14.

MAGYARORSZG

Hungary is situated in Central Europe at approximately an equal distance from the Equator and the North Pole. The country - Magyarorszg termszeti rtkei occupies a territory of about 93,000 square ilometers and there are - tjak, egy-egy vros lersa, turisztikai about ten million people li!in" here. There are nineteen counties. #ur nevezetessgek country can be di!ided into three lar"e re"ions$ Transdanubia, the %reat - alapvet fldrajzi s trtnelmi Plain and Northern &un"ary. The Transdanubian part is mainly hilly ismeretek 'ith the exception of the northern re"ion, 'hich is called the (mall - a fvros s/vagy szlvrosa Plain. The soil is exceptionally "ood there for crops and !e"etables. ) legfontosa nevezetessgei similar area is a %reat Plain, 'here most of &un"ary*s crops are "ro'n. - !agyomnyos s nemzeti nnepek Northern &un"ary is fairly mountainous and the country*s hi"hest pea can also be found there. &un"ary belon"s to the draina"e system of - szoksok Europe*s second lar"est ri!er, the +anube. The Tis,a is another lon" - nemzetisgek Magyarorszgon, ri!er and -a e .alaton is the second lar"est fresh'ater la e in Central magyar nemzetisgek ms orszgok an and /estern Europe. - kulturlis rtkeink 0e"ions - Magyarorszg politikai erendezkedse 1 )lf2ld, the %reat &un"arian Plain "llamforma, t prtrendszer, parlament, nkormnyzatok# 1 Transdanubia$ 1 /estern &un"ary 34isalf2ld, the -ittle &un"arian Plain 5 1 (outhern Transdanubia 1 Central Transdanubia and -a e .alaton 1 Northern &un"ary On the north &un"ary is bordered by the Czech and Slovak Republic, on the north1east by the Ukraine, on the east Romania, on the south by Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia 'hile on the 'est the country borders on Austria. The official lan"ua"e of &un"ary is &un"arian, but quite a fe' other lan"ua"es are spo en as nati!e lan"ua"es by the se!eral ethnic minorities li!in" near the country*s borders. These are %erman and the (la!onic lan"ua"e spo en in the countries around us. The Hungarian Republic 'as proclaimed on 3the5 63rd 3of5 #ctober, 3in5 7989. (oon after'ards the rulin" 3then the only5 party split up and ne' parties 'ere formed. 9n the parliamentary elections held in :arch and )pril 7990, six parties recei!ed enou"h !otes to be represented in Parliament. The president of the most successful party, the &un"arian +emocratic ;orum 3:+;5 formed a coalition "o!ernment in :ay 7990. This meant the end of a forty1year1lon" totalitarian system in &un"ary and pullout of the (o!iet troops. People be"an to feel free as they realised that their minds 'ere no lon"er manipulated centrally and they 'ere allo'ed to <oin any political party or mo!ement they sympathised 'ith. There are = parties in the Hungarian Parliament. The MDF 3see abo!e5 and the Youn Democratic Federation belon" to the opposition. !he "un arian Socialist #art$ and the Alliance o% Free Democrats ha!e been ma in" up the "o!ernment since the last election. The supreme po'er is !ested in the Parliament 'hose members are elected for four years. (ince &un"ary became a parliamentary democracy, the Parliament has been in session almost continually, :Ps 'or there, sometimes more days a 'ee . There are constant debates and heated discussions 'hene!er the "o!ernment is tryin" to push a bill throu"h, unli e a fe' years a"o 'hen e!erythin" 'as accepted by a unanimous !ote. Tourism also plays an important role in our economy as millions of tourists come to &un"ary from year to year. 9 thin one reason for so many tourists comin" to our country is the hospitality of the &un"arians. .esides, the Carpathian .asin is at cross1roads for the tra!eller from north to south, from east to 'est. &un"ary also has !arious tourist attractions. >isitors can en<oy the 'onderful si"hts of .udapest, relax on one of the numerous beaches of -a e .alaton, "o and see the lo!ely &un"arian !illa"es 'here traditions of fol art are preser!ed and treasured or !isit some of the smaller but beautiful to'ns li e >es,pr?m, 4@s,e", E"er or (,entendre. The can "o for outin"s to the romantic APus,ta*, the %reat &un"arian Plain, 'here they can see the famous &un"arian stud farms. &un"ary has a li!ely cultural life. The most popular cultural e!ents attended by a lot of tourists seem to be the open1air summer festi!als held in different to'ns, such as the (,e"ed #pen1air ;esti!al, the (opron ;esti!al /ee s, the (,entendre (ummer or the >es,pr?m Castle Concerts 'hile in sprin" the "reatest e!ent is the .udapest (prin" ;esti!al. )part from festi!als, the #pera &ouse, concert halls, open1air theatres and museums are also !isited by a lot of tourists 'ho are "enuinely interested in the cultural life of the country.
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To introduce BUDAP !T to a tourist from abroad 9 'ould tell him some historical and geographical data about the &un"arian capital$ 6000 years a"o the 0omans called this settlement )quincum that is Athe city of 'aters* because there 'ere and still there are a lot of hot 'ater sprin"s and medicinal baths in this re"ion. 0eal urbanisation be"an in the fifteenth century 'hen under the rule of (i"ismund of -uxembur" the royal castle on the .uda hills 'as built. The later centuries, especially the nineteenth century sa' the flourishin" of Pest lyin" on the other side of the 0i!er +anube. Today .udapest is a busy metropolis 'ith a population of 6 million people. The city is extremely rich in historical and cultural monuments, 'or s of art and natural beauties. 9f you ha!e a forei"n "uest you ha!e to sho' himBher the Castle +istrict 'ith the :atthias Church, the ;isherman*s .astion and (,?csenyi National -ibrary in the 0oyal Castle. -oo in" o!er the ri!er +anube there is Europe*s most beautiful &ouse of Parliament. 9n the middle of the &eroes* (quare there is a one hundred and ei"hteen foot hi"h column 'ith the )rchan"el %abriel on the top. )t one side of the square there is the :useum of ;ine )rts 'here you can see 'onderful pictures. The other important museum is the National :useum, 'here the 0e!olution and /ar of 9ndependence started on 7Cth :arch, 78=8. The #pera &ouse desi"ned by :i lDs Ebl is as famous as the #pera &ouse in >ienna. The buildin" 'as reno!ated recently so it is much nicer no'. 9f you 'ant to see ele"ant clothes and all inds of people from different nationalities you ha!e to "o to >Fci (treet, the pedestrian ,one and at the end of the street the >2r2smarty (quare 'ith the famous Caf? %erbaud. (t. (tephen*s .asilica is the second centre of Christianity in &un"ary after the .asilica of Es,ter"om. :ar"aret 9sland is a perfect place for recreation. Eou can ta e lon" 'al s, admire the beautiful flo'ers and trees there and you can "o for a s'im there. The %ell?rt (pa .ath, (,?csenyi .ath, the 4irFly and 0udas .aths are 'orld famous and you can feel artistic atmosphere, too. )mon" the nine brid"es famous ones are$ the Chain .rid"e built and desi"ned by )dam Clar . )t the bottom of the brid"e there are the beautiful lions. The brid"e <oins the Pest side 'ith the %ell?rt hill. The other brid"e is the Eli,abeth .rid"e, the first suspension brid"e. -iberty brid"e has at one foot of it the technical uni!ersity and at the other foot is the mar et1hall. The !ights of Budapest Castle "ill 1 4in" .?la 9>. G fortification G H999.th century 1 4in" (i"ismund G royal palace G H>.th century 1 Coronation Church 1 ;ishermen*s .astion 1 &ilton &otel &ell'rt "ill 1 Citadel G to ha!e a nice !ie' of the city and the brid"es spannin" the +anube 1 (tatue of (t. %ell?rt 1 (tatue of -iberty Mar aret (sland 1 to be named after Princess :ar"aret, dau"hter of 4in" .?la 9>. 1 to be the Apar * of .udapest 1 the best place for trips and recreation "eroes) s*uare 1 :illinary :onument 3to commemorate the 7000th anni!ersary of the foundin" of &un"ary5 1 to be surrounded by a colonnade 1 statues of the "reat rulers and leaders of &un"arian history Cit$ #ark 1 artificial la e 3to ro' in summer, to s ate in 'inter5 1 >a<dahunyad Castle 3a mixture of architectural styles5 1 Ioo and .otanical %ardens 1 ;un ;air 1 :unicipal %rand Circus Museums 1 )quincum :useum 1 Castle :useum 1 :useum of /ar &istory
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14. MAGYARORSZG

:useum of ;ine )rts 3paintin", sculpture and "raphic collection by European masters5 &un"arian National %allery 3lar"e collection of &un"arian 'or s of fine arts5 &un"arian National :useum 3exhibitions on &un"arian history and natural science5 3&un"arian cro'n <e'els5 !opron is located on the 'est border of &un"ary and is famous for its faithfulness. 9f you are there you ha!e to "o to #rsolya (quare, to the ;ire To'er and to (,?csenyi (quare and to the ;@Bmain (quare. 9f you "o to Pannonhalma )bbey you are !isitin" the first church in &un"ary. 9n Tihany )bbey you can find the deed of foundation, in 'hich are the first 'ritten &un"arian 'ords. #ther e!idence of our reli"ious life is the church of JF , IsFmb? and +ebrecen and the .asilica of Es,ter"om. There are many castles in our country and there used to be many more before /orld /ar 9. because &un"ary played a !ery important part in protectin" Europe a"ainst in!adors. The follo'in" castles are 'orth seein"$ the castles of Tata, Cses,ne , (Fr!Fr, >es,pr?m, (i lDs, E"er and +iDs"y@r. Palace of #es$thely is famous for the ;estetics family 'ho helped the a"ricultural and cultural life of &un"ary. They also established the a"ricultural uni!ersity and the foundation of the museum there. The palace of ;ert@d used to belon" to EsterhF,y ;amily, 'hich is a "reat &un"arian political, cultural family a"ain. )rts ha!e al'ays played a "reat role in their li!es. &aydn used to be their family musician. Hungarian fol% art is 'orld famous. 9t is true for craft'or , our fol son"s, "ipsy music and clothin". The Embroidery of 4alocsa, :e,@ 2!esd and :atyo embroidery are popular and a lot of forei"ners buy embroidered thin"s for presents. 9f 'e tal about fol arts 'e shouldn*t for"et horses. #ur forefathers conquered the territory on horsebac . 9f you "o to &ortobF"y or .u"ac you 'ill see famous stud farms there. There are uni&ersity to'ns and cities in &un"ary li e P?cs, (,e"ed, +ebrecen, %y@r and of course .udapest. 9f you are in P?cs you should "o to see the (yna"o"ue, the :inaret and the .arbican. 9f you are in (,e"ed you should !isit Cathedral (quare and from the city you can "o to Kpus,tas,er, 'here our nation is celebrated there 'ith ;esty cyclorama. )mon" our natural beauties 'e ha!e to mention the :Ftra hills, )""tele (talactite Ca!es, Lrs?", +anube bend and &ortobF"y pus,ta. 60th )u"ust is the festi!al of foundation of our state. (aint (tephen*s +ay is celebrated e!ery'here. There are different ceremonies, pro"rammes and fire'or s in the e!enin" all o!er the country. /e shouldn*t for"et that it is the festi!al of ne' bread. E!ery year the (lo'er (esti&al is organi$ed in Debrecen . 9t is al'ays "or"eous but the festi!al itself is dan"er because it costs a lot of money. 63 rd #ctober is the holiday of +eclaration of the &un"arian 0epublic in 7989. The re!olution a"ainst communism and the (o!iet rule started on 63rd #ctober in 79CM. (ome cultural e!ents in our country$ the #apolcs festi&al has been or"ani,ed for ten years. 9t is famous for performin" different plays and there is fol art fair, too. %y@r is also famous for its )nternational *ultural !ummer (esti&al and (prin" ;esti!al. 9n summer opera sin"ers, actors and directors 'ant to perform their plays in the !$eged Open Air Theatre. They ha!e to prepare and enter for the pro"rammes 'ell in ad!ance. The +ater-,usic-(lo'er (esti&al in Tata is both a cultural and entertainin" e!ent and people li e to "o there to ha!e fun. (ome people say that the e!ents of Pepsi )sland are 'onderful and they not only ha!e fun but they learn a lot of ne' thin"s. #thers accuse the islands of !andalism and bein" noisy and a""ressi!e beha!iour. The fact is that is ta en place for ten years no' and it attracts a lot of youn" people. &un"ary is said to be a "reat 'ine producer. #ur climate and "eo"raphical position are !ery "ood for "rape "ro'in" and producin" 'ine. &un"arian people celebrate 'ine e.". durin" the 'ee of +ine +ee% of Badacsony, 'ith the >inta"e Parade and >inta"e and ;ol )rt ;air in .adacsony, /ine /ee s in .alatonfNred, in (,?pass,ony!2l"y the ;esti!al of E"er and (opron ;esti!al /ee s. Eou must ha!e heard of the -bus./0r0s 1 the so called ,ardi 2ras procession3 in :ohFcs. )t the end of 'inter, on the last (unday of Carni!al people 'al alon" the streets 'earin" funny mas s, sometimes animal heads and they ma e an a'ful noise to dri!e out 'inter and "reet sprin". 9t also symboli,es the dri!in" out of the Tur s. #ne of the internationally 'ell1 no'n sport e!ents is (ormula 14 in the &un"arorin", in :o"yorDd. Popular and famous dri!ers come here from all o!er the 'orld and police has to "uarantee their and e!erybody*s safety. People ha!e to buy tic ets 'ell beforehand and they cost a lot of money. Enterprises can ma e a "ood profit there.

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Public and traditional holidays in Hungary 7C :arch 3the fifteenth of :arch5 /e commemorate the &un"arian 0e!olution and /ar of 9ndependence of ei"hteen1forty1ei"ht and fourty1nine. /e 'ear A o Frda* 3national si"n, emblem5O on this day on the left side of our suit or coat 'here our heart is. 7st :ay 3the first of :ay G -abour +ay5 9t is a sprin" holiday 'hen maypoles are put up in "ardens. The beer and the >ienna sausa"e occur to me about this public holiday mostly. -ots of interestin" pro"rammes are usually held and a board is stood upri"ht, too. 60th )u"ust 3the t'entieth of )u"ust5 9t is the day of (tephan the first. #n this day 'e commemorate the foundin" of our state almost a thousand years a"o. This is the day of ne' bread. 63rd #ctober 3the t'enty1third of #ctober5 /e celebrate the declaration of the &un"arian 0epublic and commemorate the re!olution of nineteen1fifty1six.
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