Discover Hungary in Your Own Way!

This is the country

Hungary boasts one of theworld's most beautiful capital cities:Budapest, the "Pearl of the Danube",whose wonderftul panorama is onUNESCO's World Heritage list.

This is the country where, despiterepeated historical disasters which dev-astated both the people and their heri-tage, much remains of great value thatis worth visiting and getting to know.

In this country, 2000-year-old Ro-man ruins and 400-year-old Turkishmonuments can be found side-by-side,not to mention beautiful churches fromthe Romanesque period in Jak, Lebe-nyszentmikl6s, and Pannonbalma, orone-time stately castles in Eger, Siimeg,and Sikl6s.

Magnificent palaces functions ashotels await tourists in Szirak, Serege-lyes, and Nagycenk, to mention onlythe most famous. Lake Balaton, CentralEurope's largest lake, provides a naturalparadise for families with small chil-dren. Hundreds of therapeutic mineralsprings gush up from the depths, help-ing many thousands to recover theirhealth.

This is the country where the richHungarian folk art and the horse showswhich introduce the lifestyle and tradi-tions of the "puszta" (Great HungarianPlain) attract tens of thousands.

And there's something else thatkeeps bringing visitors back to us - thelegendary Hungarian hospitality.

Budapest

Budapest looks its most beautiful atdawn. As the sun slowly rises over theeastern plains, bathing Pest in soft pastelhues, it radiates back from the buildingsof Buda as if they were a giant mirror;the windows on Castle Hill positivelyglisten in golden jubilation.

But Budapest is also spectacularlyappealing at night. The Chain Bridge isfestooned with white lights, and the mainpublic buildings like the Parliament, theOpera and the Royal Palace, as well as theentire panorama of the Castle District, areimaginatively and sensitively floodlit.

It's easy for Budapest to play withlight in the manner of an elegant ladytrying on her jewels, for everything looksgood. This is a vibrant city: it throbs withlife morning, noon and night; visitors ar-riving from other countries get the feel-ing that something interesting is happen-ing round every corner.

There are plenty of other capital cit-ies built on the banks of a river, and inmany cases the river runs through thehistoric centre. But such a wide and ma-jestic river, as is the Danube at Budapest,is more of a rarity. Even more excep-tional is the perfect contrast between theright and left banks.

It's no exaggeration to say that Bu-dapest is one of the finest capital cities inEurope, and also one of the best situated.Among the several places in Hungarythat have been afforded the classificationof UNESCO World Heritage Site. thelirst were the Danube panorama and An-drassy tit.

Budapest, now home to two mil-lion inhabitants, would appear countlesstimes on any list of superlatives. The

Continent's first underground railwaywas built here. From here originatedmore pioneering Hollywood film makersthan fi-om any other European city. Bu-dapest was the home of such world classinventors as Kalman Kando, the father ofelectric railways, and Janos Irinyi, one ofthe early developers of matches.Hungary's two most celebratedcomposers - Bela Bart6kand Zoltan Kodaly - livedin Budapest, and Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian author ImreKertesz was born here.

It would be difficult to findanother city where visitors arefaced with such a choice oftransport: bus, tram, trolley-bus, train, underground railway,cogwheel railway, funicular,forest railway, horse-and-trap,chair-lift, boat, bicycle and onMargaret Island "bring6hint6"family cycle cars - Budapesthas them all!

Lake Balaton

Nobody quite knows whofirst declared themselves in lovewith Lake Balaton. Perhaps apoet, or a traveler, but it's a factthat from the start of the 19th Centuryonwards, more and more statements likethis are recorded. First in beautiful prose,then in newspaper articles, nowadays invirtually everyday speech. For those whohaven't been yet it is hard to understandthe attraction to Lake Balaton. If we wantto educate them. then for every questionthere is an answer.

Children wallow in the fabulous funof wading in the shallow, warm, silkywaters, and are only willing to be or-dered out of the lake.

Youths recall the all-night "big par-ties" of the hot summer evenings. Forthem, Lake Balaton is a world of meet-ings and new adventures.

The nature lovers speak lovingly ofthe idyllic quiet of the Balaton's upperregion, or of the flocks of startled waterbirds rising from the wetlands of the"Small Balaton".

Painers and photographers rightfullybelieve Hungary's best panoramas arethe hills that rise from the lake.

Wine lovers sing the praises of theKeknyel fi-om Badacsony, or the Italianreisling of Boglar, while gastonomes raveabout the toothfish delicacies.

The fishermen tell of metre-plus longfish, the yachtsnren of the racing boatsbent over in the wind, the rheumatics ofthe healing powers of the Heviz thermalbaths, the music lovers of the Tihanyorgan recitals, the Opera fanciers of theSi6fok opera galas.

The list goes on, but the flame ofadulation would easily be lit by the firstdozen testimonials. Come to Hungary,and feel at home at Lake Balaton!

Gastronomy and wine

Hungarians are famed for ourhospitality. Their culinary culture andcustoms, the development of theirr cui-sine, their professional knowledge andenhanced enjoyment of foods and drinksand their culinary art betrays much aboutour nation.

Hungarian viticulture has a centu-ries-old past and Hungarian gastronomyhas a special character, in which distinc-tive elements brought from the east blendwith the delicate elegance of French and

Italian cuisine. Paprika powder, onionsfrom Mak6, the world's most flavour-some green paprikas, goose liver, pailinkaand the more than one thousand typesof wine from 22 wine regions are trulyHungarian.

Hungarian wines and cuisine aremarked by international and prize win-ning chefs at the culinary Oscars. Comeand convince yourself in person; tastewhat it means to be Hungarian.

Cultural tourism

Culture is the nation itself: all theknowledge, belief, art, ethics, laws, cus-toms and abilities that an individual ac-quires and creates as a member of society.

For 1,100 years we have been safe-keeping in the heart of Europe Hungar-ian culture, and with it a Hungarianidentity, which with the disappearanceof borders has become our foremostcomrnunity-forming strength. Historyhas adapted us and our culture just as wehave played our part in forming Europe-an history and enriching its culture. Ourartists and scientists, Nobel and Oscarprize-winners and world-famous inven-tors have all provided the world with ataste of Hungarian culture. So come andget to know us; look at the world from anew aspect. Discover what it's like to be-come part of this vibrant, multifaceted,ancient and yet modern culture; find outwhat it's like to be Magyar!

Spa culture

Hippocrates, father of medicine,was the first to proclaim: Nature is thephysician of our diseases. In fact, MotherNature has been especially bountifultowards Hungary: the couutry sits on oneof the richest geothermal and medicinalwater resources anywhere in the world.

Of the approximately 1300 thermalsprings currently registered, nearly 300are used for bathing purposes and no lessthan one in every ten, which means about130 mineral and medicinal water springs,are located in the capital, Budapest!

All these factors make Hungarythanks to its natural conditions, developed infrastructure and hospitable peo-ple-the ideal location for you! Choosefrom our varied and broad selection,revitalize your body and enjoy yourself!Choose Hungary for health!