Hungary

There is more to Budapest than fish soup, paprika and Zsa Zsa Gabor. With its multifarious history, incredible architecture and rich cultural heritage, Hungary's capital has the justly deserved sobriquet  of 'the Paris of Central Europe', set apart from other Hungarian and European cities by its beauty. The city straddles a gentle curve in the mighty Danube River, the Buda hills rising dramatically on the west bank while the Pest district marks the start of the Great Plain to the east.

The largest Hungarian city by a mile, Budapest is the heart, soul and memory of Hungary, with the Danube coursing through its veins . The city has a complex identity, currently facing something of a crisis with the allure of modern Western luxury in conflict with the simple traditions of its Eastern European roots and penchant for all things classical.

Hungary Tourist Attractions

The Castle District on Castle Hill is the premier destination for visitors and contains many of Budapest's most important monuments and museums, not to mention grand views of Pest across the snaking Danube. The walled area consists of two distinct parts: the Old Town where commoners lived in the Middle Ages, and the Royal Palace. Stroll around the medieval streets of the Old Town and and take in the odd museum. A brief tour in one of the horse-drawn hackney cabs is worthwhile for the leg weary. Red Square

The Old Town is filled with attractively painted houses, decorative churches and the famous Fishermen's Bastion. The latter was built as a viewing platform in 1905, named after the guild of fishermen responsible for defending this stretch of wall in the Middle Ages. It has commanding views over the city, and is dominated by seven gleaming turrets (representing the seven Magyar tribes who entered the Carpathian Basin in the 9th century) and a statue of St Stephen on horseback. Immediately south of the Old Town is the Royal Palace.

Hungary travel

The Royal Palace has been burned, bombed, razed, rebuilt and redesigned at least half a dozen times over the past seven centuries. What you see today clinging to the southern end of Castle Hill is an 18th and early 20th-century amalgam reconstructed after the last war. It houses, among other things, the impressive National Gallery (which has a huge section devoted to Hungarian art), the National Library and the Budapest History Museum. At the rear of the museum take a relaxing break in the palace gardens. Ferdinand Gate under the conical Mace Tower will bring you to a set of steps. These descend to a historic Turkish cemetery dating from the decisive Independence battle for Buda of 1686. To get to the Royal Palace, take the Sikló, a funicular built in 1870 from Clark ádám, or for the more energetic, walk up the `Royal Steps' or the wide staircase that goes to the southern end of the Royal Palace.

Hungary has a colourful and varied culture reflecting its mix of peoples - the majority Magyars, and Roma, German, Slovak, Croat, Serb and Romanian minorities. It was admitted to Nato in 1999 and joined the EU in May 2004.

Hungary attractions

A landlocked country, Hungary is home to Lake Balaton, the largest in central Europe, and to a large number of spa towns and hot springs. It has rich traditions in folk and classical music and was the birthplace of numerous well loved performers and composers, including Franz Liszt, Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly. It also has a long history of wine making.
 Budapest, the capital, straddles the Danube river

Hungary flag

Once part of the Ottoman and Hapsburg empires, it became a partner in the Austro-Hungarian empire in the mid-19th century. After a period of turmoil following World War I, an independent kingdom of Hungary was established. Following World War II, the country found itself under communist rule.

An uprising against Soviet domination in 1956 was crushed by Red Army forces but Hungary did later become the first Eastern European country to gain some economic freedom. It embraced aspects of the free market while still under communist rule and in 1968 the authorities allowed limited decentralisation of the economy. This helped to smooth economic transition.

Hungary tourism

Within four years of the collapse of communism nearly half of the country's economic enterprises had been transferred to the private sector, and by 1998 Hungary was attracting nearly half of all foreign direct investment in its region. Hungary played an important part in accelerating the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe when in 1989 it opened its border with Austria, allowing thousands of East Germans to escape to the West.

Just a few months later the Berlin Wall was history. The redrawing of European borders that took place after World War I left about five million ethnic Hungarians living in neighbouring countries. Their status remains a sensitive issue. Low turnout invalidated a December 2004 referendum on whether or not to offer them citizenship.

(Hungary map) Please mouse click on the thumbnail photos below to see an enlargement

Full name: Republic of Hungary
Population: 10 million (UN, 2007)

Capital: Budapest
Area: 93,030 sq km (35,919 sq miles)

Major language: Hungarian
Major religion: Christianity

Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: Forint

Main exports: Machinery and transport equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals
GNI per capita: US $10,030 (World Bank, 2006)

Internet domain: .hu
International dialling code: +36

President Laszlo Solyom
Prime minister: Ferenc Gyurcsany Ferenc Gyurcsany's Socialist-led coalition won a decisive victory in parliamentary elections in April 2006, becoming the first government to win consecutive terms since the restoration of democracy in 1990. Between them, the Socialists and Free Democrats won 210 of the 386 seats in parliament after campaigning on promises of further reforms.

After his re-election, the prime minister unveiled plans to cut public sector jobs and raise taxes in a bid to boost growth and steer Hungary toward eurozone membership in 2010. He also pledged to reduce the budget deficit. But he came under intense opposition pressure in September 2006 when a tape recording was made public of him admitting at a party meeting that the government had lied about the state of the economy during the election.

Hungary travel

The comments sparked the first violent protests in the capital since the fall of communism. The prime minister said he had been trying to convince his party about the urgent need for reform. The former sports minister was first formally approved by parliament as prime minister in late September 2004. He had been chosen by the Socialist Party to succeed Peter

Medgyessy who resigned when tensions flared with the Free Democrats, the Socialists' coalition partners, over a cabinet reshuffle. The coalition has been in government since 2002. Ferenc Gyurcsany was born in 1961 and was a member of the communist youth movement in the 1980s. He went on to become a millionaire from buying state assets in the early years of privatisation. He entered politics in 2002 as a strategic adviser to the former premier.