Hungary

IHungary, officially known as the Republic of Hungary is a country situated in Central Europe. This landlocked nation is bordered by developed European countries like Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. Budapest is the capital city of Hungary. Hungary became a member state of the European Union on May 1, 2004. Hungary is considered as one of the greatest survivors of history. Over the ages this small European nation has seen rise, expansion and decline of several empires. Hungary and its people have survived the attack of Tartars, Turks, Habsburgs and the Russians from time to time. For the several storms the country has faced, the Hungarians are described as 'people torn by fate' in their national anthem. Some important facts about Hungary and its people are given below.

Official Languages:

Hungarian is the official language of Hungary and is also the mother tongue of 95 percent of the population. It is also the medium of education in the institutions of the country. However as the country is a land of diversity and is surrounded by different European nations, other Indo-European languages like German, Slovakian, Serbian, Slovenian, Croatian, Romanian and Romani are also spoken by people belonging to respective minority groups in Hungary.

Independence, Republic and Government:

On March 15, 1848, during the 'spring of European nations' a revolution broke out in Budapest, the current capital of Hungary, followed by revolutions in Palermo, Paris, Berlin and Vienna. On March 17 Count Lajos Batthyany was commissioned to form the first independent government of Hungary answerable to the Parliament. The laws enacted by feudal Diet guaranteed civil rights and creation of civil property and declared total constitutional independence of Hungary to take effect on April 11, 1848. Movement to dissolve the Warsaw Pact in Hungary was started in the late 1980s and the country slowly shifted towards multi-candidate democracy. Elected candidates from the Communist Party (MSZMP) started protesting against the government and increased pressure for reformation within the party. At that point of time Hungary moved towards a market-based economy and on October 23, 1989, Matyas Szuros made the declaration of the Third Hungarian Republic and took over as the interim President of the country. In the year 1990, first free elections were held in Hungary.

Hungary has a federal government where Prime Minister is at the top most position. In Hungary the President of the Republic is elected by the Parliament once in every five years. The President in Hungary has got a large ceremonial role to play which includes choosing dates of parliamentary elections. At present, Laszlo Solyom is the President of the Republic of Hungary. Solyom was elected the President on June 7, 2005 and he started work on August 5 of the same year.

The parliamentary election is held once in every four years in Hungary where the Prime Minister is elected. It is the duty of the Prime Minister in Hungary to select cabinet minister and has the right to dismiss them. Nominations for ministerial posts have to be approved by the President of the country. At present Ferenc Gyurcsany of the Hungarian Socialist Party is the Prime Minister of Hungary. He took over as the head of the nation on August 25, 2004. A 386-member National Assembly is the highest authority in Hungary.

• Budapest:It is the capital city and also the largest city of Hungary. Budapest is also the principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial and transportation center of Hungary. It became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with the amalgamation of right-bank (west) Buda (Ofen in German) and Óbuda (Old Buda or Alt-Ofen) together with Pest on the left (east) bank.

• Debrecen: According to size, Debrecen is the second largest Hungarian city after Budapest and is also the regional center of the Northern Great Plain region and the capital of Hajdu-Bihar County.

• Miskolc: Situated in the North-east part of Hungary, Miskolc is the third largest city of the country and is famous as a heavy industrial region. In 2001 Miskolc had a population close 1,80,000 people. Apart from being the third largest city of the country and an industrial region Miskolc is also the county capital of Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen and also the regional center of Northern part of Hungary.

Other important cities of Hungary are: Szeged, Gyor, Nyíregyháza, Kecskemét, Székesfehérvár,Szombathely, Szolnok, Tatabánya, Kaposvár, Békéscsaba, Zalaegerszeg, Veszprém, Eger,Érd, Sopron, Dunaújváros, Nagykanizsa, Hódmezovásárhely, Salgótarján, Ózd,Baja, Cegléd and Szekszárd.

Culture and Heritage:

Situated in Central Europe, Hungary is a country with rich cultural heritage. Every city, town, and region of the country speaks about the culture and heritage of the country in the ancient times. Over the ages the country has faced several storms; has seen the rise and decline of different empires and has also taken part in different wars. These have made the culture and heritage of Hungary rich. The diversity in Hungary has also played a major role in its cultural heritage. In Hungary you will find 10,356 cultural heritage places and 25 sites. There are innumerable monuments, ancient buildings, structures objects and artifacts lying in all corners of Hungary that speak about the rich cultural heritage of the country. The country takes special care for the protection of its cultural heritage. At present the National Office for the Protection of Historic Monuments is responsible for the protection and maintenance of the heritage places of the country.

Factors like history, diversity, rise and fall of different empires, natural landscapes, historical cities and town, buildings, architecture and artifacts have made Hungary a popular tourist destination of Europe and the world. There are so many places and things to see in Hungary that it becomes really difficult to cover all major tourist attractions of Hungary in one vacation.
Some of the most important destinations in Hungary that you, as a tourist, would certainly not like to miss are given below:

The capital city of Hungary and also the most important cultural, trading and commercial center of the country. It is popular as a major tourist destination of Europe as well. For its unique geographical location, Budapest is called the 'Quen of the Danube'. You will find wonderful specimens of amalgamated architecture and diverse culture in some of the buildings in the city. There are several museums in the city loaded with archaeological remains as well. In the Buda region you will find Roman ruins, the castle and remnants of the medieval city. Apart from these you may also taste some of the unique delicacies of the country in the restaurants of Budapest.

Danube Bend:

The spot from where river Danube has flown through a curve, a narrow valley is known as the Danube Bend. It is one of the most interesting tourist attractions of Hungary. There are several interesting towns in the valley where large number of tourists gather while going to Budapest. Szentendre, Visegrad and Esztergom are the three most important towns that you should see while visiting the Danube Bend.

Kecskemet:

Don't miss the several interesting museums that you would find in Kecskemet, situated in South of Hungary.

Szeged:

Situated in South of Budapest the Szeged was once a 'Royal Town' of Hungary.