Hungary

Following a Celtic (after c. 450 BC) and a Roman (9 BC – c. 4th century) period, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late Ninth Century by the Magyar chieftain Árpád, whose great grandson Stephen I of Hungary ascended to the throne with a crown sent from Rome in 1000. The Kingdom of Hungary existed with interruptions for 946 years, and at various points was regarded as one of the cultural centers of the Western world. A significant power until the 1910s, Hungary lost over two-thirds of its territory (along with 3.3 million ethnic Hungarians) due to the Treaty of Trianon in 1920, the terms of which have been considered harsh, and even humiliating by Hungarians. The kingdom was succeeded by a Communist era (1947–1989) during which Hungary gained widespread international attention regarding the Revolution of 1956 and the seminal move of opening its border with Austria in 1989, thus accelerating the collapse of the Eastern Bloc. The present form of government is parliamentary republic (since 1989). (via Wikipedia)

Hungary is surrounded by Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Austria. According to the CIA World Factbook, Hungary is "slightly smaller than Indiana." It might be useful to consider the possible effects of so many linguistically-diverse neighbors on such a "small" country.

According to the 2001 census, 92.3% of people living in Hungary identify as Hungarians, 1.9% as Roma, and 5.8% listed themselves as Other or Unknown. Also, 51.9% of people living in Hungary identify as Roman Catholic, 15.9% as Calvinist, 3% as Lutheran, 2.6% as Greek Catholic, 1% as Other Christian, 11.1% as Other or Unspecified, and 14.5% as Unaffiliated. Those of you who have been paying attention to the ethnic and religious breakdowns of the other countries we've studied will note that Hungary is diverse by Central/Eastern European standards. There are 9.96 million people in Hungary (There are 6.35 million people in the state of Indiana).

As you may have heard, Hungary is currently having some financial troubles.

Things Hungarians have invented include the Rubik's cube (Ernő Rubik), the hydrogen bomb (Edward Teller), the ballpoint pen (László József Bíró), and the noiseless match (János Irinyi).

Radio Free Lincoln - an Op-Edby Gabor Boritt about Abraham Lincoln and Hungarian freedom

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Some Hungarian Poetry Links

Hungarian Literature Online

Greatest Hungarian Poets

excerpts from Contemporary Hungarian Poetry

some Hungarian poetry translated into English

POETRY: Hungarian poetry truly "Lost in Translation"