10 awesome less-known facts about Hungary

The list of exciting facts about Hungary is almost endless, and every day there is something new to be amazed by that relates to our country. Even Hungarians get impressed by some less-known facts about the country. In this article, 10 of these awesome facts are collected by Magyarorszagom.hu which can help you in obtaining more information about this diverse country.

1. Small country with a number of Nobel-prize winners

Altogether 13 Hungarians were awarded the Nobel-prize in the course of history. Considering the population of the country, this is more than the number of people awarded from Finland, Spain, Canada and Australia altogether. Another interesting fact is that Hungary has a representative in each category, that is in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace and Economics & Sciences as well. Some of the award winners studied in Hungary and worked for some time in the country before emigrating abroad.

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2. Hungary, home of the 1st official vineyard of the world

The 1st officially documented vineyard is found in Hungary which is the Tokaj wine region. Actually, wine production dates back to the 5th century there, so it is not surprising that this region merited the world’s 1st vineyard title. The region has this title since 1737, and it has also been on the World Heritage list of Unesco since 2002.

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3. The oldest metro in Europe operates in Hungary

Metro Line M1, or very often called “the small subway”, has been operating since 1896. Besides being the oldest metro line on the European mainland, it is also the 3rd oldest line in the world. It was inaugurated in the year of the millennium in 1896 by Franz Joseph.

Metro Line 1 (Small Subway)
/Daily News Hungary/

4. The importance of the number 96

As known, the settlement of the Magyars dates back to the 9th century when seven tribes led by Árpád settled down in the Carpathian Basin after many years of wandering. Árpád was the first head of the confederation of the Hungarian tribes, and the officially accepted date of their Conquest is 896.

Mihács Munkácsy: Settlement of the Magyars in Hungary / wikicommons byHello world/

However, this number is not only important because of this event, but because the first metro of the capital was inaugurated in 1896. Furthermore, buildings in Budapest could not be taller than 96 feet according to a law which also attributes a great prominence to this number. And finally, by paying careful attention to the rhythm while reciting the national anthem, it takes exactly 96 seconds, according to some. 🙂

5. Hungarians are leaders in women chess

Judit Polgár is considered to be the strongest female chess player of all time. She was only 15 years old when she triumphed at the Hungarian National Championship receiving the Grandmaster title. The curiosity of this event was that it was held in several different venues for example in Budapest baths on floating chessboards.

Judit Polgár, chess player/wikicommons by Stefan64 /

6. Hungarians are masters of escape

The Hungary-born American illusionist and stunt performer Erik Weisz, or better known as Harry Houdini, was born in Budapest in 1874. He was reputable for being the master of escape and challenged, for instance, the police to keep him locked up. Besides several illusionist performances, he also turned to acting, but due to financial reasons, finally, he abandoned it.

7. Hollywood would not be the same without Hungarians

The founder of Paramount Pictures Corporation was a man called Adolf Zukor who was born in Austria-Hungary in 1873. This studio is the 5th oldest surviving film studio in the world and it was the 1st major Hollywood studio distributing all of its films in digital format in 2014. Therefore, all the amazing productions of the corporation have been made possible by the Hungarian founder who laid down the basis of the studio.

/wikicommons by Gizmolechat /

8. Dracula and the relationship with Hungarians

It is believed that the character of Dracula was inspired by a real person, Vlad III or Vlad the Impaler who lived in the 15th century. King Matthias imprisoned him because of terrorizing Wallacia. He fought against the Ottoman Empire and later also fought in the army of Matthias Corvinus against the Ottomans. He was known for his cruelty that later inspired Bram Stoker’s amazing novel, Dracula.

/wikicommons by Hohum /

9. The most visited museum

Contrary to expectations, it is not the Hungarian National Museum or the Museum of Fine Arts currently under renovation which is the most visited museum, but it is the flipper museum of the capital, the largest in Europe, that attracts the most visitors. This ongoing exhibition operating since 2015 has got higher score on Trip Advisor than the Heroes’ Square, the Buda castle or the Liberty Bridge.

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10. Tricky Hungarian language

Foreigners and linguists all agree in that the Hungarian language is one of the most difficult languages in the world. Together with Finnish, Mongolian, Vietnamese and Estonian, it is among the category IV languages complicated for foreigners to acquire. What is more, it is sometimes pretty tricky even for Hungarians to use it correctly 🙂

Featured image: Bódis Krisztián/ facebook/ Budapest Images

Source: szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu; wikipedia.hu