Railway traffic between Budapest and Vienna changes significantly in August
Due to maintenance works, the Austrian state railways will modify railway traffic between Budapest and Vienna between 12 and 31 August.
According to portfolio.hu, the timetable of the trains commuting between the two astonishing Central European capitals will change considerably. The reason is that the Austrian state railways decided to carry out some scheduled railway maintenance in the second half of this month.
Based on a statement of Mávinform, most trains will depart towards Vienna earlier than now and they will come back from the Austrian capital later. Moreover, their route will be shorter. The changes will affect the timetable of some domestic trains as well.
Railjets connecting Budapest and Vienna will depart from Budapest-Kelenföld railway station. They will begin their journey half an hour earlier. Furthermore, the Kálmán Imre EuroNight train will depart half an hour earlier at 8.10 PM from Keleti railway station.
Railjets and Kálmán Imre EuroNight coming from Vienna will depart from the Austrian capital thirty minutes later than their current timetable. Furthermore, their final stop will be Budapest-Kelenföld instead of the Budapest-Déli or Budapest-Keleti railway stations.
Changes during the weekends
Between 13 and 15 August and 19 and 21 August, the Railjet from Vienna will depart 1 hour earlier, while the Kálmán Imre EuroNight will begin its journey 1.5 hours later. You may find further details about the changes in THIS article, but unfortunately, it is only available in Hungarian.
We wrote HERE about a new railway development program János Lázár, the minister for transport and construction, submitted to the government lately. However, the project is a ten-year-long one so it will not affect the aforementioned timetable changes. The program is much needed: we wrote HERE that the MÁV-Volán group has admitted the railway company’s rolling stock and tracks are ageing and the air conditioning is not working. Experts say a change of mindset is easy and will pay for itself in 15-30 years.
International lawyers protest against banning Hungarians from Austrian border – VIDEO
At the border crossing between Somfala (Schattendorf) and Ágfalva (Agendorf), a fee is charged for the crossing. So far, only the local residents have protested, but now international lawyers have taken issue with the latest decree closing the border.
A controversial case at the Austrian border
As we reported earlier, at the Somfalva-Ágfalva (Schattendorf-Agendorf) border crossing, you have to pay EUR 160 to cross. Of this, EUR 140 can be used as vouchers in Austrian shops and the permit is valid for two years.
Local residents have organised demonstrations to express their discontent. They have now been joined by international lawyers who have challenged the border closure decree.
They have asked the Austrian Constitutional Court for a review of the rules, lodged a complaint with the European Commission, filed a complaint with OLAF and filed a compensation lawsuit over the situation between Ágfalva and Somfalva, HírTV reported.
Is the new law a breach of convention?
Napi.hu writes that the new measure, which goes against the new common European agreements, violates the rights of those who want to cross. The Austrians justify the new law by the regulation to the increase in traffic and the more accidents that this causes. However, commuters feel the Austrian mayor’s charging measure is unfair.
In Somfalva, the installation of automatic bollards, or sinking posts, a few weeks ago was intended to prevent cars from crossing the border without a sticker.
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said in July that he had appealed to the European integration minister, who also oversees EU funds, to “be kind and take steps to ensure that the province of Burgenland or the local government does not take any steps that are contrary to common European agreements”.
“Clearly we are right, European rules also dictate that these border crossings should be opened up,” Szijjártó added.
Locals have said that the good neighbourly relations between the two settlements have ceased, even though they used to organise joint programmes on numerous occasions.
I came to Budapest with Spago to learn more from the Hungarians – Exclusive interview with star chef Wolfgang Puck
We Hungarians learned the name of the famous celebrity chef and restaurateur Wolfgang Puck when his eponymous Spago restaurant opened in the renovated Matild Palace. Puck visited Budapest again and we couldn’t miss the opportunity to talk to him about Hungarian gastronomy, his long and uninterrupted career and much more. The interview was conducted by our sister-site Helló Magyar.
The interview took place in the Matild Café & Cabaret, one of the most exclusive areas of the five-star luxury hotel. The chef, now 74, was born in Austria but moved to the United States to pursue his dreams. During a career spanning several decades, he has made a significant impact on the American culinary scene. For 28 years, Puck and his team have ensured that a first-rate menu has been on the table at the Oscars. In fact, István Szántó, chef at Spago Budapest, was the first Hungarian chef to be selected to the Oscar chef team, a great credit to the industry.
The Austrian chef opened his iconic restaurant Spago in 1982 in West Hollywood, California, which has become a symbol of fine dining and a celebrity hotspot. Spago’s success led to the expansion of the Wolfgang Puck brand, with restaurants opening in the United States and around the world. His restaurant empire also includes popular eateries such as CUT, Chinois on Main and Postrio. His restaurants offer a diverse range of culinary experiences, from upscale fine dining to casual dining to airport concessions.
Born in Carinthia, Puck told us that he is very proud that the two countries were a strong empire during the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and when he got the chance to get a little closer to Hungarian culture, he jumped at the chance. He couldn’t wait to learn more about the Hungarians and the opportunities here.
The invitation came from the owner of the Turkish hotel chain, the star chef has a friendly relationship with the influential family. The Özyer Group renovated the magnificent Matild Palace in Ferenciek Square a few years ago. The owner thought that Spago would represent a quality that would appeal to gastronomy lovers in Budapest. By the way, they are already working together in Istanbul, where Spago also operates, so they have come to the Hungarian capital with a tried and tested collaboration.
I’m proud to have my son Byron by my side in the business so I have someone to pass on what I’ve built. For me, making money has never been the primary goal. I never opened a restaurant to make more money. I do it because it’s exciting and I love what I do. I came to Hungary with Spago to learn more about Hungarian gastronomy,
Puck said.
He mentioned that, unfortunately, many of his friends and colleagues have left the hospitality industry, as they always have to work on weekends and holidays and often have to stay overnight. Not many people can do this with full energy for long periods of time, but Puck persevered and said he sees it as fun. As long as he can keep up his interest in cooking, he will never get bored.
Food is great because different cultures have different foods and learning something new never ends,”
he said.
He said that for him, opening a new restaurant is like a marriage, which he is serious about and is keen to learn and experience. He stressed that Hungarian wineries are of a very high quality and he is confident that Hungarian gastronomy will follow suit. More and more Hungarian chefs are reaching the highest level and he believes that competition is raising the quality of service.
We must remember that part of hospitality is the food served, but overall the most important thing is how you feel, what the atmosphere is like. When someone says it was a perfect night at the restaurant, that means the big picture and we did an excellent job, the star chef pointed out.
A lot has changed in the last 40 years, so a high-quality restaurant should have “master waiters” as well as a master chef, as communication with the guest is also of paramount importance, Puck noted. The perception of chefs has changed over the decades. As he says, people used to know the owner and manager of a restaurant, but now the focus is on the chefs. Part of fine dining is the open kitchen, where guests can watch with their own eyes the most famous chefs create, but it’s also more fun for the chef because there is interaction, he can see the “audience”.
The kitchen’s management policy has also changed, with loud and rowdy behaviour no longer allowed in open spaces in an upscale restaurant, Puck said. Today, you have to have highly trained chefs who can work under your command, so there’s no need for loud words – everyone knows their job.
Anyone who follows the preparation of a dish will see that there are no secrets here, only the best ingredients are used to cook the chosen dish,
Wolfgang Puck said with a smile.
He noted that he likes to go to restaurants where he knows people, where he can taste special flavours and solutions that can later be served in a different form, rethought in a restaurant. He mentioned that in the restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, which won the title of the best restaurant in the world, all the chefs came out of the kitchen to take a photo with the Hollywood chef when he visited it recently. In Formula One, the premier class of motor racing, he works with Aston Martin, which is why his name is on the nose of the car. His recent visit was also in conjunction with the Hungarian Grand Prix to meet the team.
Speaking about Hungarian gastronomy, he said that they try to combine local flavours and world-famous dishes in all their restaurants, and they do the same in Budapest. During the conversation, we asked him about his favourite Hungarian dishes. Not surprisingly Puck mentioned traditional dishes, so goulash soup (gulyásleves) as a starter is his favourite, and if it’s a main course, then chicken paprikash (csirkepaprikás). He loves classic Hungarian cakes, having tasted them as a child in Austria, and he mentioned Eszterházy cake and Dobos Cake (dobostorta) for dessert.
And what is the future of hospitality? Well, Puck didn’t have a clear answer to that, but he did say that supporting local farmers is of paramount importance. Because, on the one hand, we don’t have to burden our environment with transporting goods, and on the other hand, the farmers who remain can usually bring really good quality ingredients to the market. Today, even the best restaurants choose seasonal fruit and vegetables for their menus, which also helps to protect the environment. The chef pointed out that when he landed in Budapest in the morning, his first stop was the local market, so he saw for himself what the Hungarian markets had to offer, and he also visited his favourite Hungarian butcher.
As to how well he knows Budapest or Hungary, Puck answered that he doesn’t know enough, as he only spends short periods of time in Hungary. He would like to stay here for a longer period of time, to visit Tokaj or Lake Balaton, as he is very interested in rural Hungary. He mentioned that he had a great time once when he was taken to the Danube and served fish soup from a cauldron (bogrács), an experience he will never forget.
Read the original interview with Wolfgang Puck in Hungarian on Helló Magyar.
PHOTOS: Budapest-Balaton, Budapest-Vienna flights – quick and affordable
Hydroplanes used to connect the Austrian capital with Budapest, and you could reach Lake Balaton’s pearl, Siófok, from the Buda Danube embankment in less than half an hour. Travelling by plane was a viable alternative to train rides since it was quicker, not much more expensive, and there were no crowds. The business generated limited profit though, so companies cancelled their operation quickly.
Pestbuda.hu wrote about the heydays of Hungarian hydroplanes connecting Budapest with Lake Balaton and Vienna for an affordable price. The first plane took off from the Danube on 10 July 1923, a bit more than 100 years ago. The passengers were members of the “upper 10,000” due to the relatively high ticket prices, even though the planes then were loud and uncomfortable, and also small, compared to the service a train’s 1st class could offer. Furthermore, planes could fly only hundreds of kilometres without a stop for refuelling. Even though many chose this option to travel to Vienna or visit their families at Lake Balaton.
Hydroplane flights not profitble enough
Balaton was ideal since neither end needed an airport. Planes took off from the Danube River and landed on the calm waters of Balaton. The elite class of Budapest regularly visited Lake Balaton, where three elegant casinos awaited guests. However, the trains could not provide enough 1st class seats for the upper class. Moreover, journalists then complained about the unsatisfying number of cars and fuel. With most roads unpaved, getting to Lake Balaton by car was a challenge. As a result, travelling by plane was a bit expensive but quick, and you always had your seat next to a window.
The hydroplanes took off from the Danube embankment in front of the Gellért Hotel. The speed of the planes reached 160 km/h. Thus, you could reach Siófok in less than an hour. Interestingly, there were no scheduled flights to Lake Balaton, the planes took off when there were enough passengers. In Vienna, regular flights departed at 9 AM each morning. The price of a return ticket for the plane reached 80,000 korona. But with passengers travelling together, that was went down to 20,000 on a return flight. Meanwhile, a 1st class train ticket cost 16,000. What is more, there were regular problems with the railway. For example, companies sold more train tickets than the number of available seats.
Anyway, the Aeroexpress company organising such hydroplane tours was not profitable. As a result, the flights to Lake Balaton and Vienna terminated in 1926, and the company was dissolved in 1930. Interestingly, Aeroexpress exists again, and it would like to restart, among others, the hydroplane routes. We wrote about them and their ambitious plans to connect Central European cities in THIS article.
Swiss, Germans, Austrians, and Belgians flock to this Hungarian village
More and more foreigners fall in love with the small Hungarian village in Zala county, Southwest Hungary, only 15 kilometres away from Keszthely. Swiss, Germans, Austrians, and Belgians move to the settlement.
According to 24.hu, the local government no longer has territory to sell in Vindornyafok, a small settlement of more than 100 residents. The small village located in the Western parts of the Keszthely plateau is beautiful. The road leading to the settlement is guarded by blooming cherry plum trees in the spring and summer.
Interestingly, Vindornyafok is quite an old village. It was first mentioned in 1358 as a village belonging to a Hungarian noble family. In 1508, the magnate Sárkány family acquired a share in the village. But most of the settlement belonged to the Derecskei family. By the way, Derecske is on the other end of today’s Hungary: between Debrecen, Hungary’s second biggest town, and Berettyóújfalu.
Dwarf village foreigners fall in love with
Vindornyafok was a “dwarf village” even in the 16th century. Most of its residents worked in agriculture. They had a vineyard before the Ottoman occupation. Because of the continuous Ottoman attacks, by 1615, it had become depopulated.
Afterwards, history remains silent for more than a century about Vindornyafok. In a 1773 survey, it is mentioned as a German village. In the 19th century, the Hungarian magnate Festetics family got the settlement. The mansion in the centre of the village belonged to the family. That is now the mayor’s house.
Attila Hág told Zaol, a local newspaper, that they are carrying out several developments in the settlement, and many foreigners fell in love with the village, so their number was growing quickly there. For example, they got a bus for the village caretaker, carried out energy developments at the local government’s headquarters, the medical centre and the cultural centre able to receive 80 guests.
He said that the population reached 137, and they have 65 families. Swiss, Belgians, Austrians, and Germans live in the village in beautiful houses. He added that the village had only one free building site. Therefore, they are thinking about creating a new street. However, that would require land from the locals.
Sausage Festival in Vindornyafok:
Flying to exotic destinations, USA, Canada from Budapest will become very easy
No, there will be no direct flights connecting Hungary with the USA, Canada, or other Transatlantic or exotic destinations. But the Austrian state railways will execute a long-awaited development that will help you get to the international airport of Vienna much easier and quicker. Therefore, the world opens up for tourists and Hungarians, embarking on a 2-hour-long comfortable train ride to the Austrian capital.
The info was shared by Dávid Vitézy, a distant relative of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who served as the CEO of the Budapest Development Centre (BFK) before the 2022 supermajority of Fidesz. Afterwards, the development centre was disbanded, and he became a state secretary responsible for transport for a while. After minister Palkovics’s resignation, he left the administration and is now working as a transport specialist.
Vitézy wrote that the Austrian state railways (Österreichische Bundesbahnen, ÖBB) will build a new railway line connecting Bruck an der Leitha (Lajtabruck) and the Schwechat international airport near Vienna. The development will be funded by the European Union. He also shared a map on which the red line marks the new railway connection. You can see it below:
All Budapest, Győr trains will go to the Austrian international airport
As a result, all trains coming from Budapest, Győr and Pozsony (Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia) will stop at the underground railway station of the Schwechat international airport. Vienna airport will be closer to West Hungary than Budapest. Furthermore, from Budapest, passengers will be able to reach Vienna and the Austrian international airport directly from Kelenföld railway station in just two hours. The development will increase the compatibility of the Vienna airport to another dimension in Central Europe.
Meanwhile, Hungary will terminate railway projects because of the lack of EU funds and state budget money. All of them were supported by the EU initially. But the government-EC debate made their realisation next to impossible. That is why, e.g. the main railway line leading to Miskolc from Budapest, will remain in ruins. Vitézy highlighted that European countries from Bulgaria to Portugal try to carry out projects similar to the Austrian example. Nobody does what the Hungarian government does in times of climate change and the energy crisis.
The government will make foreign companies leave Hungary in this sector
János Lázár, PM Orbán’s construction and transport minister, put it quite frankly in a press conference. They want foreign companies in the building material manufacturing sector to leave Hungary.
According to mfor.hu, Mr Lázár said their expressed purpose is to make foreign building material providers leave the Hungarian market. It was requested by many Hungarian professional organisations. He highlighted that the government would like Hungarian subcontractors to execute construction projects using Hungarian building materials. As a result, the profit could remain in the country. The time frame for that is only ten years, he added.
According to a chart made by ÉVOSZ (The National Federation of Hungarian Building Contractors), at the moment, only 10 percent of Hungary’s building material producers are Hungarians. In the case of building material traders, the rates are better (20 vs 80), while the subcontractors are mostly Hungarians (10 vs 90 percent).
The government would help Hungarian companies with direct money transfers and buy up foreign firms. Moreover, the cabinet is preparing a new construction bill in which they would like to clear the cornerstones of a patriotic economy policy. Lázár said he expected fierce attacks from Austrians and Germans in the issue.
Orbán: Hungarians are protecting Europe
Hungarians are protecting not just Hungary, but the whole of Europe, including Austria, against illegal migrants, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said at a Hungary-Austria-Serbia migration summit in Vienna on Friday.
A total of 330,000 illegal migrants were stopped at Europe’s borders last year, 270,000 of whom were apprehended at the Hungary-Serbia border, Orbán said.
The Hungarian model is effective and is based on the simple idea that no one can enter the territory of a country until their asylum request has been evaluated, the prime minister said.
Asylum seekers can enter the country in question once their request is approved, he added.
Orbán: Hungary won’t carry out EU’s migration decisions
Hungary will not carry out the European Union’s decisions on migration; the country does not accept mandatory quotas or the obligation to build camps for migrants or “migrant ghettos”, Viktor Orbán said.
The EU decisions would involve replacing an effective Hungarian model with an “obviously non-functioning” new European model, he said at a Hungary-Austria-Serbia migration summit in Vienna.
Hungary will find the legal and political means in order to prevent Brussels’s decisions from being implemented, he said.
Orbán added that the situation was “sad” because Hungary had to protect itself not only from illegal migrants and human smugglers, but also from Brussels.
Hungarian and Romanian authorities arrest leader of people smuggling ring
Hungarian and Romanian authorities have arrested a Romanian national suspected of leading the regional unit of an international people smuggling ring, the Budapest prosecutor’s office, which had initiated the issuance of the international arrest warrant, said on Thursday.
The Romanian man founded a smuggling ring operating primarily in Hungary, Romania and Austria in or before February 2022, which was linked to a larger international ring, the statement said.
The Hungarian procedure has ten suspects, all Hungarian or Romanian citizens, suspected of smuggling illegal entrants from Romania and Serbia to Austria via Hungary, the statement said. They transported people in extremely poor conditions that led to the death of one man in August 2022, it said.
EUR 160 fee for passing a Hungarian-Austrian border crossing point
A demonstration has been organised at the Austrian border because from July, a EUR 160 fee will be charged for those wishing to enter Austria at the Schattendorf-Ágfalva border crossing.
EUR 160 for crossing the border
The leaders of the Austrian municipality of Schattendorf have decided that from July a fee of EUR 160 will be charged to those wishing to enter Austria from Hungary. The fee will be valid for two years and most of the EUR 140 can be used as vouchers in local shops.
However, the Hungarian protesters still consider it unfair. The Austrian mayor justified the decision by saying that the Hungarian commuters were causing a lot of accidents and that this was troublesome for Austrians.
A local resident told RTL Hirado: “so now, if someone pays 160 euros, it won’t bother the locals anymore? I think it’s a rhetorical question, or will everyone use that sum to install sound-proof windows? The whole thing is puzzling to me.”
In addition, according to pénzcentrum.hu, not everyone who pays the fee is granted a permit. The approval is handled by the Austrian authorities.
What is the solution?
According to the mayor of Ágfalva, there may be another solution. “The only solution, which has been voiced by the local population, is to build more roads where there is a need,” the mayor said.
Official: Here is how many human traffickers Hungary released
Reuters has learned from the National Command of the Prison Service (BvOP) that Hungary has released a total of 777 foreign traffickers in recent weeks. They were mostly Serbian, Ukrainian and Romanian nationals.
Citing overcrowding in prisons, the Orbán government has issued a decree allowing the release of foreigners accused of human trafficking if they leave the country within 72 hours. Austria has previously objected to the Hungarian move. Vienna said that it posed a security threat to the country. We wrote about this in details HERE.
According to the BvOP, of the 2,636 people in prison for human trafficking, 808 foreigners are eligible for release. So far, Hungary has released 777 in the past weeks, Reuters reports.
The imprisonment of foreign nationals costs Hungarian prisons HUF billions a year, the prison service told Reuters.
Featured image: illustration
Emigration: where are Hungarians going? These are their target countries
Once again, more and more Hungarians are emigrating from Hungary. The Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) has now published the countries to which people are going. Let’s take a look at the places that Hungarians choose as their new home.
More and more Hungarians are leaving Hungary
Last year, more Hungarians left the country than before. According to data just released by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office, 44 percent of Hungarians who emigrated chose Austria, 25 percent Germany, 5-5 percent the Netherlands and Switzerland, and 4 percent the UK as their new home, Portfolio writes.
The United Kingdom used to be a key destination for people moving out of Hungary. While the number of migrants to the UK has fallen year on year, the number of migrants to Germany has increased slightly. When it comes to Austria, the number of migrants has increased significantly compared to the previous year, the KSH report highlighted.
The reversal of a positive trend
Back in April, Portfolio reported that 26,500 Hungarian citizens emigrated abroad last year. The last time we saw a higher number was in 2017, based on preliminary data from the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. This reverses the positive trend of 2021, when more people returned home than left Hungary. The good news is that the migration gap has not worsened significantly, with considerably more foreign-born Hungarians moving to Hungary than in previous years.
The last time we saw higher emigration was in 2017.
This breaks an important positive trend, as the balance between returnees and recent emigrants has gradually improved in recent years. In 2021, more people returned home than decided to emigrate, after a long period of time. Last year, however, for 21,900 returnees, there were 26,500 emigrants, a reversal of the trend.
The good news is that the overall balance of international migration of Hungarian citizens has still barely deteriorated, from a surplus of 96,702 in 2021 to 94,450. This was due to the fact that 14,000 more Hungarians born abroad moved to the country than before. This is the highest number we have seen in this indicator since 2015, Portfolio concludes.
PHOTOS: Panoramic bike path running near the Danube River inaugurated
A new EuroVelo 6 international bike path segment has been inaugurated yesterday. It connects Dunaalmás and Neszmély and runs near the River Danube. Máriusz Révész, the government commissioner for an active Hungary, said 200,000 guests go to Vienna via the EuroVelo 6. Thanks to the new development, some of them will travel to Budapest from the Austrian capital.
According to Magyar Építők, the new EuroVelo 6 segment will connect Dunaalmás and Neszmély, two small settlements in Komárom-Esztergom county, north of Tata, near the River Danube. It is 7.5 kilometres long and was built by the Hazai Építőgép Társulás Ltd. The project concerned building two bridges, a railway overpass and two stops for bikers.
Bálint Nagy, the secretary of the Construction and Transport Ministry, said the new bike path segment is unique since it was built in the floodplain of the Danube. Máriusz Révész, the government commissioner for an active Hungary, reminded all that the EuroVelo 6 international bike path is of touristic importance. 200,000 guests go to Vienna via that road. If it touched Budapest, some could stretch even to the Hungarian capital. Neszmély is closer to Budapest, but it still takes more than 84 kilometres to arrive at the city from there.
The region’s MP, Judit Bertalan Czunyiné, said that the bike path fits into the network of the county. That connects Dunaalmás, Majk, Oroszlány, Tatabánya, and Tata. Therefore, it has its touristic attraction. Government spokeswoman Alexandra Szentkirályi said she hoped the new bike path will help Hungary get into the centre of European cycling tourism.
Here are some additional photos of the new bike path and its inauguration:
PHOTO: Hungarian politician meets Arnold Schwarzenegger
Zsolt Nyitrai, Member of the Hungarian Parliament, attended the Austrian World Summit, a conference on climate change, in Vienna. He met Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger and took a photo with him.
Initiated and organised by 75-year-old Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian World Summit is held at the Hofburg. This year’s event focuses on ways to tackle the climate crisis, with a special emphasis on the role of climate protection in peacekeeping, Index reports.
Host Schwarzenegger, who has a career in acting and politics, will be joined at the summit by Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, patron of the event, Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler and former Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Volodymyr Klychko.
Zsolt Nyitrai, Member of the Hungarian Parliament, also met Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Hofburg Palace. The Hungarian politician posted a photo of the meeting and said that Arnold “loves Hungary and the Hungarian people, supports Viktor Orbán“.
“The Terminator returns home with a good selection of Hungarian wines, of course,” he added.
Hungary’s largest private education institution MCC purchases top private university in Austria
Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) has bought a stake in Modul University of Vienna, thereby offering new training and education opportunities for Hungarians and students from the Carpathian Basin studying there, MCC said on Friday.
MCC is continuing to build its international network and is getting involved in serious international research projects, it added.
Modul University was set up 15 years ago as a private university focusing on tourism, and its academic programmes have been continually expanding. It is now considered an internationally recognised elite university, the university said in a statement.
As against 80 students in three educational programmes in 2007, it currently has 1,100 students studying international management, sustainable development, applied sciences, tourism and service management at campuses in Vienna and Nanjing, the statement added.
Modul University also offers high-level practical training and carries out research projects which can now be joined by MCC’s teachers and researchers.
MCC launched a training programme in Brussels last autumn in which students can get first-hand experience about the operation of the European Union, and signed a cooperation agreement with ESMT university of Berlin a few weeks ago, allowing 20 students annually to attend Germany’s top business school, the statement said. Additionally, an agreement signed with The Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation enables MCC students to attend the UK’s top universities.
Thanks to the new acquisition, teachers from Notre Dame University, Columbia University and the London School of Economics will help in MCC’s expansion.
One of the largest archaeological sites in Central Europe lies near the Hungarian border
Merely an hour’s drive time from Sopron and 40km east of Vienna lies Carnuntum, one of the largest archaeological sites in Central and Eastern Europe. Discovering this Roman city might make a good addition to your next trip to Hungary.
History of Carnuntum
Carnuntum was a major Roman city on the border of the Roman Empire in the 1st and 4th centuries AD. First, the later emperor Tiberius established a fortified legionnaire camp in the Carnuntum area. Its important location in terms of border defence alongside the Danube River and proximity to major trade routes made Carnuntum the capital of the province of Upper Pannonia with a population of 50 thousand, the Greco-Roman life and culture Facebook page writes. The Roman history of Pannonia also represents an important field of Hungarian history.
Based on the archaeological finds found on the site, Austrian archaeologists have rebuilt parts of the Roman quarter, which brings this important settlement back to its 4th-century appearance. The archaeological finds have provided information on the architecture of the period, heating technology, the functions of the building, the use of the space and the interior decoration.
Hence, visitors can take a fascinating walk through ancient streets, temples and baths while admiring the luxurious houses of Roman citizens. In the Roman city quarter, archaeologists rebuilt a Roman Bath, an oil merchant’s house, and a villa that once belonged to a family of the upper class with a painting that covered 30 square-metre on one wall alone.
Amphitheatres and gladiator training grounds
Carnuntum was once home to two amphitheatres: one in the former military city and one in the civilian city.
The military amphitheatre was built of stone in the 2nd century AD, complete with tiered seating that accommodated crowds of up to 8,000 people. Given its location right by the legionary fortress, it was certainly also used for drills and riding exercises. The amphitheatre in the civilian city was situated outside the ancient city walls and was built at the end of the 2nd century AD. On either side of the gates, the arena was surrounded by tiered seating that accommodated about 13 thousand spectators. The amphitheatre in the civilian city is about a ten-minute walk from the Roman city quarter.
The training ground of the gladiatorial school of Carnuntum was excavated in 2011. It was built in the immediate vicinity of the amphitheatre of the civil town. The area includes a training hall, private bathing facilities and a large assembly area. In the inner courtyard, there was a 19 m diameter wooden training arena. The two amphitheatres and the gladiatorial school are indicative of the high status of gladiators in ancient Carnuntum. Next to the amphitheatre of the military city, a multimedia exhibition gives an insight into the world of the gladiators. The lives of the gladiators and legionnaires are brought to life by various demonstrations.
The archaeological park also houses a museum, the Archäologische Museum Carnuntium. Here you can admire unique artefacts from ancient Carnuntum, a spectacular example of the culture and way of life of the Carnuntum people. With 3,300 exhibited items, the Carnuntinum Archaeological Museum is Austria’s largest museum dedicated to Roman culture and age.
Meanwhile, recently the Eötvös Lóránd University announced a huge discovery in Hungary: archaeologists unearthed a 2000-year-old tomb with the remains of a Roman doctor with unique surgical tools, the likes of which have only been found in Pompeii.
Prosecutors want pre-trial detention for Syrian people-smuggling suspect
The Hungarian authorities requested pre-trial detention for a Syrian man based in Sweden who is suspected of having run a hawala system that facilitated people smuggling on the Serbia-Hungary border.
The suspect was a member of a crime ring operating on the Serbian side of the border tasked with paying drivers to transport illegal migrants through the informal money transfer system, the Csongrád-Csanad County prosecution office said on Wednesday.
Migrants would deposit the 1,500-3,000 euro fee per person before being transported from the Serbian border to the Austrian one. Afterwards, drivers would contact the suspect with an encrypted code via an app, and a matching amount of money would be transferred in a Budapest cafe or market to the smugglers.
The Syrian is suspected of having been a member of the organisation in 2020-2021, coordinating money transfers related to people smuggling throughout Europe.
Investigators have also detained a Syrian who is a suspected accomplice.
Given the risk of escape, prosecutors have lodged a request for the prime suspect to be kept in detention.
As we wrote yesterday, Asian refugees found in a cargo truck in Hungary, details HERE.
Asian refugees found in a cargo truck in Hungary
Police have discovered forty illegal migrants jammed into the cargo compartment of a truck with Austrian number plates at the Nagylak border crossing with Romania, the police headquarters said on its website on Tuesday.
The migrants identifying themselves as Bangladeshi, Lebanese and Pakistani citizens were detected by a pool of Hungarian, Romanian and Turkish police officers on Saturday. The vehicle was driven by a Turkish national, according to police.hu. A video footage posted on the site shows the migrants squeezed in between stacks of wooden pallets in a compartment lower than one metre. Hungarian and Romanian border guard units working in partnership at the Nagylak crossing have already taken action against 2,500 illegal migrants discovered hiding in vehicles this year, the website said.