FUN FACTS - Things to know about Hungary
The heavily-revamped Hungaroring is set to host the 40th Hungarian Grand Prix today. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo delivers some fun facts about the hosting country of today's race, Hungary.
1. Stephen (Hungarian: István), who is remembered as the founder of the Hungarian state, was crowned as its first Christian king in 1000 AD.
2. Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Dual Monarchy was a union between the Kingdom of Hungary and the Austrian Empire that was formed in 1867 and collapsed in 1918 as a result of the defeat in World War I.
3. Hungary is located in Central Europe, sharing its borders with Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Austria.
4. The capital city is Budapest which has a population of 1.7 million. The entire country has 9.9 million habitants.
5. The city of Budapest was officially created on 17 November 1873 by the merging of three towns – Buda, Pest and Óbuda.
6. Some quite important daily objects were invented by Hungarians, including the noiseless match, the electric bulb and the Rubik's cube.
The Budapest-born János Neumann who was generally regarded as the foremost mathematician, made major contribution to computing (Neumann architecture, linear programming), physics (quantum mechanics), mathematics (functional analysis, numerical analysis). The also Budapest-born Edward Teller is known colloquially as the father of the hydrogen bomb.
7. Hungary has one of the most important thermal spring culture in Europe. The country has no less than 1500 spas, most of them feature Roman, Greek or Turkish architecture.
8. 13 Hungarians have received a Nobel Prize. Except the peace, Hungary has a Nobel Prize in every category.
9. The small country has a long tradition of classical music. Among the most famous composers are Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály and Franz Liszt.
10. Although it is not the oldest in Europe, but still quite old – the University of Pécs was founded in 1367.
11. What the Tomorrowland for Boom, Belgium is, it is the Sziget Festival for Budapest, Hungary. This festival is one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe and takes place on the Old Buda island, hence the name.
12. It was another Hungarian, Péter Besenyei who made huge contribution to the famous Red Bull Air Race competition. He was the first pilot to test the so-called Air Gates in 2002.
2003 saw the birth of the Red Bull Air Race Championship, the first round haven taken place in Austria while the second race in Budapest. Besenyei was crowned the champion in the inaugural season of this stunning aircraft competition.
13. Hungary's cowboys are called 'csikos' who show off their prowess in the 'Hortobágy' region.
14. Basic education lasts for eight years divided into two stages of four years each. Secondary education is provided in academic secondary schools or vocational secondary schools.
15. About one-third of native Hungarians live outside their home country. Most of them live in Romania and other countries adjacent to Hungary, but many Hungarians live in Great-Britain and America, as well.
16. The bacon cooking (szalonnasütés) is an important free time activity for many Hungarians in summer. On this occasion, the bacon is cooked while it is held over an open fire.
17. The Hungarian language is one of the most difficult languages to learn. According to a recent study, one needs 44 weeks and net 1100 class hours to study the Hungarian. Finnish and Estonian are the only two languages in Europe related to the Hungarian.
18. In contrary to many other countries, Hungarians use their last name first when introducing.
19. Budapest' first metro line is the oldest metro line in continental Europe.
20. McDonald's was the first foreign fast food restaurant in Hungary which wasopened back in 1988.
21. Europe's probably most beautiful building, the Hungarian Parliament was built in 1896 to celebrate Hungary's millenial brithday. The building has a stunning architecture both from inside and outside. No less than 40kg of solid gold was used in its construction.
22. Although part of the European Union, Hungary has kept its currency (Forint), which is based on the decimal system.
23. Hungary is an ultra successful country in the history of the Summer Olympic Games. It has won a total of 448 medals which puts it 9th among the 211 participating nations.
24. Lake Balaton is the second largest lake in Europe and the largest in Central Europe. The highest point in the country is Kekes at 1,014 meters (3326 feet) in the Mátra Mountains northeast of Budapest.
25. Soccer is still the most popular sport in Hungary, even if Hungarians' successes have faded in the last decades. Hungarian soccer star Ferenc Puskás still holds the world record for the number of goals scored in a World Cup final.
