10.

MAGYARORSZÁG

o  Magyarország turisztikai vonzereje, nevezetességei, kulturális és természeti értékei

o  nemzeti ünnepek, népszokások, hagyományos és megújuló értékek
o  a magyar konyha, a gasztronómia, mint egy adott ország kultúrájának része

o  Magyarország helye, helyzete és szerepe Európában

Hungary is a country in Central Europe. Its capital city is Budapest. Hungary is slightly bigger
than its western neighbour Austria and has about 10 million inhabitants. Other countries that
border Hungary are Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. Hungary's
official language is the Hungarian language. It has been a member of the European
Union (EU) since 2004. In Hungarian the country is called Magyarország (literally, "Hungarian
country"), or Magyar Köztársaság (Hungarian Republic). This is named after the Magyar
tribes who came to Hungary in the late 9th century.

here is a long history of tourism in Hungary,[1] and Hungary was the world's thirteenth
most visited tourist destination country in 2002.[2] Tourism increased by nearly 7 percent
between 2004 and 2005.[3] European visitors comprise more than 98 per cent of
Hungary's tourists. Austria, Germany, and Slovakia make the largest numbers of visitors
to the country.[1] Most tourists arrive by car and stay for a short period of
time.[4] Hungary's tourist season is from April through October. July and August are the
best tourist months.[1] Budapest is the country's most popular tourist destination.

Tourism in Budapest

Budapest became one of Central Europe's most popular tourist attractions in the
1990s. Attractions in the city include Buda Castle which houses several museums
including the Hungarian National Gallery, the Matthias Church,[5] the Parliament
Building and the City Park. The city has many museums, three opera houses, and
thermal baths. Buda Castle, the Danube River embankments and the whole of
Andrássy Avenue have been recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.[6]
Hungary has an estimated 1,300 thermal springs, a third of which are used as spas
across the country. Hungary's thermal waters and spa culture are promoted to
tourists. Only France, Japan, Bulgaria, Iceland, and Italy have similar thermal water
capacity. Hungary's thermal baths have been used for 2,000 years for cleansing,
relaxation and easing aches and pains. The Romans were the first to use Hungary's
thermal waters in the first century, when they built baths on the banks of the Danube
River. Budapest lies on a geological fault that separates the Buda hills from plains.
More than 30,000 cubic metres of warm to scalding (21° to 76 °C) mineral water
gushes from 118 thermal springs and supply the city's thermal baths.Budapest has
been a popular spa destination since Roman times. Some of the baths in the city
date from Turkish times while others are modern.They have steam rooms that utilize
the healing properties of the springs. Most of the baths offer medical treatments,
massages, and pedicures. The most famous of Budapest's spas were built at the turn
of the 19th century.

There are two hundred known caves under Budapest, some of which can be visited
by tourists[6] and are a popular tourist attraction.In the Buda hills there are caves that
are unique for having been formed by thermal waters rising up from below, rather
than by rainwater. The Pálvölgy Stalactite Cave is a large and spectacular labyrinth.
Discovered in the 1900s, it is the largest of the cave systems in the Buda hills.The
Szemlohegy Cave has no stalactites and has fewer convoluted and claustrophobic
passages than the Pálvölgy Cave. The walls in this cave are encrusted with
precipitates formed by warm water dissolving mineral salts. The air in the cave is
very clean and its lowest level is used as a respiratory sanatorium.[12] The Matyas
Cave in the outskirts of the city has a crawling-room-only section called the
"sandwich of death

Regional tourism

Lake Balaton in western Hungary is the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe. It is the
second most important tourist destination in Hungary. 2.5 million tourists visited the lake in
1994.[14][15] Hungary's other tourist attractions include spas, excellent facilities for activity
holidays, and cultural attractions such as the villages of the Great Hungarian Plain and the art
treasures found in Budapest.[4] Hungary has more than 400 camping grounds.[16] There are
more than 2,500 km of dedicated bicycle lanes in the country.[17] Fishing is popular in Hungary
and almost half of the country's 130,000 hectares of rivers and lakes are used by anglers.
The country has excellent opportunities for birdwatching,[18] and horse riding and hunting are
also popular.

World heritage sites in Hungary

Budapest, including the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and
Andrássy Avenue

The panorama over the city, split by the Danube into one half of valleys and hills and the
other of plains, with the two connected by a row of bridges over the river, is breathtaking. The
world heritage area stretches from Margaret Bridge to Szabadság Bridge, and it embraces
such magnificent sites as the Buda Castle Quarter, which has retained its mediaeval style
and structure to this day, as well as the spectacular buildings of the Parliament, Vigadó Hall
or the Great Market Hall on the Pest side. Often called the “Champs Élysées of Budapest,
Andrássy Avenue welcomes visitors with formidable buildings such as the neo-renaissance
Opera House and the Academy of Music, the Art Nouveau building of the Paris Department
Store, alongside numerous luxury brand stores.

The Old village of Hollókő and its surroundings

This tiny Palócz village in Northern Hungary has almost entirely managed to preserve its
mediaeval settlement structure. Porched rural houses with white-washed walls line up on two
sides of the settlement’s only street in orderly fashion, leading up to a church with shingled
wooden tower. The majority of the 67 protected houses are still home to residents to this day,
while some have become handicraft workshops, museums and demonstration sites, and
others provide accommodations for visitors. In addition to their unique dialect, the locals also
maintain traditions such as their colourful and richly adorned clothing and authentic Palócz
cuisine, and they are happy to share these with visitors.
The Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst
Dragon’s Head, Mother-in-Law's Tongue, Hall of Columns and Hall of Giants – these are the
descriptive names given by explorers to the diverse stalagmite formations of the 2-million-
year-old and 26-km-long Baradla Cave. Thanks to its exceptional acoustic features, this cave
is also used as a concert venue. The Baradla Cave is also the longest stalagmite cave in the
temperate zone, and is considered to be the most significant among the 1,200 caves of
Aggtelek Karst. This area stretches across the Hungarian-Slovakian border, and it is rich in
biological, geological and palaeontological values. There are guided tours of various
durations organised from Aggtelek and Jósvafő, ranging from 1-hour light walks to adventure
hikes that may take even 6-7-hours.

The Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its natural

environment
Towering over the Pannon region of Northern Hungary, the Basilica and the educational
buildings and chapels of the Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma guard a thousand-year-
old history, with its library and collections representing outstanding cultural value. It is
definitely worth visiting the monastery here, which was founded in 996 by Benedictine monks
in honour of Saint Martin, and which is as old as the Hungarian state. The Abbey also
welcomes visitors with a botanical and herbal garden, a tea house, a restaurant, a vineyard, a
wine house and a pilgrims’ house - these are all good examples of the continuous renewal
and innovation of this monastic community.
Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta
Although the romantic world of the outlaws (betyár) is a thing of the past, traces of the era are
still around in Eastern Hungary in the region of Hortobágy, the largest continuous natural
grassland in Europe. Those who visit this area will be greeted with a unique sight - peacefully
grazing herds of cattle, galloping horses and horsemen, herdsmen herding flocks of sheep,
sweep-pole wells. Numerous traditional inns welcome guests, and visitors can even go on
safari trips to explore the seemingly infinite horizons of the Great Plains. At the Puszta Animal
Park, visitors can meet traditional Hungarian domesticated animals, and they can discover
what the local ancient wildlife had been like. The most spectacular thing to see here during
the autumn sunsets is the migration of cranes that flock by the hundreds of thousands.

Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae)

The town of Sopianae (where Pécs is located today) was founded by the Ancient Romans at
the beginning of the 2nd century, and by the 4th century, it had grown into a flourishing
provincial capital. The late Roman, early Christian cemetery of Pécs in Southern Hungary is
the most significant provincial necropolis, with hundreds of brick graves, dozens of family
burial chambers and communal crypts. This is also the place where the largest number of
cemetery buildings with wall decorations from the era have been preserved in Europe.
Fertő / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape
Located on the Austrian-Hungarian border, Fertő/Neusiedlersee Lake is considered to be a
wetland of international importance, as it is home to numerous rare plant species that can
only be found here, as well as more than two hundred bird species. With an area of 310
square metres, Fertő/Neusiedlersee Lake is Europe’s largest alkaline lake with dense reed-
beds and expansive marshes. Its amazing biodiversity can also be observed during cycling
on the bike path that surrounds the lake, or during guided canoe trips. Its majestic castles in
Fertőd and Nagycenk along with the noble simplicity of the region’s folk architectural remains
represent outstanding cultural value.

Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape

Located at the foot of the Zemplén Mountains in North-East Hungary where two rivers Bodrog
and Tisza meet, the Tokaj-Hegyalja Wine Region has been the world’s first closed wine
region since 1737, with 27 settlements located within its territory. The special microclimate,
the volcanic soil and the noble rot-covered cellars all play a crucial role in the production of
the world-famous Tokaji Aszú. It is one of the most unique sweet wines which, as legend has
it, French king Louis XV referred to as the “King of Wines and the Wine of Kings”. Many of the
vineyards and the cellars carved into the volcanic rock can be explored, while wineries offer
premium-category wine tastings and dinners.

Food
Spicy, rich and an extravaganza of different flavors, Hungary’s cuisine is a delicious and
surprising discovery for many travellers to the country. Developed over thousands of years of
Magyar history, traditional dishes continue to be part of a proud and abundant cultural
heritage. We’ve collected the ten most typical Hungarian dishes/food and where to find their
best versions in Budapest.
List of public holidays[edit]

Date English name Local name Remarks

According to tradition, lentil soup eaten on this day makes people wealthy,
1 January New Year's Day Újév rolling out strudel dough guarantees long life, eating poultry will make luck
"fly away".

Memorial day of the 1848 Revolution (which aimed the independence of the
Hungarian Kingdom from the Austrian Empire). There are usually speeches
15 March National Day Nemzeti ünnep
and music pieces (e.g. Nemzeti dal) performed; many people wear
a cockade with the national colours (red, white and green).

Moveable Good Friday Nagypéntek Good Friday is public holiday since 2017[citation needed] .

Moveable EasterSunday Húsvétvasárnap

Men visit women to sprinkle them with perfume (or in the countryside,
sometimes water), first asking permission by reciting a verse. In return, the
women give the men eggs (sometimes painted, sometimes chocolate).
Moveable EasterMonday Húsvéthétfő Children receive chocolate eggs (sometimes fruits and nuts, chocolate
rabbits), from the Easter Bunny; these gifts are sometimes hidden in the
garden or house. (Real rabbits are sometimes gifted.) The day's meal is
often ham, eggs, sweetbreads, and horseradish for breakfast.

The countries of the EU are represented with special programmes, bridges

are decorated and exhibitions are held. Labour Day coincides with May
1 May Labour day A munka ünnepe
Day (majális); many attend outdoor festivities in public parks. Since 2004 it
is also the anniversary of the accession to the EU.

Moveable PentecostSunday Pünkösdvasárnap Sunday, 50 days after Easter Sunday

Moveable PentecostMonday Pünkösdhétfő Monday after Pentecost

Hungary's first king St. Stephen's Day, also the day of the Foundation of
Hungary and "the day of the new bread". St. Stephen of Hungary (Szent
István király in Hungarian) (ca. 975 – 15 August 1038), as the first king of
Hungary, led the country into the Christian church and established the
institutions of the kingdom and the church. He was canonized on 20 August
State Foundation Az államalapítás 1083, and 20 August is his feast day in Hungary.
20 August
Day ünnepe
Celebrated with a half-hour fireworks display on the bank of the Danube in
the evening, which is attended by many people on both river banks and is
watched by many from the hills on the Buda side of the river and from the
rooftops of both Pest and Buda. During the existence of the Hungarian
People's Republic, 20 August was celebrated as the founding of the
socialist republic.[2]

Memorial day of the 1956 Revolution (which – inter alia – aimed at the
23 departure of the Soviet troops from Hungary and free elections). Also the
National Day Nemzeti ünnep
October day of the proclamation of the Third Hungarian Republic (1989). Celebrated
with speeches and exhibitions.
1 Day of remembrance of the dead. Graves in Christian cemeteries are
All Saints Day Mindenszentek
November decorated with flowers and candles, by family and friends of the dead.
 Public transport stops operating at about 4 pm on the 24th ("Szenteste") as
most families gather to celebrate, placing presents under a Christmas
25
Christmas Karácsony tree which has been decorated while the children are away from the house.
December
Presents are then opened and a large meal eaten in celebration of the
event. On 25th and 26th, people usually visit relatives.
26 Second Day of Karácsony
December Christmas másnapja