Discover Hungary

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe, sharing borders with Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

With an area of 93,028 km², Hungary is comparable in size to Portugal or roughly the same as the U.S. state of Indiana. The country has a population of nearly 10 million people (as of 2015), and its official language is Hungarian.

Major Cities

The capital and largest city is Budapest (1.8 million inhabitants). Other important cities include:

Debrecen (211,000) – The second-largest city and the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain.
Miskolc (168,000) – An industrial hub in the northeast.
Szeged (168,000) – Located on the Tisza River, known for the University of Szeged.
Pécs (156,000) – A historically diverse city in the southwest, nestled in the Mecsek mountains, with over 2,000 years of cultural heritage.

Historical Timeline

895/896 – The foundation of the Hungarian state in the Carpathian Basin.
1000 – King Saint Stephen established the Christian Kingdom of Hungary, integrating it into Western civilization.
1222 – King András II issued the Golden Bull, Hungary’s counterpart to England’s Magna Carta, the first constitution in Continental Europe.
1241–1242 – The Mongol invasion devastated Hungary. After their withdrawal, King Béla IV rebuilt the country, including Buda Castle.
1301–1342 – Under King Charles I (Angevin dynasty), Hungary’s royal power and economy were strengthened, and its mines produced over 30% of the world’s gold and silver.
1324–1382 – King Louis I ("Louis the Great") ruled one of Europe’s most powerful kingdoms.
1361 – Buda became the capital.
1456 – The Siege of Belgrade: Hungarian forces led by John Hunyadi defeated the Ottoman army, halting their European expansion for 70 years.
1526 – The Battle of Mohács: Hungary and its allies (Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire, Bavaria, the Papal State, and Poland) were defeated by the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificent. This led to Hungary’s partition between the Ottomans, the Habsburgs, and Transylvania.
1541 – The Ottomans took Buda, making it the centre of their rule in Hungary.
1686 – The Siege of Buda: The Holy League recaptured Buda, ending nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule.
1699 – The Ottomans ceded most of Hungary, reuniting it with the Kingdom of Hungary.
1848–1849 – The Hungarian Revolution of 1848, part of wider European uprisings, led to a war for independence from the Austrian Empire.
1867 – Formation of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy.
1873 – The unification of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest into Budapest.
1914–1918 – Austria-Hungary was defeated in World War I.
1920 – The Treaty of Trianon: Hungary lost 71% of its territory and 66% of its population.
1940 – Hungary joined the Axis Powers in World War II.
1944–1945 – The Siege of Budapest: Soviet and Romanian forces captured the city, marking a strategic victory against Nazi Germany.
1945 – Hungary became a satellite state of the Soviet Union.
1956 – Soviet troops crushed the Hungarian Revolution against Soviet rule.
1989 – The end of Communism in Hungary.
1990 – The first free elections were held.
1999 – Hungary joined NATO.
2004 – Hungary became a member of the European Union.