Meet the culture

     

In the Heart of Europe

The Origins

Few know that the prehistoric finds discovered at a location near Budapest are as old as the Neanderthal finds. Hungarians came from the steppes of Asia as a horse riding nomadic people, their language is testimony to Finno-Ugric origins. As soon as they arrived in their country, the Carpathian Basin, they adapted to the environment. The first Hungarian king, St. Stephen received a crown from the Pope less than a hundred years after the conquest and settlement. The Hungarians mixed the wisdom of the East, the virtue of its warriors, its attachment to ancient beliefs, its artistic motifs, the beauties of horse breeding, a rich culture with the traditions and sophistication of the West. Having accepted and received Western Christianity, they declared themselves to clearly belong to the West. The Hungarians themselves, too, accepted all that the new environment had to offer and became a receiving nation, thus enriching itself. Cumans and Gypsy musicians, Jewish traders, crusaders, Venetians, Italian Renaissance artists and Swabian Germans contributed to the genetic composition of the Hungarian people. The guests arriving in Hungary may enjoy the usual colours of Europe and the exotic nature of this country arising from its many-coloured people.

The Romans and the Hungarians

After having conquered this region, the Romans called the western part of today’s Hungary “Pannonia Provincia”. Remains of the town of Aquincum, dating back some 2000 years can be found today in the northern part of the capital. Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, a nomadic tribe, the Huns built up a powerful empire led by their feared commander Attila. Several centuries had to elapse before the appearance of the Hungarians, led by their chief Árpád. Since the conquest and settlement in 896, the Hungarians have been full members of Europe. There was a time, the age of the wars fought against the Turks when the Hungarians defended the whole continent against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. In the 15th century, during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus, artists flocked to his court from all over Europe. The generous ruler, King Matthias created a cultural centre in Buda and Visegrád with his Italian wife, Beatrice from Naples. Renaissance palaces, balls, wine flowing out of marble wells; the great king's death and the Turks put an end to it all. The world and Europe turned its attention towards Hungary several times in the 20th century. The generation of fathers has memories of the 1956 revolution, while our contemporaries remember the recent change of regimes. Its role played in the reunification of Germany and the rapid changes have rendered Hungary Central-Eastern Europe's most exciting country.

The Face of the Country

Castles, palaces and forts had been built all over Hungary, however, history has destroyed a majority of them. The larger cities of the country mostly show the image of the turn of the century. Budapest and other Hungarian towns are the cities of Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, Secession and Eclecticism. The specific Hungarian Secession, which is present in the Kecskemét Cifra Palace, as well as in Szeged, Pécs and Debrecen, painted the country's face with peculiar colours.

Music

Musician Gypsies came to Hungary as early as in the 15th century, during the reign of King Sigismund. Their particular music mixed with the local folk music, the rhythms and tunes “imported” from Asia. This was the first place where they had played music for an audience, and many therefore believe that Gypsy music is the Hungarians’ folk music. These motifs also appear in the music of 19th century recruiting bands, and in the compositions of Brahms and Liszt. Foreign guests watch and listen with pleasure to the virtuosity of the musicians giving concerts and playing in restaurants. Certain motifs were also used in the works of the folk music collectors, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály. Kodály is also world famous for his music teaching method which is widespread throughout the world.

Famous Hungarians

There was a time when there were more renowned Hungarian film makers in Hollywood than of any other nationality.. the most illustrious George Cukor was only one of them. But many Hungarian athletes, the members of the Gold Team - Puskás Öcsi for instance - have also become legends. Mention must be made that a range of everyday items has been discovered by Hungarians too: the computer, the ballpoint pen, the noiseless match, the helicopter, vitamin C etc. Given the size of the Hungarian population the number of Hungarian inventors is really impressive, maybe that is why when Nobel prize winner Enrico Fermi was asked if he believed in extraterrestrials, he replied: “They are already here... they are called Hungarians!”

Did You Know?

- In 1996 Hungary celebrated the 1100th anniversary of the Hungarian conquest and settlement in the Carpathian Basin.

- “Hallo...!” Would you have thought that when you pick up the phone you are using a Hungarian word? Tivadar Puskás, the inventor of the first telephone exchange, was Hungarian. Can you hear me? - in Hungarian “Hallod?” - he enquired excitedly when testing it.

- 1998 was the 125th birthday of Budapest. In 1873 Pest, Buda and Óbuda were united into the metropolis which we now call Budapest.

- Tolling of bells at noon. It is not certain that at this time of day everybody thinks of what the Hungarians think of. More than five hundred years ago János Hunyadi, the defeater of the Turks, stopped the Ottoman armies in Hungary, thus defending Western Europe. The bloody battle finished at 12, noon. The head of the Catholic Church, the Pope, ordered that bells should be ringing in every church throughout the world in memory of this battle.

- Did you know that Hungarian is practically the only language in the world where the surname precedes the forename?

- The breathtaking Parliament Building is the second largest in Europe, while the Great Synagogue is the largest in Europe, and the second in the world.

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