Hungary - Węgry

	Hungary; Magyarország
	Flag
	location
	Information
Capital city	Budapest
System	parliamentary republic
Currency	Forint (HUF)
Time zone	1
Surface	93,030 km²
Population	9 769 526
Official language	Hungarian
Dominant religion	Catholics (58%)
Telephone code	36
Car code	H.
Internet domain	.hu

Hungary

Hungary (hung. Magyarország) - a landlocked state in Central Europe.

Characteristic

Geography

Hungary is located almost entirely in the lowland and plain Pannonian Basin. The exceptions are the North Hungarian Highlands - a macroregion belonging to the Carpathians (mountain ranges Börzsöny, Gödöllő, Cserhát, Mátra (with the highest peak of Hungary Kékes), Bukowe Mountains, Tokajsko-Slańskie Mountains) in the north-east of the country and the Kőszeg Hills and Sopronskie Mountains in the north-west belonging to the Alps.

The largest rivers in Hungary are the Danube, Tisza and Drava. In Hungary lies the largest lake in Central Europe - Balaton. The city of Hévíz is home to the world's largest thermal lake - Hévíz.

fauna and Flora

Climate

Hungary has a warm temperate climate. In summer, the temperature reaches even 30 degrees, and winter is quite mild - the temperature fluctuates around zero.

In the central part of the Great Hungarian Plain rainfall is low and is less than 500 mm. The aura is characterized by a predominance of summer rainfall, and the lowlands experience frequent and long-lasting droughts. Greater amounts of rainfall may occur in mountain and upland areas.

History

In ancient times, the territory of today's Hungary was inhabited by the Pre-Slavs, Magyars and Avars. For many centuries, the western part of the country was under the authority of the Roman Empire, which belonged to the province of Pannonia. By the eighth century, the region was regularly ravaged and populated by new tribes. In the 9th century, Hungary was partially within the borders of the Great Moravian state. From 896, the middle Danube and Tisza basin were inhabited almost exclusively by Hungarians (Magyars). Shortly thereafter, they conquered the Great Moravian state and undertook plundering expeditions to Byzantium and Western Europe, but were stopped on the Lech River by Emperor Otto I (955). The Hungarian state was established during the reign of Giza and St. Stephen the Holy of the Arpad dynasty, along with the Christianization of the country in the Latin rite. In the 11th century, after the annexation of Transylvania and Slovakia, a national territory was formed in the arc of the Carpathians. A permanent personal union with Croatia was concluded at the beginning of the 13th century.

After the expiration of the Arpads (1301), Anjou took the throne. During the reign of Charles Robert and Louis I the Great, the state flourished: supremacy over the Duchy of Wallachia, Bosnia and Serbia, reinstatement of rule in Dalmatia, 1370–82 a personal union with Poland and the transitional annexation of Halych Ruthenia. During the reign of Louis' successor, Sigismund of Luxembourg, Hungary lost its dominant position on the Balkan Peninsula. His involvement in the Hussite wars and German affairs led to a weakening of the royal power. The Turkish invasions that had been repeated since the beginning of the 15th century induced some magnates to renew their union with Poland. Ladislaus III of Varna (I. Ulászló) was appointed to the throne in 1440. After his death at Varna, in 1444 the actual power in Hungary was taken by J. Hunyady, who achieved a great victory over the Turks at Belgrade (1456).

In 1515, Władysław II concluded a treaty in Vienna with Emperor Maximilian I, ensuring the Habsburgs succession in Bohemia and Hungary after the Jagiellonians had expired. His son and successor, Ludwik II, in 1526, died in the battle with the Turks at Mohacz. According to the Viennese treaty, the throne was taken by Ferdinand I of Habsburg, but the middle nobility opted for the national king, Jan Zápolya, voivode of Transylvania. The struggle of both claimants to the throne, during which Zápolya assumed Turkish sovereignty, was not resolved. Western Hungary remained with Ferdinand I, with its capital in Preszburg (Pozsóny, now Bratislava), with Zápolyi - the principality of Transylvania, constituting the eastern part of the country; central Hungary and Buda were occupied by 1541 Turks. In the 16th century, the Reformation was spreading in Hungary (especially in Transylvania), with Calvinism having the most supporters among Hungarians. The Habsburgs, supporting the Counter-Reformation, tried to impose absolute rule in the part of the country under their control; This met with resistance from the nobility, regardless of religion (the uprising of I. Bocskai, G. Bethlen). In 1678, the greatest Kuruc uprising led by I. Thököly broke out, which, supported by Turkey, led to war in 1683. Thanks to the help of Poland and then the Holy League, the Habsburgs repelled the Turks' attack on Vienna and extended their rule to all of Hungary (peace in Karłowice 1699). Transylvania was also included in the domains of the Habsburgs.

Absolutist rule triggered a national uprising in 1703, led by Francis II Rakoczy, who was proclaimed Prince of Hungary in 1705; 1707 the Diet of Ónod announced the dethronement of the Habsburgs. After the 1711 uprising was suppressed, the Habsburgs partially restored absolute rule. Austria's involvement in wars with revolutionary and Napoleonic France led to a softening of the form of her rule in Hungary. The restoration of absolute rule by Francis I after Napoleon's fall aroused resistance from the nobility; In 1825 the reform party (I. Széchenyi, L. Kossuth) was formed at the Hungarian Seym in Preszburg. During the revolution of 1848–49, the national government of L. Batthyany took power in Hungary, and after the commencement of the Austrian intervention - Kossuth's National Defense Committee. The Hungarian army (commanded by J. Bem in Transylvania) won many victories. The Seym in Debrecen proclaimed the dethronement of the Habsburgs and the independence of Hungary (April 1849). Only the intervention of Russia led to the suppression of the revolution. The victorious Austrians introduced a rule of terror in Hungary. With time, defeats in the war with the French-supported Sardinia (1859), and especially with Prussia (1866), forced them to agree with the conciliatory party of F. Déak. In 1867, an agreement was concluded leading to the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1868, in which Hungary (with Transylvania) gained complete independence in internal affairs. In the same year, the Croatian-Hungarian settlement granted Croatia autonomy in the Kingdom of Hungary. Power in Hungary was taken by the Liberal Party, which supported the settlement. Its rule was conducive to the rapid development of the economy, especially industry. In 1903, the parliamentary opposition united against the liberals, demanding the independence of Hungary (the creation of a national army and a Hungarian issuing bank, the introduction of a customs border with Austria). In the 1905 parliamentary elections, the liberals lost power to a party coalition centered around the Independence Party. Within a few years of rule, the coalition did not manage to achieve greater independence of Hungary from Austria. Like the liberals, the coalition supported the Magyarization of national minorities in Hungary (1907 Lex Apponyi introduced the compulsory teaching of the Hungarian language in popular schools). In 1910, the National Labor Party took power, advocating the continuation of the agreement with Austria.

During the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, after the revolution that began on October 31, 1918, Hungary was proclaimed a republic on November 16, 1918, with Mihály Károlyi as its president. In March 1919, the communists and social democrats took power, proclaiming the Hungarian Soviet Republic - a dictatorship under the leadership of Béla Kun. The Hungarian Soviet Republic survived for 133 days and was overthrown by the invasion of Romanian and Czechoslovak troops. In 1920, as a result of the Treaty of Trianon, Hungary lost access to the sea and two-thirds of its territory (Burgenland, Slovakia, Transcarpathia, Transylvania, Vojvodina, Croatia and Slavonia), with 325,000. km² remained 93 thousand. km². As a result of the treaty, Hungary also lost almost two-thirds of its population (8 million out of 21 million remained). 3.5 million Hungarians (which constituted of the nation) found themselves outside Hungary, mainly in southern Slovakia and Transylvanian Seklerland, and parts of Vojvodina, including densely settled areas and mostly Hungarian. Hungary, recognized as a remnant of Austria-Hungary and a militant party in World War I, was charged with war reparations for the next 33 years. In addition, the size of the Hungarian army was reduced to 32,000 and compulsory military service was banned. French politicians (Georges Clemenceau) openly promised Hungary at the time of signing the treaty the possibility of its revision on the basis of ethnographic criteria and the statute of the League of Nations, this promise was not kept. In view of the treaty provisions, in Hungary throughout the interwar period, the prevailing desire was to revise its provisions, which were considered to be contrary to the principle of self-determination of nations. This dominated the foreign policy of the Kingdom of Hungary and its relations with its neighbors.

Hungary was officially declared a monarchy again, but the throne remained vacant. Two attempts to regain the crown by King Charles IV were unsuccessful, and the head of the state as regent was the former admiral of the Austro-Hungarian fleet - Miklós Horthy.

As a result of the economic crisis and revisionist propaganda, there was a rapprochement with the Third Reich, accession to the Pact of Three and from June 1941 participation in World War II on the side of the Axis Powers. In August 1943, the Hungarian government and regent Horthy offered the Allies a peace treaty, which in March 1944 resulted in the occupation of Hungary by the Wehrmacht. In view of the consistent attempts to conclude a ceasefire, also after the German occupation of Hungary, by the regent and the Hungarian government, in October 1944 (after the Red Army entered Hungary), Germany carried out a coup in Hungary, abducting and interning regent Miklos Horthy and introducing the government puppet of Ferenz Szalasi and the fascist party of the Arrow Cross Party. Already in October 1944, part of Hungary was occupied by the Red Army (Hungarian troops fought only on the Eastern Front), the last battles ended in Hungary on April 4, 1945.

After the war, the country belonged to the Eastern Bloc, which was under the control of the USSR. The attempt to regain independence and democratization in 1956 (the Hungarian uprising) ended with a bloody Soviet military intervention.

In 1989, Hungary undermined the iron curtain dividing the eastern and western blocks, opening the border with Austria. In 1990, democratic elections were held. Hungary joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

On April 25, 2011, President Pal Schmitt signed the new Hungarian Constitution, which entered into force on January 1, 2012. Constitution incl. changed the name of the country from the Republic of Hungary to Hungary.

Culture and art

Hungarians are an unusual nation in Europe in that their origin was unknown for a long time; they themselves gladly saw their ancestors in the Huns. In fact, the pre-Hungarians, like the ancestors of Finns, Estonians and other Finno-Ugric peoples, come from northern Asia. Despite the fact that after settling on the Danube and the Tisza, they quickly adopted the patterns of Western European culture - they were even referred to as the eastern bastion of Europe - they retained much of their individuality. The Turks consider Hungarians their kin, but more to emphasize their presence in Europe than to rely on solid foundations.

Country folk music has retained its complete identity. Lamentation songs, usually sung by women, have retained their archaic rhythm and sound, unheard of in other European nations. The uneven rhythm is combined with an accent hit on the first syllable that occurs in Hungarian. The sounds commonly considered to be Hungarian folk music, like the world-famous czardash, are in fact of gypsy origin. This type of dance music was created from the combination of the folk music of the Roma and the music of the cities. This ethnic group has been coming to Hungary since the 15th century and has influenced the musical life of the country like no other. Thanks to Hungary and the local composers, Gypsy music has become famous all over the world. The Roma themselves, despite centuries of assimilation, as in many other countries, still remain at the bottom of the social pyramid.

Policy

Hungary is a democratic state with a parliamentary republic. The supreme authority is exercised by the president of the country, who heads the government of Hungary. He is elected for a five-year term and exercises supreme authority over the armed forces. In addition, he has the right of legislative initiative and legislative veto.

In recent years, the government of Viktor Orbán has pursued a pro-social policy based on the country becoming independent from the EU. This policy, however, did not like the European Parliament for which the country is to be punished. Hungary's situation is worsened by bad social policy, unemployment and low birth rate. Despite this, the national party Fidesz has very high support in Hungarian society.

Society

Traditions

Preparations

Travel time selection

Visas

Nationals of member states European Union, including Polish visas do not apply. The border is crossed on the basis of a valid passport or ID card. If you do not have any documents, you should take into account possible police control.

Customs regulations

Customs regulations do not differ from the EU ones.

Currency exchange

The most easily convertible currency is the euro - zloty outside large cities (Budapest, Szeged) and resorts is irreplaceable.

Insurance

Phrase book

Drive

By plane

The largest airport is in Budapest - Wizzair also flies there, incl. from Warsaw. In addition, passenger airports are located in Debrecen and Sármellék.

By train

Direct connection from Krakow to Budapest is quite expensive (PLN 440 return), but from Budapest to Krakow, if you buy a ticket a few days earlier, you can go by EC train for 6400 HUF (about 90 PLN).

By car

Preferably via E75, E77 or E371 (and then E71). Cieszyn - Budapest (road E75) - approx. 360 km, Chyżne - Budapest (road E77) - approx. 280 km, Barwinek - Budapest (road E371) - approx. 300 km

By bus

Connections from Poland to Hungary are carried out by many shipping companies. Check the best connections to Hungary

Border crossings

The main border crossing points are:

Gorican (with Croatia)
Roszke - on a par with Tompa (with Serbia)
Biharkeresztes (with Romania)
Chop (z Ukraine)

Border crossings with Slovakia, Austria and Slovenia have been abolished due to the entry of the above-mentioned countries into the Schengen area.

An administrative division

Administrative division of Hungary

Main article: in: The administrative division of Hungary.

Today's administrative division of Hungary is three-tier. The territory of the state is divided into counties (megye; currently 19), which are divided into poviats (formerly kistérség, Nowadays járás - 175), and those - to municipalities (települései - urban város, currently 346, and rural község and nagyközség, now 2809). Cities with county rights (megyei jogú város, now 23). The capital city of Budapest (főváros), which is divided into districts (kerület). The first and second degree Hungarian administrative units are units of government administration, and the third degree local government units.

Committees

County Seat of government

Budapest Budapest

Bács-Kiskun Kecskemét

Baranya Pécs

Békés Békéscsaba

Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén Miskolc

Csongrád Szeged

Fejér Székesfehérvár

Győr-Moson-Sopron Győr

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

Cities

According to official data from 2011, Hungary had over 60 cities with a population of over 20,000. residents. The country's capital Budapest was the only city with over a million inhabitants; 8 cities with a population of 100-500 thousand; 10 cities with a population of 50-100 thousand, 27 cities with a population of 25-50 thousand. and the rest of the cities below 25,000 residents.

Budapest - the capital and the largest city
Balatonfüred
Békéscsaba
Cegléd
Csongrád
Debrecen (Debrecen)
Dunakeszi
Eger
Érd
Gödöllő
Győr
Gyula
Hódmezővásárhely
Kalocsa
Kaposvár
Kecskemét
Keszthely
Kisvard
Komárom
Kőszeg
Miskolc (Miskolc)
Nagykanizsa
Nyírbátor
Nyíregyháza
Ostrzyhom
Pecs
Sopron
Siófok
Szeged
Székesfehérvár
Szentendre
Szentes
Szolnok
Szombathely
Tapolca
Dad
Tatabánya
Vác
Veszprém
Zalakaros
Zalaegerszeg

Interesting places

Balástya - a picturesque town located about 25 km north of Szeged, with interesting monuments such as the church, old cemetery, lakes and parks.
Zalaszantó - the largest Buddhist stupa in Europe, north of Lake Balaton.
Hajdúszoboszló - very popular thermal baths.

Objects from the UNESCO World Heritage List

Budapest - a panorama of the Danube riverside (including Gellert Hill) and the castle district in Buda
Early Christian cemetery in Pécs
Caves of the Aggtelek Karst and the Slovak Karst (together with Slovakia)
The cultural landscape of Lake Fertö / Neusiedl (jointly with Austria)
Cultural landscape Tokaju
Benedictine Abbey of St. Pannonhalma and its surroundings
Puszta - Hortobagy National Park
Village Hollókő

Transport

It is best to use your own car on site.

Tongue

The official language is Hungarian. You can handle it knowing English, but in the western part of the country, including on Lake Balaton and its vicinity, it is much more useful to know German.

Shopping

The prices are similar to those in Poland, but the fuel prices are about PLN 0.70 higher, while alcohol (eg Tokaj) is cheaper.

Gastronomy

It is a standard Hungarian dish crawler (yeast pancake with cream and cheese) and paprika - most of the dishes (e.g. aleo) are their base. In addition, the cold cherry (meggyleves), stew, braised pork (pörkölt) and tartare. Near the Danube and Lake Balaton fish are served, and in Tokaj the famous regional wines. The most recommended of them are Tokaj Aszú and the dry Tokaj.

Accommodation

Grandhotel Galya - a large, four-star hotel near the border with Slovakia, with basic equipment (price approx. PLN 550 / person)
Mandarin Hostel - a hotel in Budapest, with very friendly staff and fairly good hotel conditions (price per night approx. PLN 100 / person)
Avenue Hostel - hotel in Budapest, located near the city center, free internet, bed linen, comfortable rooms, restaurant (price per night: approx. PLN 80 / person)
The Museum Guesthouse 10 Karoly Korut - a hostel located quite centrally, free internet, bed linen (price approx. PLN 60 / person in a 6-person room; 07.2009)

Wild accommodation

Officially, sleeping in the wild is not allowed. If you want to pitch your tent outside the campsite, place it in a sheltered, secluded place.

Science

work

Security

Hungary is a safe country. As in any country, be careful with big festivals and events.

Health

State citizens European Union are treated on the basis of reciprocity. This means that visitors and even tourists enjoy the same rights and obligations as Hungarian citizens. The basis for obtaining help is the card EHIC.

Medical advice: free of charge, on the basis of a referral. Dentist - only emergency cases are treated free of charge, in the basic scope.
Anxieties: depending on the group, they are free of charge, paid as a lump sum or from 50 to 90%.
Emergency: in justified (urgent) cases free of charge. Tel. no 104.
Hospital: basic treatment is free of charge, additional services and tests are 100% paid

It is recommended to have a separate, private insurance for treatment costs, including transport to Poland. When concluding insurance, you should choose a company that does not require cash from us, and then returns it after returning to the country, because we may not have such an amount.