The Hungarian nation, surprisingly, comes from Asia- the first tribes arrived in the Carpathian Basin around the end of the 9th century. Due to our first Christian King, St. Stephen, the Kingdom of Hungary became a developed and strong territory in Europe. The Middle Ages could be considered as a success, in spite of the disasters that followed in Hungary’s history: the Mongolian invasion (1241-1242) and the Turkish occupation for more than a hundred years (1526-1686).

After the Turks were driven out, Hungary came under Habsburg rule- this resulted in several uprisings and revolutions (1703-1711, 1848) in order to win back Hungary’s independence. Finally, the First World War brought the end of the Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. Unfortunately, the new government was forced to sign a treaty (Trianon Peace Treaty in 1920) that resulted in the loss of two-thirds of the country’s territory. In the hope of regaining some of them, Hungary entered the Second World War on the side of the Axis powers. With this decision Hungary had reached the darkest days in its history.

After the war, Hungary went through a nearly fifty year long period of the Soviet regime that ended in 1989. Since then the Republic of Hungary gained a democratic government and the country became a member of the NATO (in 1999) and the EU (in 2004).

Arts & Sports

Hungary has a rich and long-standing folk tradition- folk dance, embroideries, decorated potteries, buildings and carvings are just a few of numerous valuable pieces of art that enriched the Hungarian culture. Hungarian music ranges from the rhapsodies of Franz Liszt to folk music, Hungarian gipsy music and Roma music. Hungary also has a rich and colorful literature, with many famous poets and writers. The country is also well known for its water sports, e.g. swimming, canoeing, and water polo.

Cuisine

The Hungarian cuisine is a prominent feature of the Hungarian culture, just as much like the art of hospitality. Traditional dishes are the world famous Goulash soup, Chicken Paprikash- flavored with a Hungarian innovation „paprika”, pörkölt stew, túrós csusza, (dumplings with fresh quark cheese, thick sour cream and fried bacon).

Desserts include the iconic Dobos Cake, Strudels (rétes), filled with fruits or cheese, plum dumplings (szilvás gombóc), somlói dumplings, dessert soups like chilled Sour cherry soup, sweet chestnut puree and many others.

Among the drinks that are definitely worth to taste belong the pálinka (distilled fruit brandy), Hungarian beers (Borsodi, Soproni, Arany Ászok, Kőbányai or Dreher), wines (Tokaji Aszú, Egri Bikavér) and Unicum that is a liqueur made of 40 Hungarian herbs.

National Feasts

15 March	1848 Revolution Day
1 May	Labor Day
20 August	St. Stephen's Day
23 October	1956 Uprising Memorial Day

Furthermore we celebrate New Year’s Eve, Easter and Christmas.