Basic information about hungary booklet

Basic information about Hungary

Flag:The hungarian flag changed a lot in the course of history. At first it was only red and white. The green was added in the XV. century. All three colours have their own meaning: the red means strength the white means loyalty and

the green means hope. The flag we use today became official in 1990. The red, white and green stripes are equally wide without crest.

Language:Hungarian language belongs to the Finno-Ugrian family of laguages. At the beginning our language seperated from its closest relatives and started to develop on its own.After Hungary became catholic latin had a huge influence on our language. We use the latin alphabet in our own version of it. For a very long time latin was our official language.From 1790 to 1820 we started to broaden our vocabulary and we changed the we we write our words. This process is called neology. Hungarian first became official in 1836 besides latin. It became our only official language in 1844. The Hungarian alphabet:a á b c cs d dz dzs e é f g gy h i í j k l ly m n ny o ó ö ő p q r s sz t ty u ú ü ű v w x y z zsA Á B C Cs D Dz Dzs E É F G Gy H I Í J K L Ly M N Ny O Ó Ö Ő P Q R S Sz T Ty U Ú Ü Ű V W X Y Z Zs

National Anthem:Hungary’s first anthem was a song called Boldogasszony Anyánk. Then in the XIX. century when we were part of the Habsburg Empire our anthem was the same as theirs which was Gott erhalte Franz, den Kaiser composed by Joseph Haydn. Our current national anthem (Himnusz) was declared official in 1989. It’s a poem set into music. The poem was written by Ferenc Kölcsey in 1823.

Legend:The legend of the White StagIt’s a pagan legend that discusses the process of settlement of the hungarians. According to the lengend there were two brothers called Hunor and Magor whose descendants are the huns and the hungarians. While they were hunting in the woods a deer showed up in front of them and led them to a new land. The legend says that the deer was sent by one of their gods to show them the way to their new homeland. The brothers followed the deer and they settled down on a place we call Hungary today.

I. Stephen (997-1038)He was Hungary’s first king. He was raised in catholic mentality, he brought christian faith into our country. During his reign Hungary went through a lot of changes and started to develop. This process granted Hungary enough power to remain a strong and independent country.

Sándor Petőfi: (1823-1849)Hungarian poet, revolutionist, national hero. One of the most outstanding figue of the hungarian poetry. He took a very important part in the revolution in 1848. He wrote the poem called Nemzeti Dal (National Song) that had a huge influence on the rebellious crowd.He died in a battle against the Habsburg Empire.

A piece of literature: Petőfi Sándor: Nemzeti DalTalpra magyar, hí a haza!Itt az idő, most vagy soha!Rabok legyünk vagy szabadok?Ez a kérdés, válasszatok!A magyarok istenéreEsküszünk,Esküszünk, hogy rabok továbbNem leszünk!

Sándor Petőfi: National SongOn your feet now, Hungary calls you!Now is the moment, nothing stalls you,Shall we be slaves or men set freeThat is the question, answer me!By all the gods of HungaryWe hereby swear,That we the yoke of slaveryNo more shall wear.

Population:Our current population is 9 908 798 people. Our population involves people came from different nationalities like germans, slovakians, romanians, croatians, serbians and gypsies.

The top 5 major cities:Budapest is our largest city and Hungary’s capital. Most of the citizens live here. There are lots of interesting tourist attractions to see, for example: The Castle of Buda, The Heroes’ Square and the Chain Bridge.

Debrecen: Our second biggest city. When you are in Debrecen it’s worth visiting the Zoo of Debrecen, the Hortobágy National Park and the annual Flower Carnival.

Szeged: The third largest city in Hungary. In Szeged you can visit the Dóm Square, the Votive Church and the University ofSzeged which is also worth visiting.

Miskolc: Hungary’s fourth biggest city. You can visit the Zoo and Cultural Park of Miskolc, the Old Wooden Church and the Cave baths of Miskolctapolca in Miskolc.

Interesting places:Hortobágy National Park – Puszta:The cultural landscape of the Hortobágy Puszta consists of a vast area of plains and wetlands in eastern Hungary. Traditional forms of land use, such as the grazing of domestic animals, have been present in this pastoral society for more than two thousand years. It is part of the Tisza plain of eastern Hungary.

Old Village of Hollókő:Hollókő is an outstanding example of a deliberately preserved traditional settlement. This village, which developed mainly during the 17th and 18th centuries, is a living example of rural life before the agricultural revolution of the 20th century. Hollókő also known for its traditional clothing style and Easter customs.

Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs:

In the 4th century a remarkable series of decorated tombs were constructed in the cemetery of the Roman provincial town of Sopianae (modern Pécs). These are important both structurally and architecturally, since they were built as underground burial chambers with memorial chapels above the ground.

Millenary Benetictine Abbey of Pannonhalma:The first Benedictine monks settled down here in 996. They were evangelizing the Hungarians, they found the country's first school and in 1055 they wrote the first document in Hungarian. From the time of its founding, this monastic community has promoted culture throughout central Europe.

The Historic Wine Region of Tokaj:The cultural landscape of Tokaj graphically demonstrates the long tradition of wine production in this region of low hills and river valleys. It’s located at the foothills of the Zemplén Mountains in Northern-Eastern Hungary.