Hungary is a small country in Eastern Europe, with a rich history dating back to the Stone Age. It was conquered by various groups before the Magyars established the Kingdom of Hungary. It was later absorbed into Austria, becoming part of the Habsburg Monarchy, and then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After World War I, Hungary was treated harshly by the Entente Powers and swung to the right, eventually cooperating with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was occupied by the USSR and became communist until 1989. Today, Hungary has beautiful natural wonders and popular tourist attractions such as wine regions, Budapest, and Kiskunság National Park.
Hungary is a small country in Eastern Europe. It covers 35,900 square miles (93,000 square km), making it somewhat smaller than the state of Indiana. The country borders Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.
The history of human settlement in the region dates back to the Stone Age, with the first Neolithic settlements dating back to around 6200 BC. The Celts moved into the area around 450 BC, eventually settling the entire region. The region was then conquered by the Romans around 35 BC, who held it until the 5th century AD, when the Huns settled the region, using it as the base of their growing empire. For the next hundreds of years the region would be contested by various groups and used as a crossing point for numerous migrations.
In the late 9th century a nomadic people, the Magyars, made their way across the Carpathian Mountains into the area. They found the Kingdom of Hungary, uniting a number of Magyar tribes into a more permanent group. Although originally practicing their own religion, the Magyars converted to Christianity in the late 10th century, with Stephen I being crowned by the same pope in the year 9. This new kingdom proved capable enough to defend itself, and for the next couple of centuries repelled nomadic and German invaders.
In the 13th century, however, the Mongols overwhelmed Hungary in their ravenous expansion into Asia and Eastern Europe. When the Mongols finally withdrew, a campaign began to build heavily fortified castles, in case of a new invasion. For the next few centuries it remained strong, periodically enlarging its territory and occasionally shedding chunks. For nearly two centuries Hungary rejected the Ottoman Empire, eventually losing and becoming a province of the Empire.
At the end of the 17th century the Ottoman Empire was driven out of Hungary and the country was absorbed into Austria, becoming part of the Habsburg Monarchy. The Habsburgs ruled Hungary harshly, leading to great dissent. Those seen as disloyal to the Habsburgs were silenced and many of the polities were suspended. During the wave of revolutionary zeal that swept across Europe in the 17th, the Hungarians rose up against the Habsburgs. The monarchy, however, with the help of the Russian Empire, absolutely crushed the uprising. For the next two decades, it was ruled even more harshly than it had been, until troubles in the rest of the Habsburg Empire made it clear that controlling Hungary by force alone was not going to be a tenable situation.
As a compromise, the Habsburgs agreed to share power in a dual monarchy, leading to the creation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This gave Hungarian leaders great autonomy and power in running Hungary, and they entered a brief period of prosperity and self-government.
This came to an abrupt halt with World War I, following the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand. Although Hungary eventually abandoned Germany and Austria, hoping to be treated fairly and given a chance to push for more democratic reforms, they were nonetheless treated harshly by the Entente Powers after their defeat, with much part of the nation cut off and given to new and existing nations such as Romania, Czechoslovakia and what would later become Yugoslavia. Any territorial boundaries drawn by the Entente powers were such that the prime minister resigned and government was essentially handed over to communist leaders who suggested that the Soviet Union would help Hungary keep its lands.
During the 1920s the country swung to the right, eventually leading to its close cooperation with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. After World War II, the country was occupied by the USSR and quickly transitioned into communism. In 1956, a student revolution against the Communist government led to Soviet tanks opening fire on protesters. Communist control of the country would last until 1989 when the country began to democratize and the Russians began withdrawing troops.
The nation has a rich past and beautiful natural wonders. Some of the most popular tourist attractions are the wine regions, the capital Budapest and the 190,000-acre (76,000-hectare) Kiskunság National Park, up to the thousand-year-old Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma.
Flights arrive into Budapest daily from all major US and European cities, and train and bus service is available from all over Western and Eastern Europe.
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