the people of Hungary saw living standards fall.
In 1795, the Hungarian police arrested an abbot and several of the country's leading thinkers for plotting a Jacobin kind of revolution to install a radical democratic, egalitarian political system in Hungary.
Franz Joseph divided the country into four territories: Hungary, Transylvania, Croatia-Slavonia, and Vojvodina, managed by German and Bohemian administrators.
Jesuits founded educational institutions, including the oldest university that still exists in Hungary (Pйter Pбzmбny), but they organized so-called missions too in order to promote popular piety.
At the same time, revolutionary workers' councils and local national committees were formed all over Hungary.
Hungary accepts compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction with reservations.
Negotiations between the emperor and the Hungarian nobility led by Ferenc Deбk (1803-1876), resulted in the Compromise of 1867, by which the dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary came into existence.
On June 22, 1941, while Germany invaded the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, Hungary entered World War II on June 26.
Between 1850 and 1875, Hungary's farms prospered: grain prices were high, and exports tripled.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Hungary developed closer ties with Western Europe as well as with other Central European countries.
Gцmbцs 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.
Kбrolyi resigned and turned power over to a coalition of Social Democrats and communists, who promised that Soviet Russia would help Hungary to restore its original borders.
The Nationalities Law enacted in 1868 defined Hungary as a single nation comprising different nationalities whose members enjoyed equal rights in all areas except language.
Unicum (pronounced [ˈunikum]) is a Hungarian herbal liqueur or bitters, drunk as a digestif and apéritif. The liqueur is today produced by Zwack according to a secret formula of more than forty herbs; the drink is aged in oak casks.
Hungaricum food and drinkPálinka. Pálinka is the alcoholic drink made only from fruit or pomace grown in Hungary and some parts of Austria. ... Goulash soup. In the past goulash was made by the shepherds of the plains. ... Wines of Tokaj. ... Hungarian cakes. ... Pick "Winter" Salami. ... Sausages. ... Unicum. ... Goose liver or "foie gras"More items...