Official
name: Hungarian Republic
Location:
East-Central Europe
Area:
93,030 square km
Population:
10,197,119
Density
of population: 108 person/square km, 63%of population live in cities
Capital:
Budapest , area of 525 Km2 (1,775 million inhabitants)
Local
time: in the winter GMT+1 hour
Language:
Hungarian
Form
of government: Republic
Administration:
19 counties, 23 towns with county rights
Length
of borders: 2246 Km
Number
of neighbouring countries: 7 (borders with Austria , Slovakia , Ukraina ,
Romania , Serbia , Croatia , Slovenia )
Religion:
Roman Catholic (majority), Protestant, Jewish
Highest
point: Kékes, 1015 m
Image
film of Hungary:
From
beautiful Budapest - the city of lights - to its many quaint villages and
fantastic scenery, Hungary evokes a strong sense of history and tradition at
every turn. Yet while Budapest, justifiably compared with cities like Prague
and even Paris, is by far the country's biggest tourist draw, be sure to spend
time traveling beyond the capital. Cities and towns of all sizes have preserved
their classic old historical attractions, many of which exhibit influences from
various cultures, including Turkish invaders and Italian Renaissance designers.
And Hungary's countryside includes some of the most beautiful scenery to be found
anywhere in Eastern Europe. In fact, wherever you are in Hungary, you're never
far from spectacular mountains and lakes, beautiful river scenes - the awesome
Danube runs right through the country - and lush valleys, all providing great
opportunities for hiking and other fun outdoor activities.
Esterházy Palace is Fertőd’s only sight, but what a sight it is! When originally
completed, this horseshoe-shaped baroque and rococo palace boasted 126 rooms, a
separate opera house, a hermitage (complete with a real-live cranky old man in
a sack cloth who wanted to be left alone), temples to Diana and Venus, a
Chinese dance house, a puppet theatre and a 250-hectare garden laid out in the
French manner. Today only 23 rooms are open to the public and if you’re
wondering whether they were gilded with real gold, the answer is: yes, around
30kg of the stuff.
The puszta, along with its flora
and fauna, is a unique Hungarian asset, a fine reflection of harmony between
wildlife and human activity. A piece of such land was chosen to be Hungary’s
very first national park in 1973. This was Hortobágy, a region symbolised by
its natural fauna and farm animals. Real shepherds with satchels no longer come
about in the puszta, but a high number of ancestral Hungarian grey cattle,
mangalica, Racka sheep, Hungarian horse and poultry breeds are kept and raised
in the area for the purposes of tourism. The puszta holds Hungarian sheepdogs
in high esteem: shelters and farms were protected by the kuvasz or komondor,
and the flock was shepherded by the puli or pumi.
A climate that’s positively Mediterranean, Europe’s northernmost mosque
and a buzzing nightlife fueled by the large resident student population make
Pécs the second city of Hungary. Not in size, but in everything else.
There are many
villages in Hungary where the traditional way of life is still alive, but
Hollóko stands out among them. The scenic setting, the beautiful old houses and
the colourful traditional costumes make for one memorable visit to the Hungary
of old.
The largest cave system in
Central Europe looks like the bizarre combination of an enchanted forest and
the fairy queen’s palace. No wonder the whole of it is on UNESCO’s World
Heritage List.
Every August an
island in the Danube goes completely crazy. Europe’s largest music festival has
been held here for over 20 years, and by now it’s so famous that trainfuls of
Dutch, French and Italian teenagers and twentysomethings have almost squeezed
out the locals.
The second largest
city in Hungary, capital of the Eastern Plains, isn’t called the Calvinist Rome
for nothing. The hard working locals have built a huge church on the main
square, and you would be hard pressed to find a tidier city in the country.
Just a short hop
away from Budapest on the local suburban train, Szentendre is a world away. A
favourite home for Hungarian artists and bohemian types, cobblestoned streets
and quaint little cafés make the town a magnet for tourists.
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