Hungary
lts capital is Budapest, which is the country’s largest city and also its most visited tourist destination. The country is a member of NATO, OECD and the United Nations, a part of the Schengen area, which allows Hungarian citizens to travel between countries in the Schengen area without controls.
Hungary is a country rich in natural treasures. One of the world’s largest thermal water reserves, the largest thermal lake [Lake Hévízi. the largest body of water in Central Europe [Lake Balaton], as well as the largest grassy steppe of Central Europe [Hortobágyi are all located here.
The two major rivers crossing the country, the Danube and the Tisza, play determining roles in the hydrography of Hungary. The highest point of Hungary, Mount Kékes [1,014 ml, a place of therapeutic climate and a popular tourist destination, can be found in the Mátra Mountains in north-eastern Hungary.
The area of the country is 93,030 sq.km, with forests covering twenty percent. Hungary’s wildlife is one of the richest in Europe. The natural treasures are preserved in 10 national parks, 39 protected landscapes, 171 nature preservation areas and 88 natural monuments.
Hungary is the 11th most popular tourist destination in Europe. Particularly popular areas within the country include Budapest, Lake Balaton and the Danube Bend, but the Tokaj wine region, the Mátra and Bükk Mountains, Debrecen and Hortobágy, as well as Sopron and the Fertő Lake area are also popular.
The country hosts numerous art and music festivals, touristic and sporting events each year. Some examples include “Sziget” [Island of Freedom] Festival in Budapest, the Flower Carnival in Debrecen, as well as the Bartók Plus Opera Festival and the CineFest lnternational Film Festival in Miskolc.
Throughout history, Hungary has always made significant contributions to the global treasures of culture, in the areas of arts, music, literature, sports and sciences.
There is a multitude of natural landscapes of exceptional beauty, historic fortifications, and protected monuments of diverse architectural styles in the country.
Hungarian folk music is famous around the world, and has inspired major composers such as Johannes Brahms, Franz Liszt, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály.
Gastronomy is a noteworthy part of Hungarian culture, which is shown, in addition to the popularity of national dishes, by the wide range of gastronomy festivals. Thanks to the unmatched diversity of Hungarian wine regions, such Hungarian wines have become world famous as the “Tokay aszú”, the “bikavér” [bull’s bloodl of Eger, or the “szürkebarát” [grey monk] of Badacsony.
Political Structure
Hungary – the Third Republic of Hungary, in existence since 1989 – is a parliamentary democracy. The main legislative body is Parliament, the chief executive power is exercised by the Government, and justice by the Courts.
Elections for the European Parliament (EP)
Hungary became a Member State of the European Union on 1 May 2004, and has since elected Members of the European Parliament IMEPI. The term of MEPs is five years. The date of the elections for the EP is also designated by the president of the republic.
Local elections
According to the Hungarian political structure in place, citizens choose the representatives exercising power in the public interest, based on the mandate of the people, through direct elections. This is the case not only for parliamentary elections, but also for local, municipal elections, held every five years since 2014. The next local elections will be held in 2024.
The majority of the population in Hungary is Roman Catholic, but Reformed Protestant (Calvinist), Evangelical-Lutheran, Greek Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Judaism and other religions are also present.
Miskolc is a meeting point of religions, an open and welcoming city, where in addition to Roman and Greek Catholic churches, several other denominations also have places of worship. Miskolc is also one of the stations of the Central European pilgrimage route dedicated to Saint Mary, and thus her cult also has a significant role in the city. By the mid-16th century practically the entire population of Debrecen was Protestant, on the basis of which the town was given the title “Calvinist Rome.” The set of moral values professed by Protestants, combined with a pragmatically puritan approach to life gave rise to the “Cívis” mentality. Locals still often use the designation “Cívis” Town.
Franz Joseph I. granted Miskolc municipal rights on 11 May 1909, which day is now celebrated as the Day of Miskolc. Debrecen was declared a free royal town by King Leopold I on 11 April 1693, when a royal charter to this effect was granted to Debrecen. Nowadays, this event is commemorated as the Day of Debrecen. The municipal governments of both cities recognise their worthy citizens with awards and prizes on these days.
Hungary pays particular attention to the due celebration of its national holidays. On 15 March, Hungarians celebrate the anniversary of the 1848-49 revolution and war of independence, commemorating several outstanding figures of the age, from Lajos Kossuth and István Széchenyi to Sándor Petőfi, Bertalan Szemere and Ferenc Deák. The holiday of the founder of the state of Hungary, King St. Stephen, is celebrated nationwide on 20 August, which is also the holiday of the new bread, consecrated by representatives of the historic churches. There are numerous memorial places in Hungary related to the revolution and war of independence of 1956, where the events of national and local history are commemorated ceremoniously.
Most major days of the Christian calendar are also holidays in Hungary; some of the most important, multi-day holidays include Christmas, New Year’s Day, Good Friday and Easter, Whitsun and All Saints’ Day.
Border-Crossing and Customs Information
Visa exemption for travel to Hungary
Under the provisions of Regulation 610/2013/EU, which entered into effect on 19 July 2013, citizens of third countries, including those exempt from visa requirements, may only enter the Schengen area with travel documents that are valid for at least 3 months after the date of leaving the Schengen area. The travel documents cannot have a date of issue older than 10 years.
Citizens of countries in the European Economic Area [EEA] can enter Hungary without a visa and stay up to ninety days without any special permit. The rules of traveling to Hungary with national identity cards have been unchanged since 21 December 2007, when Hungary became a member of the Schengen area.
Citizens of EEA countries can enter Hungary with their valid national identity cards. These countries include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, ltaly, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Denmark, lceland, lreland, Latvia, Norway and the United Kingdom are also members of the EEA, but they do not issue national 10 cards, and so their citizens can only enter the country with valid passports.
Switzerland is not a member of the EEA, but has been a member of the Schengen Zone since 12 December 2008, and so Swiss citizens can also enter Hungary with their valid national 10 cards.
Citizens of Sweden may enter with a valid passport or with national identification cards issued after 1 October 2005 and showing the citizenship of their holder.
On the basis of an international treaty, citizens of Croatia may enter Hungary with their personal identity cards for up to 90 days, provided that their purpose of visit is not to work or engage in any other income-generating activity.
Climate
The climate of Hungary is determined by three major European climate zones, continental, oceanic and Mediterranean,with the country located at the meeting point of these. On the basis of the average monthly mean temperatures, calculated on the bas is of data over many years, the hottest month in Miskolc and Debrecen is July, and the average temperature variation is 22.1 °C and 22.3°C respectively. The maximum length of daytime hours is in the summer months, and it is 230 to 250 hours per month in Miskolc, and 250 to 270 hours per month in Debrecen . ln July, the intensity of UV-B radiation is strong, in the range of 5 to 7, and sometimes even higher.
The average precipitation is 533 mm in Miskolc and 540 mm in Debrecen, showing a typical distribution over the year with the summer half of the year having more rain and the winter half being dryer. The average annual number of sunshine hours is 1,800 in Miskolc and 1,960 in Debrecen, but this shows great variation over the years.
Medicines
Those taking medication on a regular basis may bring medicines in the quantities prescribed by their physicians, in accordance with the length of their travels.
