contact me Gallery of Hungary
This is by far the smaller of the two galleries available on this site, mostly because of a dirth of pictures availiable. Nonetheless, I have attempted to put together a small exhibition of the most major sights and cities in Hungary. Also, be advised that these pictures are more varying in size than the Budapest pictures; some pictures will be displayed at a smaller size, and some pictures will need scrolling.
As is seen above, Hungary is a rather small country. It has only been so since 1918, when 2/3 of its land was stolen in the Treaty of Trianon, given to its neighbors such as Romania and Czechoslovakia. Before then, it appeared as so:
However, the centuries of injustice inflicted upon Hungary are not my concern on this page. Rather, the geography of Hungary provides for an incredibly varied national terrain. Hungary contains (and once contained many more) stunning mountains, sparkling rivers, lush forests, as well as the largest freshwater lake in Europe and the largest plain in Europe. Because Hungarians consider the officially lost land to still be Hungarian land, in this site I will display pictures of areas not necessarily within the borders of modern Hungary.
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To start with, the
traditional Hungarian styles of dress.
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Now, to start the tour, here are pictures of the mountainrange, found in current north-eastern Hungary.
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The major peaks of the Hungarian mountainrange are the Mátra, Fátra, Tátra, Bükk, and Zemplén (the first three are represented on Hungary's coat of arms). All the pictures above are of the Fátra, which is currently in Slovakian-occupied territory.
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Hungary has an extensive river system. The two major waterways are the Danube and the Tisza. In addition to those the Dráva and the Száva are found in the South. The four rivers are also represented on the Hungarian crest as four horizontal white stripes.
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Above, the first two pictures are of the Tisza, the next is of the Dráva, and the last two are of the Duna. The last picture is of Budapest, and many more like it can be founf in the
Budapest Gallery.
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The Puszta, the Wasteland, is a massive plains area that takes up about 1/3 of modern-day Hungary. Its harshest region, the Horotbágy, is extremely heavy in salt content; nothing grows there except yellow grass. Thus, it is the home of Hungary's livestock industry, providing prime grazing ground for pigs, cattle, and sheep and horses. Water is drawn from the ubiquitous yet unique Gém wells, as can be seen on a few pictures below.
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Hungary is home to Europe's largest lake, the Balaton. The Balaton is a long, narrow body in Western Hungary, stretched diagonally Southwest-Northeast. Near the center is a peninsula almost cutting it in two; on the peninsula is the town of Tihany. The Balaton is a popular tourist destination, drawing vacationers from all over Europe.
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The first, third and fourth pictures above are photos of the beautiful lake. The second is a painting by Sápi Margit, and the fourth shows the the shorefront of Tihany, the peninsula town.
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Finally, I would like to close this gallery with a medley of images from around Hungary: other cities, sites, attractions and vistas:
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The first two pictures are of a little town just north of Budapest, known as Szentendre. The village is famous for its small-town idyll, its quiet charm exuding from large squares, tiny, narrow streets, and a combination of old and new building styles.
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The next two pictures continue northward, encountering the town of Visegrád. Visegrád is situated on the steep, picturesque banks of the Duna. Its most famous for a small fortress located on the very top of a high mountain, overlooking the river and surrounding country.
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The next two pictures reach the current northern border of Hungary and the city of Esztergom. Here is one of Hungary's three basilicas (the other two being in Budapest and Eger). This is the Coronation Basilica, where St. Stephen was crowned the king of Hungary, and where he offered his crown and his nation unto the Virgin Mary.
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Turning south, at the foot of the mountains is Hungary's second-largest city, Miskolc. Although Miskolc is a beautiful city, and has more sites and attractions than I should be able to display here, I could unfortunately only find this one picture online that had any merit.
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The same can be said for Debrecen. Here is the Great Reformed Church. Debrecen is the headquarters of the Hungarian Reformed Church, and this massive building once served as a statehouse during the 1848 revolution. Kossuth Lajos's chair is on prominent display inside.
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Next come three photos of locations scattered around the country. The first is the fortress at Diósgyőr, an ancient stone structure built to repel the marauding Turks, but never actually used. Later, it was mostly destroyed by the military for posing a strategic threat, should it be captured. The ruins are still somewhat intact and tourable. Next is one of Hungary's ubiquitous wine cellars. Although cellars are common, Hungarian wine is not. "Bull's Blood" from Eger has gained quite an international reputation as a strong red wine. A few white wines from Tokaj are considered in many circles to be the finest wine on earth. And Hungarian pálinka, a unique alcoholic beverage made from rotten fruit, can reach an alcohol content of 60%. The last of these three pictures was taken from one of the tower gates in the fortress of Eger, defended in 1552 by 2,000 Hungarians against 200,000 Turks.
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Next is Szeged, a very large city in the South. The Tisza flows through it, and it bears the distinction of being Hungary's oldest capital city - once, it was the site of the palace of Attila. The second picture is of the great cathedral there, the Dóm.
Finally, this set concludes with two shots of Ópusztaszer. Ópusztaszer was the site of Árpád's "Horseback Parliament," the meeting of all of the Hungarian chieftains after entering the country and staking their claims. Today, it is a historic park, with horseback riding, weaponry demonstrations, galleries, period buildings, archaeological excavations, and statue parks. In addition, it is the home to perhaps the finest piece of art ever produced -- the
Feszty Panoramic Painting.
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That concludes the Hungarian Gallery. Although larger in scope, it is considerably smaller than the Budapest Gallery, so please visit there as well.
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Here is available the oldest known map of Hungary, set down by a certain Fr. Lázár in 1526. Budapest can be found about one-third of the way right and down from the top-left corner, and is labled "Dfen" (up and left from the large "Danu" label.) Note that the map is rotated about 45 degrees clockwise, so true North points toward the top left corner.
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Capa combinada Noviembre 2009
Secciones
Genios de la Pintura 
Protagonistas de la Historia
Segunda Guerra Mundial 
Castilla y León
Camino de Santiago
Crónicas de América
Historia de España 
Grandes Momentos del Arte
Arte Español
Grandes Civilizaciones
Tesoros del Arte Español 
Ciudades del Arte
Grandes Batallas de la Historia
Obras Maestras
