Study, work and live in Hungary

An autonomous region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire since 1867, Hungary was proclaimed an independent republic after the First World War, when the empire disintegrated. During the Second World War, Hungary sided with the Axis, and was eventually occupied by Soviet troops, which led to Hungary being part of the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. In 1956, when Hungary announced plans to follow a more neutral and non-aligned policy, Soviet troops invaded the country and put an end to the venture. In the 1960s however, the Hungarian economy was liberalised slightly and workers gained more rights. After the collapse of the communism in Europe in the early 1990’s, Hungary introduced multi-party democracy and experienced strong economic growth. In 1999 Hungary joined NATO and in 2004, the EU.

Hungary was the birthplace of some renowned musicians such as Bála Bartók and Franz Liszt, and some of the leading mathematicians and physicists in the world, such as Paul Erdos, and Edward Teller. Leading contemporary Hungarian writers include Péter Esterházy and Nobel Laureate Imre Kertész.

Quick facts:

• Population- 10,074,000 (est 2006)
• Principal languages- Hungarian
• Capital- Budapest
• Other major cities- Debrecan, Miskolc
• Monetary unit- forint = 100 filler
• Internet domain- .hu
• International dialling code- +36