Hungary

The Republic of Hungary (Magyar Köztársaság) is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is an OECD, NATO, EU and Schengen member. The mother-tongue is Hungarian, part of the Finno-Ugric family, thus one of the few official languages of the European Union that is not of Indo-European origin.

History

The territory was already inhabited in the early Paleolithic. Following a Celtic (after c. 450 BC) and a Roman (9 BC - c. 4th Century) period, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late Ninth Century by the Magyar chieftain Árpád, who after having settled in the Carpathian Basin led the people from paganism toward Roman Catholicism. In December, 1000, Árpád's great grandson, Stephen ascended to the throne with a crown sent from Rome by Pope Sylvester II. The kingdom and nation of Hungary was thus born. 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. It was succeeded by a Communist era (1945-1989) during which Hungary gained widespread international attention 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. The present form of government is Parliamentary Republic (1989-).

Culture

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 country is home to the second largest thermal lake in the world (Lake Hévíz), the largest lake in Central Europe (Lake Balaton), and the largest remaining grasslands in Central Europe (Hortobágy). In terms of manmade structures, Hungary is home to the largest synagogue in Europe (Great Synagogue), the largest medicinal bath in Europe (Széchenyi Medicinal Bath), the third largest church in Europe (Esztergom Basilica), the second largest territorial abbey in the world (Pannonhalma Archabbey), the second largest Baroque castle in the world (Gödöllo), and the largest Early Christian Necropolis outside Italy (Pécs).

More information on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary

Budapest

Budapest is the capital city of Hungary and the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial and transportation centre. The official language spoken is Hungarian. Budapest had 1,696,128 inhabitants in 2007, down from a mid-1980s peak of 2.1 million. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with the amalgamation on 17 November 1873 of right-bank (west) Buda (Ofen in German) and Óbuda (Old Buda or Alt-Ofen) together with Pest on the left (east) bank.Dubbed as "The City of Baths", Budapest is considered an essential Central European hub, especially since the 1989 downfall of the Communist government in Hungary. The Buda Castle Hill, a collection of palaces, churches and monuments has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, along with Andrássy Avenue and the Millennium Underground railway.

Budapest attracts over 20 million visitors a year, making it one of the top destinations in Europe. It is now also the third most popular destination in the world for luxury weekend getaways, and its Gellért Spa was named the third best thermal bath in the world. Both the Central European University and the CEU Business School are based in Budapest.The city is home to the largest synagogue in Europe (Great Synagogue), the largest medicinal bath in Europe (Széchenyi Medicinal Bath) and the third largest Parliament building in Europe, once the largest in the world.

More information on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest

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