counties

Where do the Happiest Hungarians Live?

#hungary #happiness #longlife

Here in this article, you can learn about the happiest and the unhappiest regions are in Hungary. Based on two surveys, a Hungarian and an international one, we can finally see some data on what makes a person happy in Hungary!

The World Happiness Report study:

Magyarorszagom.hu reports that there is a connection between the World Happiness Report’s study and Eötvös Loránd University’s study. The international survey included the individuals’ satisfaction with life, their emotional-, psychological-, social and spiritual welfare, but also the level of mental health. Data were gathered about the person’s sex, age group, family status, financial welfare, level of education and their profession.

Although Hungary is not in the top countries of the world in terms of the nation’s happiness, a constant growth is still visible in every single year.

According to the World Happiness Report, in 2010, Hungary used to be 110th out of 156 countries on the list. In 2013, the country took the 104th place. In 2016 Hungary was #91, in 2017 it was #75, and in 2018 Hungary settled on the list as the 69th happiest country in the world.

Studying the results it can be found out that the happiest group of people in Hungary are those who are living in Western Hungarian small villages; wealthy and gained diploma in higher education; are having 4 or more children in the family; aging 40 – 50 years; are women.

The Eötvös Loránd University study:

#Happiness #map of #Hungary by regions
Happiness map of Hungary by regions, http://boldogsagprogram.hu

legend: yellow – happiest, blue – happy, brown – average, red – unhappy

People between age 17 and 88 participated in the survey that was conducted by Eötvös Loránd University‘s professors. The Hungarian research group monitors the level of happiness in each year from 2016. Data were taken from 7506 Hungarian individuals last year. Summing up, it was found out that World Happiness Report studies match with the domestic survey of ELTE University. In 2018, every region ‘made better’ at happiness, than the last year.

The happiness factor increased mostly in the Western part of Hungary and in the South part of Lowland, here also the rich and the wealthy are the happiest among all people. But also those, who are parents of more than 1 child, have higher education, living in a marriage or relationship are happier, than those who are not.

It also turned out in the survey that the small-town citizens are significantly happier than the ones in the city or the capital city. Apropos, the capital city: Budapest’s level of happiness is way below average, as seen in the table below when considering mental health and general life satisfaction.

#happiness #map #hungary
The happiest county seats
/boldogsagprogram.hu/

The Happiness Map of Hungary this year shows slight changes only. Still, the Northern-Eastern part of Hungary was the least happy in the last 3 years, and the happiest live in the Small Western villages. As seen on the graph above, the happiest county seat is Szombathely, then Tatabánya, Győr, Eger and Zalaegerszeg, while Budapest is below average.

7 hilarious city names in Hungary that will make you chuckle – MAP

town house

Would you like to have a good laugh while being already tired of the town-names Bugyi (Panty), Pornóapáti (Porn Abbot), and Rum? Vezess.hu collected some further hilarious names that will make you giggle.

There are about 3200 cities and towns in Hungary out of which plenty have pretty funny names. Here are Vezess.hu’s top 7 candidates for ‘The Most Hilarious City Name’ title along with their descriptions from Wikipedia.

Big Stock (Nagytőke)

Nagytőke is a small village between Szentes and Kunszentmárton, on the shore of the Tisza. Tőke may also mean stock as the stock of a plant or a tree. Therefore, the origin of the town’s name may go back to the times when the citizens of Nagytőke were primarily wood-cutters.

Nun Exercise (Apácatorna)

This town is only 23 kilometres away from Ajka, a city in Veszprém county. Obviously, the name does not refer to sisters doing exercises in their free time. Torna has a rather different meaning; it refers to the downstream of the Marcal river.

Your Ham (Sonkád)

Sonkád lies in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, on the East side, right on the Romanian-Hungarian border. An interesting fact about it is that it was called Your Ham even in 1426, according to written records.

Snivelling New Folks (Rinyaújnép)

This tiny village has only about 50 citizens and is situated on the Southwest border of Hungary. Even though folks have nothing to do with snivelling here, the name goes back to 1352 when it was written as Wynep.

Noble Rempe ‘Ravenry’ (Nemesrempehollós)

In this context, ‘ravenry’ refers to an area where ravens are kept. This place can be found in Vas county, 20 kilometres away from Szombathely. There are also many other interesting towns here such as ‘Up Ravenry’, ‘Bridge Ravenry’, or ‘Church Ravenry’.

Oxen Lake of Philip (Ököritófülpös)

This is quite a big town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in East Hungary. It lies on the Szatmár Plain, on the shore of the Holt-Szamos.

Church Dengeleg (Egyházasdengeleg)

It is a tiny village with only about 450 inhabitants on the South end of Nógrád county. Before 1905, it was only Dengeleg that originates from the Slavic dinga, denga, dinka words, which refer to a red type of grapes. There is also a Lutheran and a Catholic church in the village.

Further reading

Are you interested in other city names? We recommend you to read our mini-series on The Best Hungarian City Nicknames. You can find Part 1 and Part 2 here. When you are ready, you can even test your knowledge with this quiz.

Additionally, our Big Cities in Hungary series will guide you to explore the spectacular cities of Hungary. We have already introduced Kecskemét, Szekszárd, Tatabánya, Salgótarján, Kaposvár, Szombathely, Esztergom, Keszthely, Balatonfüred, Siófok, Székesfehérvár, and Sárospatak to our kind readers. Furthermore, you can also take a look at our previous articles on this topic: Győr, Szeged, Debrecen, Veszprém, Sopron, Pápa, Szolnok, Miskolc, Gyula, Eger. Once you are done with reading, you can challenge yourself with this amazing quiz.

Finally, you can get to know more about the Hungarian counties from Get To Know The Hungarian Counties Part 1 and Part 2. There is also this quiz to see how well you can remember.

Photos: Google Maps

Happiness map of Hungary 2018 – Where do the happiest Hungarians live?

map hungary

The Committee of the United Nations declared 20th March the International Day of Happiness which has been celebrated since 2012. Although Hungary is not among the happiest nations of the world, its level of happiness shows a constant improvement, situating it as the 69th happiest country according to this year’s report. However, it is also interesting to see where the happiest Hungarians live in the country, and it is also interesting to see what makes them more satisfied than others. Here are the details of the latest happiness map of Hungary reported by Boldogsagprogram.hu and Femina.hu!

The 1st happiness map of Hungary, showing the regions and counties where the happiest people live, was made in 2016 by the Eötvös Loránd University‘s Positive Psychology Laboratory and the Jobb Veled a Világ (The World Is Better With You) Foundation, based on online results. This year, 7,506 people participated in the research whose ages varied between 17 and 88.

The study focused on aspects like the satisfaction of Hungarians with their life, and their emotional, psychological, social, spiritual and mental well-being. Furthermore, experts also analysed the source of happiness regarding Hungarian people. 

Level of happiness in each Hungarian region

Similarly to the results of the World Happiness Report 2018, tangible improvements have been witnessed in each Hungarian region compared to the results of the previous year. The most significant change has been seen in Western Transdanubia and the Southern Great Hungarian Plain, while the smallest improvement has been present in Central Hungary.

  • ? = very happy
  • ? = level of happiness above the average
  • ? = average level of happiness
  • ☹️= level of happiness below the average
  • ? = unhappy
happiness map
/boldogsagprogram.hu/

Level of happiness in each county

On this map, one can observe the counties where people are the most satisfied with their lives in more detail. Komárom-Esztergom, Vas and Békés county are the happiest places to live, while Nógrád, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Heves county have a lot to improve. Generally, it can be stated that in most parts of Hungary, people have an average happiness level which is not bad at all.

happiness map
/boldogsagprogram.hu/

The happiest county seats

The happiest county seat is Szombathely followed by Tatabánya and Győr, while Budapest is only the 13th happiest Hungarian county seat. In addition to this, among those counties with the worst results is Kaposvár, Miskolc and Salgótarján.

happiness map
/boldogsagprogram.hu/

What do the results indicate?

The study confirmed that Hungarian women are happier in each region and their mental well-being and psychological immunity are also greater than that of men. As can be read on Boldogsagprogram.hu, taking into consideration the findings, a happy Hungarian person is someone who:

  • lives in Transdanubia
  • has a diploma
  • is between 36-50
  • has a family with 4 or more children
  • has a strong psychological immunity
  • and is in the prime of his/her life.

So now we know what is necessary for the satisfaction of Hungarians.

Since 2012 when the United Nations declared 20 March the International Day of Happiness, more attention is payed to the celebration of this in education.

In Hungary, for instance, the Happiness Class Movement started in 2014 as a consequence, of which 5,000 happiness classes are held today in 350 schools. The initiative aims to increase the level of happiness of Hungarian children in the school environment, and we hope that thanks to it, a more significant improvement will appear in next year’s map.

Big cities in Hungary – 5 facts you may not know about Kaposvár – PHOTOS

Kaposvár

For most of the people, Budapest is the first thing that comes to their mind when they think about Hungary. This country is beautiful, and it has many other beautiful cities. We have already written about Győr, Szeged, Debrecen, Veszprém, Pápa, Kecskemét, Szekszárd, Tatabánya, Salgótarján, and many other cities. Now, let us take a look at Kaposvár.

General information

Kaposvár is the county seat of Somogy county. It is 180 kilometres away from Budapest and has about 70 thousand inhabitants. The town lies on the shore of the Kapos River, on the Somogyi Hills. It is told to be the capital of “Somogy country” because locals believe that it is independent. Kaposvár was built on seven hills, just like the ancient Rome.

The city of flowers

Kihagy6atlan.hu writes that between the two World Wars, fathers of Kaposvár wanted to make the town’s look prettier. Therefore, they planted trees and flowers that resulted in the name City of Flowers by 1920′. Kaposvár won the first prize both nationally and internationally. It won the Hungarian For a flowered Hungary (Virágos Magyarországért) and the French Competition of the European Flowered Cities and Villages (Európai Virágos Városok és Falvak Versenye) as well. Moreover, Kaposvár created the unique Wildflower Path for the Millenial Celebrations. The path begins at the County Hall in Kaposvár and goes all the way to Szilvásszentmárton. It is special because of the carved sculptures in the oak trees along the way. The shapes of these are indigenous wildflowers of the area. Furthermore, there are more names in connection with flowers in Kaposvár, for example, the Waterlilly fountain at the Theatre Park and the Flower Bath (Virágfürdő).

A mesmerising walk in the city

Citizens of Kaposvár can be very proud of their town, writes turistamagazin.hu, because the Main Square and the Main Street won prestigious prizes. What is more, the town has many titles in connection with its beautiful flowers, as we mentioned above. In the city centre, while walking around one can take a closer look of many fountains and statues. Furthermore, the secession style buildings show how life looked like in the last decade. The town put a big emphasis on renovating the old buildings and preserving the original look of Kaposvár.

Culture: museums

There are so many museums in Kaposvár that is is quite a challenge to list them all. You can visit the Ripple-Rónai Museum to admire the paintings of this brilliant man. Also, the Vaszary Memorial House is the other place for you if you are keen on arts and painting. The Mineral Museum is usually the favourite place for the younger ones, but it has a more serious side for adults as well. Because nature and outdoors is an important feature in Somogy, you can find a Sports Museum here, too. Finally, there is even a museum that displays the merchants of Kaposvár in the older times.

The dark Somogy

There is a mean stereotype that there is nothing in Somogy county, it is just dark. However, developers of the city and the Danube-Drava National Park made this for the advantage of the area. Notably, the Zselici Woodland is a breathtaking forest with a very dark sky in the evening, that means, the light pollution is unnoticeable. This makes it possible to examine the beautiful sky with the stars and the moon, unlike in bigger cities. If you love nature and the stars, you should definitely visit the Zselic Starry Sky Park. There is even an astronomical observatory in the proximity of Kardosfa.

Photos: www.facebook.com/zselicicsillagpark

Places worth a visit

Additionally, there are more destinations you may want to visit:

  • Kaposvár Terrarium (Terrárium)
  • Saint Jakab Benedictine Abbey Ruin Garden (Szentjakabi Bencés Apátság Romkert)
  • Kaposvár Gallery and Statue Garden (Kaposvári Galéria és Szoborpark)
  • Ruins of the Kaposvár Castle
  • Deseda Lake
  • Festetics Castle (Festetics-kastély)
  • Hard Palace (Kemény Palota)

Featured image: Csák István, www.facebook.com/csakistiphoto

Big cities in Hungary – 5 facts you may not know about Salgótarján

Somoskő vár castle Nógrád megye county

For most of the people, Budapest is the first thing that comes to their mind when they think about Hungary. This country is beautiful, and it has many other beautiful cities. We have already written about Győr, Szeged, Debrecen, Veszprém, Kecskemét, Szekszárd, and Tatbánya and many other towns. Now, let us take a look at Salgótarján.

General information

Salgótarján is the second smallest county seat in Hungary after Szekszárd, and it is the capital of Nógrád county. It lies about 110 kilometres away from Budapest. Its origin goes back even to the conquest of the Carpathian Basin. Three mountains and two rivers surround it. It is best known for its heavy industry, engine building, and coal industry.

Nógrád megye county Somoskő vára castle
Photo: Wiki Commons by sandorb

Nature

Right next to Salgótarján, there is a fascinating natural beauty, a monadnock that arose from a basalt volcanic activity. The 20-25 metres tall basalt columns are unique wonders in the country. Additionally, there is the Castle of Somoskő that is definitely worth a visit because it was built back in the 13th century.

Somoskő vár castle Nógrád megye county

Somoskő vár castle Nógrád megye county

Furthermore, there is a so-called teaching pathway all the way up to Boszorkánykő (Witch Rock). The path has boards with exciting pieces of information written on them about the history of the area so that it can teach the younger generations.

forest woods path walk bridge nature

Near Salgótarján, there is Ipolytarnóc. Here, a 20 million years old pine tree and footstep remains were found.

Ipolytarnóc ősmaradványok lelőhely

Ipolytarnóc ősmaradványok fossil remain lelőhely
Photos: Wiki Commons by takkk

To sum up, if you like spending time in the woods and hike, this place has a lot to offer!

Safari Park

On more than 17 acres lies a Safari Park in Salgótarján. It aims to teach children to protect the environment and value the beauty of nature. Visitors can see indigenous flora and fauna here and learn about them: moufflons, hind, fallow-deer, and wild-boars.

animal safari park deer

animal safari park deer

animal safari park deer

Mine museum

This museum is the first underground facility in the country that is placed in an abandoned mine. It teaches visitors about the progress of coal mining and the tools used for it. When the mine functioned in the 20th century, about 800 thousand tons of coal was extracted here. The museum takes part in the yearly organised Night of the Museums event.

Salgótarján Nógrád megye county bányamúzeum mine museum
Photo: Wiki Commons by Béla Sándor

Hollókő

Hollókő is a smaller town in Nógrád county, 45 kilometres away from Salgótarján. It aims to preserve Hungarian culture and traditions. One of the biggest attractions of the town is the Castle of Hollókő because there is a mysterious legend connected to its name. If you wish to find out more about it and check out the other sights, such as the traditional tilted roof houses, read our article on the topic here.

Hollókő tradition Easter Húsvét locsolás sprinkeling
Photo: www.facebook.com/IloveHolloko

Do not forget to take a look at the other articles of our series that include many interesting facts about other less-known but fascinating cities of Hungary.

Big cities in Hungary – 5 facts you may not know about Tatabánya

Tatabánya turul bird statue hawk eagle

For most of the people, Budapest is the first thing that comes to their mind when they think about Hungary. This country is beautiful, and it has many other beautiful cities. We have already written about Győr, Szeged, Debrecen, Kecskemét, Szekszárd and many other towns. Now, let us take a look at Tatabánya.

Tatabánya view city
Photo: Wiki Commons by László Szeder

Smallest but happiest city

Tatabánya is the county seat of Komárom-Esztergom county. Its size is only about 90 km2 that makes they city the smallest county capital in Hungary. Its population is about 65,000 people. According to a study in 2016, that examined how happy people in different cities are; it turned out that those who live in Tatabánya are the happiest in the whole country.

The Turul Statue

Tatabánya turul bird statue hawk eaglePhoto: Wiki Commons by CHS Studio

Legends say that the turul was the main totem of the Hungarians from Attila’s time to Géza’s reign (from about the 430′ to the 990′). Therefore, the turul is a mythological bird of the Hungarian history. The Turul Statue was built during the millennial celebrations of Hungary’s foundation. The monument is placed in Tatabánya because, according to Simon Kézai’s chronicles, Árpád destroyed Szvatopluk’s army here. Árpád was the founder of Hungary and Szvatopluk was the ruler of Great Moravia.

The statue stands on a base that was put together from broken stones. The bronze bird wears Hungary’s crown and holds a gigantic sword in his claws. With its 15 metres width, it is one of the biggest bird statues in Europe. It is placed on the top of a hill this is why it is visible even from a great distance.

Szelim-cave

Szelim barlang cave Tatabánya
Photo: Wiki Commons by Globetrotter19

Szelim cave barlang view sky hole lyukPhoto: Wiki Commons by Susulyka

The cave is near to the Turul Statue; it can be visited with a nice walk. It is about 45 metres wide and 15 metres tall, so it is easy to notice it even from farther away. It is famous due to the archaeological artefacts found here. Wooden pieces, animal bones and remained parts of fireplaces prove that people lived in the cave from the Palaeolithic to the Copper Age. It functioned as a hiding place even later on. According to the legend, people were hiding here when the Ottoman came.  I. Szelim, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, eventually found and burnt them. This is how the cave got its name.

Samu, the Homo erectus

Vértesszőlős is a tiny town only about ten kilometres from Tatabánya. However, it is a worldwide known village. Part of an occipital bone was found here in 1962, which belonged to Samu, a Homo erectus. He lived about 350,000 years ago. His name is Samu because he was found on the 21st of August, that is the Hungarian Sámuel’s name day, and Samu is a nickname for Sámuel. Today, there is a museum in Vértesszőlős that shows visitors, how Samu looked like and provides interesting information about his lifestyle.

artefact bone Samu Sámuel Vértesszőlős homo erectusPhoto: vertesszolos.hu

Tata

Tata vár castle

Photo: Wiki Commons by József SüvegTata is a town also about ten kilometres away from Tatabánya. It is called the city of the “Living Waters” because it has a strong bond with nature and environmental protection. Tata is mostly known for its beautiful castle that stands by a lake. It also has museums and many programmes in connection with nature. It is a small, quiet, charming little town that is perfect for those who search for a relaxing vacation outdoors.

Featured image: Wiki Commons by CHS Studio

Big cities in Hungary – 5 facts you may not know about Szekszárd

Szekszárd town city hall városháza

For most of the people, Budapest is the first thing that comes to their mind when they think about Hungary. This country is beautiful, and it has many other beautiful cities. We have already written about Győr, Szeged, Debrecen, Kecskemét and many other towns. Now, let’s take a look at Szekszárd.

Szekszárd lies in the south-west area of Hungary, at the meeting point of the Transdanubian Hills and the Great Hungarian Plain. It is the capital of Tolna county and centre of the Szekszárd wine region. Its old name is Szegszárd.

Szekszárd map Tolna county capital
Photo: www.google.hu/maps

Fewest but happiest inhabitants

It is fascinating that, as for its population, it is the smallest county seat in Hungary. It had only about 33,000 inhabitants in 2017, according to nepesseg.com. However, a happiness research from 2016 shows that Szekszárd is the third happiest county capital in Hungary. People are only happier in Tatabánya and Székesfehérvár. By area, it’s the second smallest behind Tatabánya on the list.

Wine region

Szekszárd is the centre of the Szekszárd wine region. Boraszportal.hu writes that in this area, there is a lot of sunshine all year long. Furthermore, the soil is thick loess, and the winter is mild. Therefore, this place is perfect for viniculture. There is evidence that even in Roman times, there was a wine region here. A sarcophagus was found decorated with paintings that also depict a vine-stock. First, white wines were produced in a larger amount in the Middle Ages. Later on, red wines became more popular due to the Ottoman impact. A fun fact is that there are about 4500 wineries here today.

Szekszárd borvidék wine region grape
Photo: http://www.szekszard.hu

Resting place of I. Béla

I. Béla, the Champion, was the sixth king of Hungary. He supported Catholicism and cultural values. Two of his sons, Géza and László both became kings later on. According to the legend, his throne collapsed onto him, and this is how he died. It is also said that his soldiers were carrying him for days so that he can be buried in Szekszárd. In fact, no evidence has been found yet on these legends.

City of writers

Well-known Hungarian people were born in Szekszárd. One of them was Mihály Babits, a unique figure in the 19th century as a poet, author, and translator. Ervin Lázár also lived here in the 20th century, and he was a beloved author who wrote many tales and stories for children. Szekszárd was also the hometown of Miklós Mészöly author.

Conflagration

As magyarorszagkul.nlcafe.hu reports, the Catholic church in the city centre burned down in 1925. It happened because of children who tried to smoke the pigeons out. The inhabitants did their best to collect money for the renovation. They were selling postcards with a picture of the church’s original look. Eventually, they managed to sell 80 thousands of them, and they renovated their beloved church in the end.

Szekszárd church catholic belvárosi
Photo: Wiki Commons

When you visit Szekszárd, don’t miss out the following sights!

The Gingerbread Museum was founded in 1825 by the Petrits Family, and today the sixth generation is making gingerbread, candies, sweets, and candles in the original, traditional way. Visitors can decorate their own gingerbread and even get a guided tour in Hungarian, English and German languages. The Baka Museum is a military history museum of the 20th century and the two world wars. Birthplace of Mihály Babits, the famous Hungarian author, was born, is a museum since 1983, which was the hundredth jubilee of his birth. Gemenc is a unique forest in the Danube-Drava National Park, near to Szekszárd. This is the only remaining tidal area of the Danube. There are many programmes here such as the forest railway and all sorts of educational events.

mézeskalács múzeum gingerbread museum Szekszárd Petrits family
Photo: www.facebook.com/MezeskalacsMuzeum

Featured image: Wiki Commons

The cost of living outside Budapest

estate housing house money sell market

We may know many things about the housing market of Budapest, but what about living outside the capital? Among the bigger cities in Hungary, Miskolc and Nyíregyháza have the cheapest housing. Győr stands on the other end of the chart, because prices are the highest there. About 2,600 transactions are expected in each city this year. Customers are mostly local people. CSOK does not have much use, as developers prefer customers paying in cash, according to Forbes.hu.

The second largest city in Hungary, Debrecen witnessed 3,640 transactions last year. It is one of the most expensive cities, as family houses are sold for 708 euros per square meter. The highest demand is for brick and prefabricated houses under 50,000 euros, while the newly built houses can be sold for even 65,000-80,000 euros.

1950 transactions took place in Győr last year, which can be increased by 3.5 percent this year.

Győr is definitely the most expensive city outside Budapest: brick houses cost 917 euros per square meter, while family houses cost 662.

This city also shows one of the highest demands for newly constructed houses.

Kecskemét has one of the most favorable migration rates in the country — there are more people moving in than moving out. Last year, the number of housing transactions were 1,900. The average prices are similar to the prices in Győr. Customers mostly seek family houses under 65,000 euros. Newly built houses are also popular and they are mostly sold personally by the investors.

The third largest Hungarian city, Szeged had 3,520 transactions last year, but an increasing tendency can be expected similarly to Debrecen. However, prices per square meter are much lower than in the Northeast. Brick houses are usually sold for 724 euros per square meter. The demand for family houses is relatively low, so they are often sold for about 480 euros per square meter.

Miskolc also presents an increasing market of housing business: 2,590 transactions were registered last year, which can go up to 2,700 this year. Miskolc has the lowest prices among the cities with a population above 100,000. Brick houses are usually sold for 466 euros per square meter, while prefabricated houses cost 420 euros per square meter.

Experiences show that the local population is sensitive for prices. That is why there is low demand for family houses or newly built ones.

2,300 transactions were done in Nyíregyháza last year, but it might grow by 7 percent this year. Neither migration rates nor prices are favorable there. Brick houses cost 675 euros per square meter, making Nyíregyháza the second cheapest city after Miskolc. Naturally, smaller and less new houses are more demanded.

The fifth biggest city of Hungary, Pécs exceeded 3,000 transactions last year. This can be further increased this year by 5 percent. The prices are like in Szeged: brick houses are usually sold for 724 euros per square meter, prefabricated houses cost 592 euros per square meter. The demand for family houses is relatively low, so they are often sold for about 480 euros per square meter.

The smallest city on the list, Székesfehérvár registered 1,500 transactions last year and it is likely to be the same number this year. Brick and prefabricated houses are sold for 805 euros per square meter, while family houses cost 724. The highest demand is for smaller houses with 1.5-2 rooms. The demand for newly constructed houses is negligible.

CSOK was meant to be a decisive factor on housing market, but investors usually sell houses themselves in every city except Győr.

Customers with CSOK usually suffer disadvantages, because most of the developers prefer to be paid in cash.

Let’s see the most liveable towns of Hungary

Veszprém city castle

Just like last year, Districts I and V are the ones where it is the best to live in Budapest in 2017, but Districts VI, II and XII are also among the leaders, according to portfolio.hu. The bigger cities of the country show some change compared to 2016, this year Veszprém, Szekszárd and Eger are the ones where it is the most pleasant to live. This data is based on the most recent ‘quality-of-life-indicator’ of Otthon Centrum.

The survey examined the districts of the capital and all the towns of Hungary which have more than 20 thousand inhabitants with a view to educational and working opportunities. These aspects created the ‘quality-of-life-indicator’. It is not surprising that the leading places are the ones that have the highest house prices, as the central districts of the capital have the highest house prices in the country.

The bigger a town is, the better employment, health service and education it has, while the smaller towns and the central districts of the capital are the best regarding how fast one can travel to work. The agglomeration and the county towns take place in middle-ranking positions, but both Budaörs and Dunakeszi performed above the average. In addition to the central districts of the capital, Districts VI, VII, VIII, IX and XIII on the Pest-side, while Districts II and XII on the Buda-side provide the highest quality of life. Among the country towns, the values of Veszprém, Szekszárd and Eger are the best, as people can travel to work the fastest in these towns.

The last districts on the list are some of the outer ones in Pest, because people from Districts XVII, XVIII, XXI and XXIII travel a lot to work. Érd performed below the average in the agglomeration. Here the values of health service and education were weaker than that of the county towns.

If we compare the results with the house prices – with the average prices of the used flats – we get a very similar ranking list to the list that indicates the quality of life in the Hungarian towns. This means that house prices are strongly influenced by the values that indicate the quality of life in certain places. House prices are the highest in the central districts of the capital. Districts I, V and VI are outstanding not only in the aspect of the quality of life, but also these districts are characterised by the highest house prices.

Ce: bm

Current demographic trend: Hungary’s slowly emptying

child-baby

According to portfolio.hu, out of the country’s seven regions, only Central Hungary’s population is growing, while it is decreasing everywhere else in the countryside, except for Western Transdanubia. Due to inland and international immigration and the different rates of natural reduction, the demographic processes of the regions are very much varied.

The emptying eastern part

Between 2016 and the beginning of 2017, the country’s population has decreased by 31,200 people, which was the fourth biggest loss in the past 20 years. Out of the whole, 27 thousand were measured in the eastern part of the country.

The only region where the population has been growing is Central Hungary – by 6 thousand people last year. The population has stagnated in Western Transdanubia for the last six years, but the rates show a decrease in every other region.

The changing of the population is influenced by natural reduction (or reproduction), and inland and international immigration. Regarding natural reduction, the population is declining in every region. The population of Central Hungary and the southern part of the Great Hungarian Plain decreased the most due to this reason last year (by 6,900 and 6,500 people).

Even though natural reduction was the greatest in the central region, the scale of both inland and international immigration is positive there. Almost 11 thousand people moved to Central Hungary from the other six regions, while 2 thousand people moved there from abroad last year. However, this is only half of the positive immigration rate estimated in 2010.

Besides the central region, the inland immigration rate of the two other developed regions, Central and Western Transdanubia, was also positive last year, but the other parts of the country are all hit by natural reduction and negative immigration. Out of the three East Hungarian regions’ reduction of 27 thousand people, 14 thousand was due to natural reduction, while 13 thousand was due to inland immigration.

The regions of Hungary – Photo: Wiki Commons by Peyerk

Ageing Hungarians

There are huge differences between the states of development in Hungarian regions. Only Western and Central Transdanubia could hold a candle to the richest Central Hungarian region including the capital city. The economies of the other four region lag behind a lot. This determines the typical direction of inland immigration: young adults and middle-aged people wishing to study or work all leave to these regions, where salaries are higher, the selection of jobs is wider and the infrastructure is more developed.

The immigration of the youth increases the average age directly and indirectly (through the decrease of birth rate), thus increasing the old-age dependency rate. This rate signals how many retired dependent (older than 65) fall onto one person of working age (15-64 age group).

The oldest county is Békés, where 31 retired fall onto 100 people of working age. The situation is only a bit brighter in Zala and Somogy County, where 100 people of working age fend for 30 retired, while the old-age dependency rate is the highest (30%) in Heves and Nógrád County.

In 2016, 27 retired dependent fell onto 100 people of working age in Hungary, so in the counties mentioned above 100 working people get 3-4 more elderly than the average.

The counties of Hungary – Photo: Wiki Commons by Peppe83

The old-age dependency rate is the lowest in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, where less than 22 retired fall onto 100 people of working age. Furthermore, the situation is better than the average in Pest, Hajdú-Bihar, Győr-Moson-Sopron, Fejér, Borsod and Komárom-Esztergom County.

Where do the most children live?

In counties that are attractive from the point of view of inland immigration and where relatively a lot of children are born, the old-age dependency rate is typically lower.

So not only the developed regions, to where many people move from other parts of the country, have a demographic advantage, but also the poorest counties where the birth rate is relatively high.

Proportionally, most children live in Pest County, where about 25 children fall onto 100 people of working age. Pest is followed by the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain and North Hungary.

The leaders of the negative demographic trends are Békés, Zala and Somogy County, which are characterised by many retired people, few children and negative immigration rate.

Even though the population is getting old in the whole country, there are some counties, where this is happening slower than average: either due to the positive inland immigration rate or due to the higher birth rate (or in some places both).

The absolute winner of the country’s inland and international immigration is Central Hungary, while the less developed regions are slowly emptying. And these processes leave bigger marks on the changes of population than other demographic trend that are less connected to development (birth rate, mortality rate).

Ce: bm

Govt To Focus On County Seats For Growth Outside Budapest, Says Lazar

(MTI) – Cities which are county seats will play a key role in growth in the provinces in the coming years, Janos Lazar, the head of the prime minister’s office, said on Friday.

Lazar told a press conference after the general assembly of the Association of County Seats held in Kaposvar, southwestern Hungary, that each seat will become a centre of growth in the life of the county and the region in the future and will play a key role in closing the gap between Budapest and other major cities.

The government will earmark 370 billion forints (EUR 1.2m) for the economic development of these cities from national and European Union funds, he said. He added that the government plans to sign cooperation agreements with all the county seats, where more than one-fourth of Hungary’s total population lives.

Lajos Kosa, head of the Association and mayor of Debrecen, said the government plans to draw up 20-25 growth zones where attention will be centred around economic growth and stimulus, along with job creation. Focus points will include export-oriented small and medium-sized companies (SME), innovation, industries with high added value and services, he added.

Photo: MTI – Gyorgy Varga

Hollókő Hosts Traditional Easter Festival

Budapest, April 14 (MTI) – Hollókő, a world heritage village in north Hungary, will host this weekend an Easter festival organised in the traditional Paloc style native to the area.

The rich programme will include traditional Easter customs, such as water spraying and an Easter procession and fair. Visitors can sample the traditional Paloc gastronomy at the festival to last from Saturday to Easter Monday, one of the organisers, Peter Kelecsenyi, said on Monday.

Locals will be dressed up in traditional ornamented village garb and the boys will be chasing girls with buckets of water to pour on them, he said, noting that this is the last time the Holloko villagescape can be seen in its original form before major renovation gets under way.

Folk concerts by well-known performers Agi Szaloki, Agnes Herczku and Nikola Parov and the Kerekes Band, and Tarkany Muvek will be in the three-day programme.

Hollókő is a village of 400 inhabitants and a World Heritage site since 1987. It receives about 80,000 visitors a year. The picturesque village with two rows of intact village architecture surrounds a small gothic c15th castle.

Photo: www.falutur.hu

Sights that are definitely worth a visit in county Vas

As spring is coming, good weather and sunny days lure people out to open air. Having a free weekend, many people decide to take a trip. Some of them choose to spend their free time traveling abroad, but it should not be forgotten that our little country also has its beautiful sights.

It’s worth considering to visit county Vas, the westernmost county of Hungary. It’s a very diversified region, having plains, mountains and hilly areas too. All of its smaller and larger towns have their own natural, historical, architectural or cultural attractions.

City of Szombathely

Its administrative center, Szombathely is a town with great history, one of the oldest towns founded in Hungary. The city was established in the Roman times by emperor Claudius in 43 AD. Its establishment is due to its location besides the Amber Road, which was an ancient trade route from North Europe to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Visitors can still walk on the remaining parts of this ancient road, or more above them – the original residues are covered with plexiglass in the main hall of OTP Bank, in the main square of Szombathely. A renovated road section can be seen in the Sanctuary of Isis (Iseum), the ruins of which was discovered during excavations in the 1950’s, and which also have been recently renovated. Today it’s functioning as an archaeological workshop and warehouse, presenting temporary and permanent exhibitions. The beautiful main square of Szombathely, and its enthralling synagogue are also worth a visit, as well as its famous historical carnival held in every August.

Körmend

körmendBatthyányi-Strattmann castle in Körmend (Photo: MTI)

County Vas is also famous for its fortresses and castles. The classicist style Batthyányi-Strattmann castle in Körmend, together with the castle park is a nice place to visit, as well as the medieval Nádasdy fortress in Sárvár, surrounded by the former moat where now lies a great park. Maybe the most beautiful medieval castle is located in Kőszeg, which has a charming old town with traditional restaurants, cobblestoned streets, and old fashioned houses. Kőszeg lies in the foothills of the Kőszeg mountain, in the valley of Gyöngyös creek.

Kőszeg

If someone would rather spend their free time in the nature, they don’t even have to leave the surroundings of Kőszeg. Up in the hills source the Seven Springs, one of the region’s favorite tourist spot, deep in the forest near the Austrian boarder. The springs got their names from the Seven Hungarian Chiefs, Álmos, Előd, Ond, Kond, Tas, Huba, and Töhötöm. Their crystal-clear cold water tastes very good after taking the 5 kilometers walk from the nearest parking lot, Szabó Mountain. Another “must-be-seen” spot is Írottkő, or the Written Stone, the highest peak of Transdanubia with its 883 meters height. Reaching the top, tourists can climb up to the lookout which stands in the Austrian-Hungarian border, offering a beautiful panorama. If the weather is clear even Lake Balaton is seen.

Kámon arboretum

Further natural sights are the Kámon arboretum near Szombathely, and the Chernel-garden arboretum in Kőszeg, both of them ensure a nicely spent day walking through the wonderful parks between rare, special plants. They are most worth to visit in the spring when the bushes and trees of the arboretums burst into bloom.

Ják Church

j  Ják Church (Photo: mek.oszk.hu)

If you ever visited Vajdahunyad castle in Budapest city park, you must have seen the Ják Church with its beautiful entrance. However, it is only a partial copy of the original church located in the village Ják in county Vas. Actually, it is a monumental basilica, an outstanding work of the Hungarian Romanesque architecture. The admission is very cheap, but the experience is memorable. Read more about Ják Church HERE.

The county has innumerable attractions besides those mentioned above, and lots of its beautiful places are not indicated in guidebooks – a nice narrow alley in an old town, a cozy restaurant with great food, a beautiful meadow in the countryside with wildflowers, only waiting for someone to discover them. Everyone can find their favorite place in Hungary, and for some, this place is located somewhere in Vas county.

Written by Zsófia Luca Szemes

Photo: szombathely.toncsi67.fotoalbum.hu

‘Busó-Walking’ From February 27 – Record Number Of Guisers And Sellers In Mohács

1100 maskers are going to celebrate the end of winter on February 27th at Mohács, which means there will be more busós, than ever before. Hegedűs Emese, one of the main organizers of the event told Hungarian News Agency (MTI), that 40 groups and a total number of 950 busós and 150 other maskers are going to entertain the spectators. Furthermore, 240 folk artists, applied artists, craftsmen, and hosts gained admission for selling goods at the time of the festival.

busó-walkingHegedűs Emese emphasized that through the 6 days of the busó-walking, guests interested in the event are welcomed at 34 locations for 80 engagements from morning to night. The folk festival will include carnival procession, piper meeting, a folk singing contest, folk club, a great variety of folk dance and stage performances, busó-ball, busó-nuptial, mask carving activities, exhibitions of busó-masks carved by celebrated artists, and will close on pancake day at the city forum with coffin burning.

She added that the Vujicsics band will hold a 40-years jubilee concert and Alma együttes will also be among the performers. Moreover, visitors will have a chance of seeing musical instruments, talking to the pipers of the round table, visit a piper concert and watch a film about the instrument, too. These activities will take place at the Busó-yard during the International Piper Meeting of the carnival. The mentioned Busó-yard was opened last year and is welcoming tourists all the time.

The main events will be held on March 2nd, quinquagesima Sunday: the busós are going to cross Danube on boats, parade in the city centre, sail the carnival coffin, initiate new busós, and light a huge torch at the forum of Mohács.

Organizers calculated that about 80 000 people are going to be interested in the busó-walking, which was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.
Hegedűs Emese noted that for the time of the busó-walking, all accommodations in Mohács were booked back in December. Those who are looking for available rooms currently, are encouraged to try at hosts of nearby settlements or towns.

busó-hungary

This widely known Šokci carnival was first mentioned in a note from 1783. According to Šokci people living in Mohács, a legend says that their smart ancestors fleed from the Turkish occupation to the other side of Danube, Mohács Island.

They returned wearing disguises and surprised the superstitious Turks, who became so frightened that they immediately left the city.

The traditional elements of the busó-walking are unchanged: the adults celebrate the end of the grim season and the beginning of spring wearing fuzzy busó-bribes, carved masks, peculiar accessories, rattlers, and cowbells.

Written by Reka Jancskar

based on the mti.hu

Photo: www.infocegled.hu, MTI

News Flash: Strong Winds Expected In Western Areas Of Hungary

(MTI) – High winds are expected in Hungary on Friday, especially affecting western parts of the country, and an alert has been issued by the meteorological office for Gyor-Moson-Sopron County. Winds are expected to exceed 90kmh.

Dangers due to the weather are also expected in the north, the office said in a statement.

Photo: gyor.hir24.hu

Two decades of new era brought striking disparities in Hungary

Hungary is in the same situation as it was in the early 20th century. The only difference is that now the multinational companies are the emloyers, not the landlords. Also the house is owned by the bank, and not the eldest son.

The Economy and Enterprise Analysing Institute of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( in hungarian: Magyar Kereskedelmi és Iparkamara (MKIK) Gazdaság és Vállakozáselemző Intézete)published horrible results in October. The 220-page study surveyed how the social economic situation of the Hungarian regions has since the change of the political system in 1989.

Traditionally, Hungary was divided into a poorer eastern part and a richer western one. Browsing among the figures we can see, apart from Budapest, its agglomeration and the north-western region, the whole country has bacome a huge crisis area in the past 25 years.

The most considerable change is reflected in the GDP figures of the country. The cnetral Hungarian region’s economic performance is 2.5-3 times better than the other regions. It is not because the living standards have improved in the region, but vice versa: the other regions have broken off. Everything has deteriorated access to work average salaries, public health and infrastructure. Fewer children are born, trained young people flee the region.

When Hungary accessed the EU, we were always told that the EU would balace the disarities between the regions with EU-tenders aiming at the underdeveloped regions.
Instead of building factories creating jobs, the friends of the current government were hired to rebuild the roads, main squares play grounds and doggy parks.
Probably Hungarians would prefer jobs, less poverty and EU-level salaries.

Written by J. Woods

based on the article of Jobbegyenes blog

MSZP AND E14-PM Alliance Present Election Candidates For Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County

The Socialist Party (MSZP) and the E14-PM electoral alliance presented at the press conference in Nyírbátor their individual candidates running in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County’s constituencies in 2014 parliamentary elections on yesterday.

The Socialists will field candidates in 4, while E14-PM will have candidates in 2 constituencies.

mszp szabolcs

On the picture

On the middle: Mesterházy Attila, Chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party, Bajnai Gordon, Chairman of the E2014 Party and Veres János President of MSZP in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County

Election candidates: József Halmi (MSZP, first on left side), András Jeszenszki (MSZP,second on left), Zsolt Legény (MSZP, third on left), Csilla Bíróné Dienes (E2014-PM, third on right), László Helmeczy (E14-PM, second on right) and Ferenc Juhász (MSZP, first on right).

Photo: MTI – Attila Balázs

Toxic disaster company must compensate victims in Hungary

A Budapest court ordered the operator of an industrial plant on Tuesday to pay compensation over Hungary’s worst environmental disaster when a huge flood of toxic sludge killed 10 people in 2010.

Channel News Asia said, the Hungarian Aluminium Production and Trade Company (MAL) has to pay 32 million forints (108,000 euros, $145,000) to a family who lost a child and whose two other children suffered severe burns.

The ruling by the Metropolitan Tribunal in Budapest is the first in 23 compensation cases involving MAL, which was judged responsible in 2011 for the spill.

According to Channel News Asia, a holding reservoir at MAL’s Ajka plant in western Hungary burst its walls on October 4, 2010, sending 1.1 million cubic metres of poisonous, stinking mud oozing into surrounding area. Some 150 people were injured, hundreds more were left homeless and had their livelihoods destroyed. It also wiped out almost all life in rivers and streams in the immediate vicinity and spread to the Danube river.

Read more HERE.

Photo: alfahir.hu