Interesting facts about Hungary

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People & Society

• The Magyars (Hungarians) originated from the region of the Ural Mountains in present-day Russia and settled in the Carpathian Basin around the 9th century CE. Nevertheless, DNA tests have revealed that Uralic DNA only represents 3 to 5% of the genetic make-up of modern Hungarians and that they are overall more genetically similar to their Central European neighbours.
• Hungarians have a strong sense of national identity, with deep respect for their history, cultural traditions, and language.
• While initially appearing reserved with strangers, Hungarians are known to be exceptionally warm, hospitable, and open-hearted once relationships are established.
• Family bonds are highly important in Hungarian society, with close relationships maintained with extended family members and respect for elders being significant cultural values.
• Hungarian communities exist not only in Hungary but also across neighbouring countries including Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, and Ukraine, as well as in diaspora communities worldwide.
• There exists a longstanding divide between rural and urban Hungarian culture, with some referring to "two Hungarys": one in Budapest and one outside the capital.
• The term "Hungarikum" refers to phenomena unique to Hungary, including food products, animals, plants, folk music, and dances that serve as sources of national pride.
• According to EU statistics, Hungary the second highest mortality rate from cancer in Europe after neighbouring Croatia.

Hungarian Language

• Hungarian language, also known as Magyar, belongs to the Finno-Ugric branch of Uralic languages and is distantly related to Finnish, Estonian, Saami or Karelian.
• With approximately 14 million speakers as of 2023, Hungarian is the most widely spoken language in the Uralic family. One third of its speakers live outside Hungary, mostly in Romania, but also in Slovakia, Serbia and Ukraine.
• Hungarian is an agglutinative language (like Finnish, Turkish, Korean and Japanese) where suffixes are extensively employed to express grammatical relationships, resulting in remarkably long and complex words.
• The longest word in Hungarian, "Megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért," comprises 44 letters and means "for your continued behaviour as if you could not be desecrated".
• Hungarian has preserved around 68 percent of its etymons compared to just 4 percent in modern English, meaning it remains very similar to its ancient form.
• Vowel harmony is a key characteristic of Hungarian, requiring vowels within a word to belong to the same harmonic group, creating a sense of melodic balance. This characteristic is also shared with other Uralic languages, as well as Altaic languages such as Turkish, Mongolian, Korean and Japanese.
• The Hungarian language has borrowed words from various sources throughout its history, including Turkish, Latin, German, Slavic languages, and more recently English.

History

• Like neighbouring countries, Hungary was part of the Celtic world, then the Roman Empire. Following the fall of Rome, the Huns settled in the plains of Pannonia and gave their name to Hungary.
• Hungary is one of the oldest countries in Europe. It was founded in 896, before France and Germany became separate entities, and before the unification of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
• Around 1000 CE, the Kingdom of Hungary was one of the largest states in Europe, bigger than France. Later, it became of the the two "eagle heads" of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• The 1526 Battle of Mohács resulted in devastating defeat against the Ottoman Turks, beginning 150 years of Turkish occupation.
• Following the Ottoman conquest, Hungary was split into three parts with Transylvania becoming the stronghold of Hungarian culture and independence.
• Ferenc Rákóczi II led a significant war of freedom against the Habsburgs from 1703 to 1711, winning several battles before ultimately being defeated.
• The early 19th century Reform Age saw the creation of Hungary's National Anthem and the establishment of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
• The 1867 Compromise with the Habsburgs created the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a dual monarchy with seats in Vienna and Budapest.
• The Treaty of Trianon in 1920 reduced Hungary's territory by two-thirds and its population by one-third, leaving many Hungarian nationals as minorities in neighbouring countries.
• Hungarians traditionally refuse to clink beer glasses, honouring a historical vow made after Austria executed Hungarian generals in 1849.
• The 1956 Hungarian Revolution against Soviet rule became a powerful symbol of resistance during the Cold War despite being suppressed with approximately 3,000 casualties.
• Hungary was one of the first communist-era country to oppose the Soviet regime during the Cold War, notably with the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The 1986 Hungarian Grand Prix was the first Formula One race to take place behind the Iron Curtain. In 1989, Hungary was the first communist-block country to open its borders with Western Europe.
• In 1946, Hungary issued banknotes of a face value of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 pengo (one quintillion pengo) - the world's highest denomination ever.

Economy

• Hungary has the highest standard V.A.T. rate in the world (27%).
• Hungary has one of the most industrialised economies in Central Europe with major industries including automotive manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and electronics.
• Hungary has the highest volume of foreign direct investments in the Central and Eastern European region relative to GDP.
• Of all foreign direct investments in Hungary, 76.4% originates from the European Union and 23.2% from Germany.
• Major automotive companies including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW serve as key pillars of the Hungarian economy.
• The per capita energy consumption of Hungarian households is 12.8% higher than the EU average, exceeding most regional peers with comparable income levels and climatic conditions.
• Hungary runs a large trade deficit due to its reliance on energy imports, particularly from Russia.

Culture

• Paprika is not just a spice in Hungary but a national obsession used in numerous traditional dishes, with Hungarians jokingly claiming to use it as toothpaste.
• Hungarians celebrate name days (feast days of saints) in addition to birthdays, considering them almost equally important.
• The Busójárás festival features men dressed as monsters wearing wooden masks and sheepskin costumes to scare away winter.
• Traditional Hungarian equestrian shows feature the impressive "Puszta Five" stunt, where a csikós rides five horses at once—standing on the backs of two while steering three more.
• Ruin bars, located in abandoned buildings in Budapest's Jewish Quarter, are filled with mismatched furniture and quirky decorations, creating a unique bohemian atmosphere.
• Hungary has one of the most important thermal spring culture in Europe. The country boasts no less than 1,500 spas, typically featuring Roman, Greek and Turkish architecture. Some of the most sumptuous thermal resorts include the Széchenyi Medicinal Bath, Gellért Baths, Lukács Baths, and Margaret Island. Hungary also has 450 public baths.
• Budapest is known as the "City of Baths" for its thermal springs, which uniquely transform into "Sparties" (spa parties) at night with DJs and light shows.
• Hungary, like Austria, has a long tradition of classical music, although often blended with folkloric elements. Composers Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály or Franz Liszt were all Hungarian.

Science & Technology

• As of 2025, 15 Hungarians have received a Nobel Prize (more than China, India, Australia or Spain), including five in chemistry, four in physics and four in physiology or medicine.
• Hungarian inventions include the krypton electric bulb (Imre Bródy), holography (Dennis Gabor), the ballpoint pen (László Bíró), the theory of the hydrogen bomb (Edward Teller), and the BASIC programming language (John Kemeny, with Thomas E. Kurtz).
• The Rubik's Cube was invented by Hungarian architect Ernő Rubik, and it's joked that in Hungary, even babies are given a Rubik's Cube instead of a rattle.
• Albert Szent-Györgyi discovered vitamin C in 1932, allegedly stumbling upon its high content in paprika during a family dinner, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937.
• Katalin Karikó's pioneering work on mRNA technology, which initially faced scepticism, became the foundation for modern COVID-19 vaccines and earned her the Nobel Prize in 2023.
• János Irinyi made matches safer and quieter by replacing calcium chlorate with lead dioxide in match heads.
• Ignaz Semmelweis uncovered the link between hand-washing and reduced infant mortality rates, advocating for better hygiene two decades before germ theory was widely accepted.
• Tivadar Puskás pioneered the telephone switchboard and built Europe's first telephone exchange in Paris in 1879, later creating the "speaking newspaper"—a forerunner of radio—in Budapest.
• Roland von Eötvös developed methods and tools to measure gravity that informed Einstein's theory of relativity and improved searches for natural resources.
• Léo Szilárd was one of the first scientists to recognise the potential of nuclear fission and chain reactions, later shifting his focus to biology and proposing the establishment of what would become the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

Sports

• Only a few countries (USA, USSR, China, UK, France, Italy, Japan) have won more Summer Olympic gold medals won by Hungary in history. At the all time total medal count for Summer Olympic Games, Hungary reaches the 9th rank out of 211 participating nations, with a total of 530 medals after the 2024 Paris Olympics, making of Hungary one of the most successful Olympic nations, particularly excelling in fencing, canoeing, and swimming.
• Hungary's men's water polo team has won nine Olympic gold medals, more than any other country—a remarkable achievement for a landlocked nation.
• Hungarian fencer Aladár Gerevich won seven gold medals in sabre at six different Olympic Games, earning him the title of "the greatest Olympic swordsman ever".
• The Hungarian "Golden Team" of the 1950s remained undefeated for 32 consecutive games over four years, revolutionising football with its fluid style of play and tactical formations.
• Ferenc Puskás, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, scored an extraordinary 84 goals in just 85 matches for the Hungarian national team.
• In 1967, Ferencváros T.C. player Flórián Albert became the first Hungarian to win the Ballon d'Or (Golden Ball), surpassing the second place achieved by Puskás seven years earlier.
• Hungary has consistently participated in most Olympic Summer Games since 1896, missing only the 1920 and 1984 Games, with fencing being their most successful Olympic discipline.