Hungary¶

Area

Europe

Hungary is a landlocked country in central Europe that joined the European Union in 2004. Founded by the Magyars in the 9th century, the ancient kingdom of Hungary stretched to the Baltic, Black, and Mediterranean Seas by the 14th century. By the 15th century, under the rule of king Matthias Corvinus, Hungary was an important artistic and cultural centre in the European Renaissance. In the next century, Hungary would lose its independence to the Ottoman Empire, but not all of the country went to the Habsburgs. Austria -- ruled by Hungarian kings at the time -- took some western territory, and territory in the east became the independent Principality of Transylvania. Austria and its allies would retake Hungary by the end of the 17th century, and by 1867 Hungary achieved autonomy as part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

With the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after World War I, Hungary would enter some turbulent times, including the loss of two-thirds of its territory and half the population. Hungary sided with Germany during World War II, but was still occupied by German troops who imposed a pro-Nazi dictatorship. The Soviets kicked the Nazis out in 1945 and helped bring the communist minority to power, leading to a Soviet-style People's Republic in 1949. In 1989, Hungary would become the Republic of Hungary. Today the culture of Hungary is diverse and varied. A list of Hungarian inventions includes holography, the match, the theory of the hydrogen bomb, the ballpoint pen, Rubik's Cube, BASIC, and non-Euclidean geometry.

Hungary on Wikipedia