Did you know?! – 10 surprising facts about the Hungarian language
21st February marks the International Mother Language Day; on that occasion, we collected ten interesting facts about the Hungarian language that will surprise you! Do you know why Hungarian is listed among the most challenging languages in the world; and what is the reason of its uniqueness? Let us see the answers! 😉
1. Among the world’s most difficult languages
Contrary to popular belief, Hungarian is not the most difficult language in the world; however, it is among the world leaders.
Some lists rank Hungarian in the TOP 3, while other rankings define it as the seventh most difficult language besides Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Estonian, and Finnish.
2. Hungary is not the only country where it is spoken
Hungary’s population is nearly 10 million; however, its official language is spoken fluently by more than 13 million people. The extra 3 million speakers include Hungarians living in other countries, and foreigners who have learned our language fluently.
3. The oldest Hungarian relics
The oldest relic of the language was an ironclad Hungarian runic script that was discovered at the North American Yarmout Bay in Newfoundland.
4. Hungarian language in the British Museum
In the library of the British Museum, we can discover the most valuable Central European manuscript, which was written in Hungarian in 1533. The relic starts accordingly: “Az Ephesom helyeknek yrth Zent Pál levelének elsew capitoliuma”.
5. Word compression as its uniqueness
According to avilagtitkai.com, the Hungarian language has a very high compression capability which means that long sentences can be expressed only in a few words.
Furthermore, we can describe our feelings and emotions with simple words. Let us see some examples: Segíthetek? (=Can I help you?); Szeretlek (=I love you); Látlak (=I see you); Vártalak (=I was waiting for you).
6. The third most melodic language
As magyarorszagom.hu reports, Hungarian language is listed among the TOP 3 most melodic languages, following Italian and Greek. According to the Italian cardinal and linguist, Giuseppe Mezzofanti (18th-19th century) – who wrote in 58 languages and spoke in 103 tongues –
Hungarian is the third most melodic language in the world.
Read alsoYou should try, 5 Apps for Learning Hungarian!!!
Read alsoDid you know?! – 10 surprising facts about the Hungarian language
7. The unique meaning of the word ‘farmer’
Interestingly, Hungarian is the only language in the world where the word ‘farmer’ is used for jeans. In other English-speaking countries, farmer has a totally different meaning.
8. Alone in Europe
Many people think that Hungarian has related languages, which is not absolutely true. It is member of the Finno-Ugric language family, but no similarity can be discovered with other languages of the group.
9. Number of vowels
While in the case of Western languages, only seven vowels are used; in Hungarian, we can differentiate 14 vowels: a-á, e-é, i-í, o-ó, ö-ő, u-ú, ü-ű.
10. Hungarian names all around the world
Hungarian family names and geographic names can be discovered in thousands of different places in the world. Thanks to the Hungarian Dr Bátor Vámos-Tóth and his colleagues, the collection of Hungarian words represents a new discipline by now, bearing the name TAMANA.
Accordingly, 6,000 Hungarian names can be discovered all around the world.
Hungarian family names have been discovered in India; geographic names in Iraq, Lebanon, Malta, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, the Philippines, India etc.
Hungarian hotel in Egerszalók wins ‘hotel of the year in 2019’ – PHOTOS
The voting session officially came to an end, and Hungarian people chose the best hotel in 2019.
Sokszínű Vidék reported that last year seven regions’ forty hotels entered the competition to win the prestigious ‘hotel of the year in 2019’ title according to the ranking of Hungarian guests. The competition started in June and nearly 100,000 votes were registered until January 19, the end of the competition.
Seven Hungarian hotels made it into the final round where the last voting session started to choose the best one. The ceremony was held at the Parisian Court in Budapest.
Read alsoNew exclusive hotel soon opens in Budapest – PHOTOS
- Hotel Komló (Gyula)
- Hotel Kapitány (Sümeg)
- Hotel Visegrád (Visegrád)
- Mesés Shiraz Hotel (Egerszalók)
- Hotel Silverine Lake Resort (Balatonfüred)
- Donautica Restaurant and Hotel (Fadd)
- MenDan Magic Spa & Wellness Hotel (Zalakaros)
And the winner is… Mesés Shiraz Hotel Egerszalók!
The idea of the Fabulous Shiraz Hotel (Heves County) was born in 2002. It opened its gates as a thematic hotel for families in 2004, altogether with 21 rooms. In the last ten years the hotel that pictures the atmosphere of the Middle East, of the 1001 nights, was significantly developed and extended in several phases, due to which now it charms its Guests with its outside and inside wellness oasis of 1400 square meters, with 65 rooms, among them with its 11 suites built on exclusive, modern themes, with the miracle of its fascinating interior design and numerous thematic, gratis programs.
The second place was taken by MenDan Magic Spa & Wellness Hotel in Zalakaros. The third place by Hotel Kapitány in Sümeg. The ‘hotel of the year’ competition will be held in 2020 as well.
Read alsoHungarian city next to River Tisza welcomes new five-star hotel – VIDEO
Featured image: www.facebook.com/ShirazHotel
‘World’s Most Instagrammable Places 2020: Budapest is also on the list!
Fact: people are obsessed with Instagram when they head off on their holidays – always trying to outdo each other with their snaps. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, right?
With that in mind, global travel site Big 7 Travel has put together its annual list of the ‘World’s Most Instagrammable Places 2020’.
The final results are ranked in order of their visual allure and popularity on social media – Big 7 Travel also includes the seven best spots to visit in each destination for a guaranteed amazing Instagram photo.
How did Big 7 Travel choose the winners? Via a comprehensive scoring system that analysed the amount of hashtags per destination, survey results of Big 7 Media’s 1.5 million audience, and votes cast by a panel of travel experts.
These are the places where you’ll find sweeping stretches of coastline, historical monuments, kitsch cocktail bars and more street art than you can possibly imagine.
MOST INSTAGRAMMABLE DESTINATIONS 2020:
- Sydney, Australia
- Hong Kong
- Dubai, UAE
- New York City, USA
- Singapore
- Tokyo, Japan
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Bali, Indonesia
- London, England
- Jaipur, India
46th. The capital city of Hungary, Budapest is a photogenic, fairytale city in Eastern Europe.
The city itself is separated by the 19th-century Chain Bridge that connects the hilly Buda district with flat Pest – hence the name Budapest!
Cities who made it into the Top 20 include Dubrovnik, Croatia, with Paris, France also receiving high scores, thanks to its pastel-coloured streets, lively markets and famous photo spots. Other Instagrammable places in the Top 50 to add to your ‘must-visit’ include Istanbul in Turkey and Cusco, Peru.
This year’s winning destination is Sydney, Australia (the second year that Australia has been named the most Instagrammable place in the world by Big 7 Travel.)
A combination of the city’s vibrant scenery and beauty alongside a ‘viral’ buzz surrounding Australia on how best to support its tourism industry means we predict travellers will go out of their way to showcase Sydney on their social media in 2020.
Instagram shows no sign of slowing down as a key driver in travel trends:
67% of people surveyed by Big 7 Media said they have visited a new destination after seeing it on Instagram, while 61% of people have booked a specific hotel after seeing it on their Instagram feed.
While printed guidebooks still have their uses, more and more tourists are using only Instagram for travel recommendations – 33% of people surveyed say they research their upcoming holiday destination via their Instagram feed.
With 77% of people surveyed taking 2-5 holidays a year (including weekend breaks), the most popular travel content on social media are Bucket List experiences and luxury hotels.
Here is the full list.
Hungary – Hévíz may become the European Best Destination in 2020!!!
Budapest was the winner last year; in 2020, Hévíz also has the opportunity to be awarded as the Best European Destination – as it was reported by the Mayor of Hévíz at a press conference this Tuesday.
Gábor Papp (Fidesz-KDNP) explained that the competition was first organised 9 years ago by the co-operation of 300 tourism organisations and the European Commission, who created the so-called EDEN network.
In 2019, Budapest was the winner; while this year, Hévíz has been selected among the 20 favourite cities, besides Paris, Athens and Fiume, which is already a recognition for the Hungarian “thermal city”.
He also added that the primary purpose of organizers is to popularize European tourism. This year, Hévíz has been nominated as being the best Hungarian health resort including the largest natural thermal lake in Europe, as well as being among the most dynamically prospering Hungarian cities – reported by the Hungarian news portal hirtv.hu.
Voting for the Best European Destination 2020 is also available on the city’s website within the period of 15th January to 5th February.
According to Edina Fejes – CEO of Hévíz Tourism Nonprofit Ltd. – it is a unique challenge for Hungary to repeat last year’s success of Budapest and duplicate the European Best Destination award with Hévíz. The “thermal city” can provide intimity, tranquillity and harmony, which can be considered as strengths compared to the listed competitors.
Gábor Papp also emphasised that 2018 was a record year; the city tourism had 1 million 222 thousand overnight stays, which – based on preliminary data – even increased by 10-15 thousand guest nights by the end of 2019.
Budapest is one of the most forward-looking cities in Europe
Zurich was the most forward-looking city overall, achieving the highest scores in the study on the three core measures: technology, sustainability and internet connectivity. Budapest is in the Top20.
HomeToGo, the world’s largest accommodation search engine, has conducted it’s annual report into the most forward-looking cities in Europe. As we are at the turn of a new decade, this study reveals which tech-focused, sustainable and connected metropolis’ are likely to be relevant in the coming years.
The index assesses 29 cities around Europe, rating them across three core pillars – technology, sustainability and connectivity– to come up with an overall score.
Zurich achieved the highest scores overall.
The Swiss finance capital has the highest proportion of technology-led companies out of any cities in the ranking.
Progressive Scandinavia features heavily in the study, with three countries, Denmark, Sweden and Norway making the toplist.
The United Kingdom is the country with the largest number of forward-looking cities – with 7 in the final list. London was the most sustainable city in the ranking with a score of 74%.
Budapest takes the 18th position, from the neighbour country Vienna is 6th, Warsaw is 21st.
- Budapest voted into Best New Year’s Eve destinations 2020!
- Expat City Ranking: Budapest ranks 18th out of 82 cities!
These are the top 20 most forward-looking cities in Europe for 2020:
1. Zurich, Switzerland
2. Stockholm, Sweden
3. Copenhagen, Denmark
4. Oslo, Norway
5. Munich, Germany
6. Vienna, Austria
7. Edinburgh, UK
8. Amsterdam, Netherlands
9. London, UK
10. Paris, France
11. Frankfurt, Germany
12. Dublin, Ireland
13. Rotterdam, Netherlands
14. Antwerp, Belgium
15. Barcelona, Spain
16. Madrid, Spain
17. Geneva, Switzerland
18. Budapest, Hungary
19. Glasgow, UK
20. Lisbon, Portugal
Hungarian swimmers among the top 20 best ones in the 2010s
The international swimming portal, Swimswam, shared the top 20 best swimmers of the 2010s. Among the swimmers, there are two excellent Hungarians representing the country as the only Hungarians on the list.
Dániel Gyurta (20th on the list) was absolutely unbeatable in his speciality event, the 200m breaststroke, for most of the decade. He won essentially everything that he could win in the 200m breaststroke from 2009 through 2014, including European and World Championships. Gyurta also broke the World Record in the 200m breaststroke in 2012, clearing out the old super-suit record from three years ago.
In 2018, the then-28-year-old swimmer announced a full retirement from swimming in order to focus on his sports diplomat career in the future.
Read alsoTop Hungarian swimmer Dániel Gyurta announces retirement
Katinka Hosszú (3rd on the list) left her mark on this decade with not only what she did in the pool, but also with what she did out of it. Although the 2012 Olympic Games did not start as she expected, the following years had many successful moments for her.
In Rio, she put up an inspiring performance in the 400m individual medley, beating her own world record by two seconds and winning by five. She went on to win the 100m back and 200m medley as well.
Read alsoKatinka Hosszú writes history with 4th straight 200m IM title
The Hungarian swimmer is one of the most successful and valuable Hungarian sportspeople. Reportedly, Hosszú is currently coaching herself for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
See the full list HERE
Read alsoFINA Swimming World Cup 2019 Budapest – Here are the results
Featured image: www.facebook.com/katinkahosszu
Here are Hungary’s best universities and courses!
In its Diploma 2020 (Diploma 2020) issue HVG has published the list of the best ranking universities, as well as the top list of faculties. Which university is at the top and which one offers the best mechanics, humanities or agrarian courses?
Loránd Eötvös University is at the top of the list yet again, which earned first place both in terms of students’ and teachers’ excellence, report eduline.hu. Next in line is the University of Szeged and third place goes to Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
In the rankings of the best university and college faculties, the ELTE Faculty of Humanities and Semmelweis University’s Faculty of Medicine received the first place, while the third place was going to the ELTE Faculty of Science.
Many aspects were taken into consideration when ranking institutions: number of first-time applicants, the average score of students enrolled in language exams, number of students in academic competitions, number and proportion of academics with one degree and the ratio of lecturers with an MTA title.
Corvinus University of Budapest ranked on top in the Faculty of Economics list. The Faculty of Management leads in student excellence list while the Faculty of Economics in teacher excellence.
The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Budapest University of Technology and Economics has become the best institute of technical training in the field of student excellence, and the list based on the excellence of the instructors is led by the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Debrecen.
Loránd Eötvös University Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology ranked the list in terms of student excellence, while the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Pécs and the University of Szeged University of Applied Sciences have tied the list of excellence in teaching.
In the IT training rankings, Budapest University of Technology and Economics ranked first in the field of student excellence and followed by Loránd Eötvös University, Faculty of Informatics. The faculty of Science and Computer Science at the University of Szeged was the best in terms of teaching excellence.
The Semmelweis University Faculty of Medicine is leading the medical and health education rankings, gaining first place in student and teacher excellence.
In terms of legal rankings, the list of student excellence is led by Loránd Eötvös University Faculty of Law, and by the faculty of excellence, the University of Miskolc is ranked first.
The Faculty of Science of Eötvös Loránd University is leading the ranking of the best institutes in science education, and according to the excellence of the lecturers, it was also the first in the competition with the Faculty of Science and Informatics of the University of Szeged.
Loránd Eötvös University’s Teacher Training Center ranked first in terms of student excellence, and the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Szeged ranks first in the list based on the excellence of the instructors.
The list of the best courses in social sciences is topped by Corvinus University of Budapest Faculty of Social Sciences in terms of student excellence, and Pázmány Péter Catholic University leads the list of excellence in teaching.
According to the excellence of students and lecturers in the field of agricultural education, one of the faculties of the Szent István University became the first: the former is led by the Faculty of Food Sciences and the latter by the Faculty of Horticultural Sciences.
HVG has once again compiled a list of the best colleges and universities in which you will find, alongside institutional, faculty, field, and specialist rankings, all the essential practical information on the primary and masters courses, from admission to advanced training.
Forbes: The top 50 wealthiest Hungarians in 2019
This is the sixth time that the top fifty wealthiest Hungarians are revealed at the end of the year. Not many changes happened in the top 10, but there are some new ones on the list and some surprises as well.
Read alsoThey are the richest Hungarians in 2018! – Forbes
Forbes reported that in the top ten, there are people who gave almost a one-year bonus salary to their employees and people who never got featured on the list before. This is also the first time in the history of the list that two women got featured, along with a person under 40. If you look at the ranking, you will see that among the top three people, no significant change took place at all.
Lőrinc Mészáros, Sándor Csányi, and György Gattyán are still the wealthiest people in Hungary. Csányi got featured with 408 billion HUF (1,198 million EUR) while Mészáros with 368 billion HUF (1 billion EUR), and Gattyán with 245 billion HUF (720 million EUR).
Read alsoGuess who is renovating another Hungarian railway
This year was also successful for the director of Danube Asphalt, László Szíjj, who earned a wealth of 207 billion HUF (608 million EUR). In the top ten, the big surprise was the Hungarian real estate manager and businessman, Dániel Jellinek, who has a wealth of 108 billion HUF (317 million EUR). With this amount of money, Jellinek became the 10th wealthiest person in the country.
This is also the first time when the top 10’s wealth reached 100 billion HUF (293 million EUR). The first ten people’s wealth is above 2,200 billion HUF (6 billion EUR), which is more than that of the people from 11th to 50th place. The 50 wealthiest Hungarians own approximately 4,260 billion HUF (12 billion EUR).
After six years, it is the first time that a woman got featured in the top 50. After receiving the Hungarian media mogul, Andy Vajna’s heritage, who passed away this January, his widowed wife Tímea Vajna is the first woman under 40 who got featured on the list. Her wealth is estimated to be around 37 billion HUF (108 million EUR).
Read alsoQuestions about Andy Vajna’s heritage: Mine? Yours? Ours?
Hungarian startups among the world’s most successful technological projects!
Within the framework of Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge Program, four Hungarian scientific technology startups have been listed among the world’s most successful “deep tech pioneers”, out of more than 5,000 applicants. Thanks to the certification, the Hungarian startups – Biopesticide, ITMedicine, Lupfig and Jfermi – will introduce themselves next March in Paris at the world’s most important deep tech trade show, Hello Tomorrow Global Summit.
As StartUp!Online reports, Hello Tomorrow is a Paris-based international organisation whose purpose is to identify the most promising global scientific and technological projects.
This year, the organisation’s competition Global Startup Challenge was participated by 5176 applicants from 128 countries worldwide including several Hungarian companies, out of which four startups were selected to the semi-finals (12th – 13th March 2020).
Read alsoHungarian startup to help to protect our environment with plastic clever cups
Read alsoTwo Hungarian startups in the forefront of European healthcare innovation
At the event, the Hungarian businesses can introduce themselves in front of 1,100 corporate leaders, 1,000 scientific researchers and innovators, 250 investors and 150 international journalists, and will also gain the opportunity to be chosen as the best in their categories.
The four Hungarian startups have been selected for their outstanding activities in:
- Biopesticide – developing bio-agricultural pest-killing solutions;
- ITMedicine – dedicated to developing unique physiological gynaecological diagnostic medical devices;
- Lupfig team – developing a new generator system that is capable of providing electric aircraft ultralight solutions;
- Jfermi – revolutionising biotechnology research that enables the improvement of teaching labs in higher education.
“The role of scientific technology projects is increasing worldwide as more and more serious problems have to be faced in either medicine, climate protection or sustainability, for which innovative deep tech enterprises can provide a solution. Hello Tomorrow Hungary is constantly waiting for startups applications, and we are open to working closely with industry and government stakeholders, as extensive collaboration is essential to the success of the national scientific and technological projects”– said István Csatári, Director of Hello Tomorrow Hungary.
Hello Tomorrow Global Summit has a partnership with such leading multinational companies as BNP Paribas, the Boston Consulting Group, L’Oréal, Merck, and Safran.
Budapest voted into Best New Year’s Eve destinations 2020!
New Year’s Eve 2020 is just around the corner, and while pretty much every city in the world rings in the New Year in some way or another, there are a few places that are especially magical to visit.
But which cities are top of people’s lists to ring in the New Year this year? Bigseventravel.com asked their social audience of 1.5 million people where they would love to celebrate NYE, also taking into account city festivities and previous awards for the final round-up.
From dazzling displays of bright, vibrant fireworks to thumping street parties and parades, you’ll find that travelling to a foreign city for New Year’s Eve can be a fun, culturally delightful experience.
And, the best part is that each city infuses its own traditions into the festivities.
From Uruguay to Australia and all the way back around to some of the biggest New Year’s Eve celebrations in Europe and the United States, we’ve rounded up the 50 best places to spend New Year’s Eve 2020. Get ready to barrel into the roaring 20s with a sense of cheerful exuberance.
Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2020
21st. Budapest, Hungary
Budapest is ranked as one of the hottest European travel destinations for 2020, so go on ahead and plan a trip to be there right when the New Year begins. This Hungarian city is home to a vibrant nightlife that spills out onto the shores of the Danube River for New Year’s Eve. Delight in dazzling fireworks or check out the raging parties at the iconic Széchenyi Baths New Year Bath Party on the 30th.
20th. Paris, France
19th. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
18th. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
17th. Orlando, Florida, USA
16th. Belfast, Ireland
15th. Beirut, Lebanon
14th. Dubai, UAE
13th. Stockholm, Sweden
12th. Bali, Indonesia
11th. Edinburgh, Scotland
10th. Cape Town, South Africa
9th. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
8th. Prague, Czech Republic
7th. San Juan, Puerto Rico
6th. Vancouver, Canada
5th. Valparaíso, Chile
When it comes to the best New Year’s Eve fireworks, it’s hard to beat the show that Valparaíso puts on. An incredible display of lights, passion, and power lights up the entire shore of this coastal Chilean city. Festivities start on the 28th of December, which means you’ll be able to enjoy the fun for more than just one evening. Sip a pisco sour and put on your yellow underwear just for good luck and good measure.
4th. New York City, New York, USA
Planning to ring in the arrival of 2020 with the world’s biggest New Year’s Eve celebration? New York’s famous celebrations centre around the Times Square Ball Drop. Roughly one million people are packed into the square, waiting along with billions of TV viewers to watch the Waterford Crystal ball drop at midnight. Twinkling lights and cascading confetti make it an evening you have to experience at least once in your life.
3rd. Sydney, Australia
The Sydney Harbour firework extravaganza is the Southern Hemisphere’s answer to New York City’s Ball Drop. It’s enjoyed by more than a million people who gather along the shore just to get a glimpse. Bring your own bottle of bubbles and enjoy the warm weather as you prepare for an enchanting New Year’s Eve that’s dazzling for visitors of any age.
2nd. Koh Phangan, Thailand
Full moon parties have long been teasing and taunting wild backpackers to the island of Koh Phangan. They’re considered to be a rite of passage for young travellers. But, there’s nothing quite like the one on New Year’s Eve. From alcohol-filled buckets to flaming rings of fire, this is the absolute wildest New Year’s Eve party you’ll ever attend in your life.
1st. Reykjavik, Iceland
Community bonfires kick of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Reykjavik. The bonfires allow you to burn away all your troubles as the spectacular fireworks display light up the star-soaked sky above you. Dazzle and delight in the unique cultural experience as the entire city is illuminated, ringing with the sounds of singing, dancing, and lots of celebration.
Here is the whole list: Big7Travel
They are the wealthiest Hungarians in Romania
As it was in 2018, there are 10 Hungarians on the top list of Romania and among them, Zoltán Teszári, a media tycoon, is the wealthiest Hungarian in Romania and the 6th wealthiest in Romania.
1. Zoltán Teszári
His estimated fortune is 640-660 million EUR even though he is just 49 years old. Capital says that he is the Hungarian millionaire whose life could be filmised. Born in Nagyvárad (Oradea) in a poor family, he started his business after he finished his sports career. Today he owns the Digi (RCS&RDS) enterprise which is the biggest in the telecommunications sector having interests not only in the region but also on Italy and Spain. With more than 14 million customers, the capitalisation of the company is around 600 million EUR. According to one of his close acquaintances, Mr Teszári aims to conquer the world in the following decades – transindex.ro reported.
2. The Mudura family (55th in Romania)
Fortune: 99-104 million EUR
They are also from Nagyvárad (Oradea), and they are present in the real estate and the trade sectors. Recently, they have bought the bankrupted Oradea Shopping Centre, and they are the owners of the local Lotus Centre and Lotus Retail Park, as well.
They became famous in the 90s after Sándor Mudura Sr started to sell Ferrero products (Kinder Surprise Eggs, Raffaello, Tic-Tac) in which he was a pioneer in Romania. After his father’s death, Sándor Mudura Jr continued to lead the empire.
3. Miklós Pálfi (76.)
Fortune: 77-79 million EUR
He is 61 years old and is the vice-chair of the Romaqua Group. In the 90s, together with his business partner, Ovtacian Crețu, they wanted to buy ComChim, a pharmaceutical company, but since they were not successful, they changed their minds and bought a mineral water company in Borszék. Today, he is the most significant mineral water producer on the Romanian market with a portfolio ranging from energy drinks to beer and coffee. They have factories in Bucharest, Szászsebes (Sebeș), Bușteni and Stânceni, and they work with the most modern technologies.
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4. István Gadola (149.)
Fortune: 39-41 million EUR
The 66-year-old businessman is from Kolozsvár (Cluj Napoca) and has the Energobit together with two business partners, Pál Péter and Ioan Socea. Polish Innova Capital bought shares in the company in 2012 and took the lead of it, too, but they were not successful, so the Godola group returned in 2017, and since then the company’s deficit has been decreasing.
Besides the energy sector, Mr Godola is active in the real estate sector, as well, for example, he announced in 2016 that he would build a plaza and a block of flats in Kolozsvár.
5. Árpád Pászkány (170.)
Fortune: 35-37 million EUR
The 38-year-old tycoon is active in the real estate and the building sectors, and he became famous when he bought the football club of Kolozsvár (CFR Cluj Napoca). Even though he was successful in managing the team, he had to sell it after some financially difficult years.
Now he is the only shareholder of the Ecomax General Investments and said that he got his first million by selling shampoos and deodorants with which he was a pioneer in the Romanian market thanks to his good foreign connections.
6. Ferenc Korponay (212.)
Fortune: 27-30 million EUR
The 52-year-old businessman and sells animal health products. He said in an interview that the best thing happened so far in his life was when he was fired from his workplace, and thus, he could found Maravet, a company that had a 54 million EUR price income in 2018 even though this sum was only 1.4 million EUR in 2005.
7. Levente Bara (213.)
Fortune: 29-31 million EUR
Mr Bara (43) is active not only in the food industry but also in the real estate and the trade sectors. He became famous when he sold his Supremia Group to the French Solina Group for more than 35 million EUR. He maintained his interests in the food industry, and he is trying to expand in the online trading sector.
8. Pál Péter (245.)
Fortune: 26-28 million EUR
Together with István Godola, he is a shareholder of the Energobit, and in 2017, he decided to return to the loss-making company and try to save it. He also has the Paprika Radio of Kolozsvár, but he is active in the real estate sector, as well.
9. Szász brothers (253.)
Fortune: 25-27 million EUR
They founded Renania in 1996, selling tools on occupational safety. Today, they are the market leader of the sector. Orlando Szász, speaking five languages (German, Italian, English, Romanian and Hungarian), resigned from his CEO position in 2012 and helps startups currently as an angel investor.
10. The Pál family (274.)
Fortune: 23-25 million EUR
Their Melinda group has now 600 employees, and they move 180 thousand tons of cargo each year. They have excellent connections in China and India, and they are a regional market leader in trade. They said on a conference that they became successful without the help of the Romanian state.
Hungary has the 9th cheapest coffee of 76 countries!
Hungary ranks 68th out of 76 countries (or the 9th cheapest) for the cost of a coffee, according to Finder’s Starbucks Index.
A tall Starbucks latte in Budapest, Hungary, costs USD$2.62. The cheapest coffee in the world is found in Istanbul, Turkey, costing just $1.78. The most expensive coffee is in Copenhagen, Denmark, coming in at $6.05.
Finder’s Latte Line shows that the price of a tall latte in Budapest is 21.3% cheaper than you might expect considering the trend line showing coffee price and GDP for the 76 countries.
|
68
|
Hungary
|
Budapest
|
$2.62
|
|
69
|
Brazil
|
São Paulo
|
$2.43
|
|
70
|
Bulgaria
|
Sofia
|
$2.20
|
|
71
|
South Africa
|
Johannesburg
|
$2.18
|
|
72
|
Mexico
|
Mexico City
|
$2.15
|
|
73
|
Argentina
|
Buenos Aires
|
$2.14
|
|
74
|
Colombia
|
Bogota
|
$2.04
|
|
75
|
Egypt
|
Cairo (outskirts)
|
$1.95
|
|
76
|
Turkey
|
Istanbul
|
$1.78
|
You can find the full research complete with still and embeddable graphics you’re welcome to use here – Starbucks Index.
Budapest – House of Hungarian Music awarded as the Best International Public Building!
Budapest’s imposing music palace has been chosen as the Best International Public Building within the framework of International Property Awards.
As Magyar Építők reports, the prestigious industry awards were held in London, this Monday. The decision was made by a jury consisting of 80 international professionals who decided based on project design, quality, innovation, individuality and commitment to sustainability.
The award of the Best International Public Building was given to Benedek Dr Gyorgyevics, CEO of City Park Plc., who is responsible for the implementation of the Liget Budapest Project.
Read alsoBudapest Liget Project to continue next year
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Read alsoLiget Budapest – Hungarian architectural company to design the new building of the Museum of Ethnography – PHOTO GALLERY
Sou Fujimoto’s building is likely to become a new iconic building of Budapest. According to Gyorgyevics, “after last year’s recognition of the Ethnographic Museum, this award also means that two buildings have been built in the City Park that are considered to be among the best in the world: as Hungarians, we should be proud of this”.
The CEO revealed that the construction of the House of Hungarian Music is going well; presumably, the building structure will be finished next year, and by 2021 its doors will be opened to the public.
Featured image: www.facebook.com/magyarzenehaza/
Expat City Ranking: Budapest ranks 18th out of 82 cities!
The annual Expat City Ranking reveals how expats rate life in 82 cities around the world, including Budapest. Expats in Budapest are happy with their finances and the local leisure activities.
Budapest ranks 18th out of 82 cities in the Expat City Ranking 2019. It performs best in the Local Cost of Living Index (5th) and worst in the Getting Settled Index (48th).
• Based on the ranking, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Montréal, Lisbon, Barcelona, Zug, The Hague, and Basel are the best cities to move to in 2020.
• Kuwait City (82nd), Rome, Milan, Lagos (Nigeria), Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Lima, New York City, and Yangon (73rd) are the world’s worst cities.
Budapest makes it into the global top 20 in the Expat City Ranking 2019 by InterNations, the world’s largest expat community with more than 3.5 million members.
Coming in 18th place overall, the city is among the best in the world for the local cost of living (5th) as well as finance and housing (7th).
However, expats’ opinions are mixed when it comes to the quality of life, and they find it generally hard to get settled in the Hungarian capital.
The Expat City Ranking is based on the annual Expat Insider survey by InterNations, which is with more than 20,000 respondents in 2019 one of the most extensive surveys about living and working abroad.
In 2019, 82 cities around the globe are analyzed in the survey, offering in-depth information about five areas of expat life: Quality of Urban Living, Getting Settled, Urban Work Life, Finance & Housing, and Local Cost of Living. Taken together, the first four areas make up the Expat City Ranking, which reveals the best and worst cities to move to in 2020.
18. Budapest
With a good 18th place in the Expat City Ranking overall, Budapest even features among the top 5 cities in the Local Cost of Living Index (5th), only beaten by Taipei (4th), Aachen, Germany (3rd), Kuala Lumpur (2nd), and Ho Chi Minh City (1st). In fact, 64% of expats in Budapest are satisfied with the local cost of living in general (vs. 43% globally). What is more, around three in five expats are satisfied with their financial situation (61% vs. 57% globally) and feel that their disposable income is more than enough to cover their living expenses (58% vs. 49% globally). Over half the expats (53%) also find housing in the city affordable (vs. 36% globally), and 64% say it is easy to find accommodation (vs. 50% globally), ranking Budapest 7th out of 82 in the Finance & Housing Index.
Beyond the financial aspects, Budapest seems to be a city where expats can enjoy life abroad: almost three-quarters (73%) are satisfied with the local climate and weather (vs. 59% globally), and 84% are happy with the local leisure options (vs. 74% globally).
It is “a beautiful city with so much to do,” a US American expat thinks. While they are also happy with the local transportation (17th), the same cannot be said for the availability of healthcare (65th) and the quality of the environment (47th). In fact, 17% are not content with the availability of healthcare (vs.13% globally) and the quality of the environment, which is just the same as the global average (17%).
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Budapest ranks lowest in the Getting Settled Index (48th), particularly in the Local Friendliness (53rd) and the Local Language subcategories (72nd). Over a quarter of expats in Budapest (27%) feel that the population is unfriendly towards foreign residents (vs. 19% globally), and 23% rate the general friendliness of the city’s population negatively (vs. 19% globally).
Moreover, learning Hungarian is not easy (81% find it difficult vs. 45% globally), but an aboveaverage share of expats state that you can live in Budapest without speaking the local language (51% vs. 47% globally).
About the Expat City Ranking 2019
The Expat City Ranking is based on the annual Expat Insider survey by InterNations.
For the survey, more than 20,000 expatriates representing 178 nationalities and living in 187 countries or territories provided information on various aspects of expat life.
In addition to their satisfaction with life in their host country, respondents were also invited to share their opinions on the city they are currently living in.
Participants were asked to rate more than 25 different aspects of urban life abroad on a scale of one to seven.
The rating process emphasized the respondents’ personal satisfaction with these aspects and considered both emotional topics as well as more factual aspects with equal weight. The respondents’ ratings of the individual factors were then bundled in various combinations for a total of 13 subcategories, and their mean values were used to draw up four topical indices: Quality of Urban Living, Getting Settled, Urban Work Life, and Finance & Housing. These were further averaged in order to rank 82 cities worldwide. In 2019, the top 10 cities for expats are Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Montréal, Lisbon, Barcelona, Zug, The Hague, and Basel. The survey also includes a Local Cost of Living Index, which does, however, not factor into the overall ranking to avoid overrepresenting financial aspects.
For a city to be featured in the Expat City Ranking 2019, a sample size of at least 50 survey participants per city was required.
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WOW! Budapest restaurants and bars among the world’s TOP 50! – PHOTOS
Three Budapest restaurants and one Budapest bar have been ranked on the list of the world’s TOP 50 in 2019, reports 50 Best Discovery.
The purpose of the exciting culinary database is to „Explore the best restaurants and bars around the world” based on a selection of criteria. The prestigious acknowledgement was given by a professional jury consisting of more than 1,000 international restaurant industry experts and 500 international drinks experts. Let’s see which Budapest restaurants and bars have been listed among the best ones.
Borkonyha / Winekitchen
The Michelin star-winning restaurant is located in the heart of Budapest, in the vicinity of St. Stephen’s Basilica. The meaningful name expresses its essence, as the restaurant offers a combination of the finest dishes and a great variety of first-class wines. While enjoying the pleasant atmosphere, guests can choose from among exclusive culinary dishes made of international ingredients, including traditional Hungarian, Spanish, Italian, and French flavours.
Borkonyha is an ideal place for wine gourmets as well, offering 200 wine varieties (mainly Hungarian wines).
As borkonyha.hu describes, Winekitchen is built upon diversity, which can be experienced in its first-class tastes that are realised by the Hungarian masterchef, Ákos Sárközi.
Babel
The Michelin star-winning restaurant of Hubert Hlatky-Schlichter provides an excellent fine dining experience in District 5 of Budapest.
As the restaurant’s homepage describes, Babel Budapest was inspired by traditional Hungarian cuisine and special Transylvanian tastes.
The restaurant’s masterchef, István Veres, brings his Transylvanian memories, creativity, and professionalism to his culinary art, resulting in exclusive, first-class dishes. Babel Budapest also offers a special wine variety; the unique Hungarian wines – some of them are available only in Babel Restaurant – are presented by Péter Blazsovszky Head Sommelier.
Textúra
According to texturaetterem.hu, besides the Michelin star-winning Winekitchen, the purpose of this fine-dining restaurant was to provide an informal, personalised atmosphere for the incoming guests. Accordingly, Textúra is a place where playfulness, experimentation, and discovery can be a part of everyday life.
Just like Borkonyha, Textúra also uses Hungarian recipes, combined with international ingredients and culinary techniques.
Delicious tastes are guaranteed by masterchef Ákos Sárközy. The Hungarian and international wine variety of the restaurant can be tasted by the professional help of sommelier Krisztián Juhász. Besides gastronomy, dishes represent a combination of Arts, Mathematics, and Physics, flavoured by the best ingredients: this is Textúra.
Costes
Costes Restaurant managed to gain the first Michelin star in Hungary, which has been maintained since then. In the last few years, Costes was selected as the one offering the best Hungarian cuisine.
Moreover, in 2014, it achieved an outstanding ranking on the list of Tripadvisor – Costes was ranked as the 25th best restaurant in the world, and the 14th best in Europe.
Furthermore, it was chosen several times as the best Hungarian restaurant and restaurant of the year. The unbroken success can be attributed to the top quality and perfectionism of the staff. Regarding materials, technology, and selection, the restaurant has always been loyal to its slogan, which says providing “quality gastronomy without compromising.” The kitchen’s style is international fine dining, combined with Hungarian specialities. The restaurant is available from Wednesday to Sunday from 6.30 pm to 11 pm. Due to the fact that the restaurant has a capacity of 36 people and by now, it has become a gastronomic pilgrimage for tourists, it is recommended to reserve a table in advance. For further information, visit: www.costes.hu
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- Special cocktail time! – Unique cocktails inspired by Hungarian inventions
Boutiq’Bar
Boutiq’Bar Budapest was ranked among The World’s 50 Best Bars.
The unbroken success of the Budapest cocktail bar started in 2012; during the last seven years, Boutiq’Bar was chosen as Hungary’s best cocktail bar, while its bartenders won numerous national and international competitions. In 2012, it was named as one of the 50 best bars of the world by Drinks International.
Relax, socialise, and taste the unique cocktails of the world’s best Budapest bar. (boutiqbar.hu)
WOW! – Budapest among the TOP 5 favourite destinations of British tourists!
The Hungarian capital has achieved a new touristic success. According to the latest British surveys, Budapest was ranked in 5th place on the list of the most popular tourist destinations.
According to Blikk, the research examined what the friendliest and most affordable European cities are from tourists’ point of view, besides attractions.
Accordingly, our capital was ranked in the prestigious 5th place, along with the extremely popular Amsterdam.
According to British tourists, Budapest is one of the cheapest cities, where a four-star hotel is available for ‘peanuts,’ and beer can be bought for a quarter of its British or German price.
For this reason, Budapest is a popular destination for British stag parties and girls’ nights out as well due to the fact that the youth can have fun from pennies.
Those who are interested in touristic sights can buy a three-day-long travel pass at a favourable price, but they were also impressed by the possibility of travelling free of charge over the age of 65.
The Hungarian capital left behind popular cities such as Vienna, Rome, or Lisbon. Krakow finished at the top of the ranking; according to respondents, the Polish city provides the same experience as Amsterdam or Paris, but its services are available at half price.
Forbes: The most valuable Hungarian companies
These Hungarian companies own 1/5 of the Hungarian GDP, with approximately 65 thousand employees across the country. However, half of these companies are in the capital.
Forbes reported about the most valuable companies in Hungary in which they listed the top 100 most influential and expanding ones of the country. Those which are located in Budapest are still among the prominent companies (43 out of 100), but out of the top three companies, not one is in the capital, not even in Pest County.
The Docler Group, which has a worth of HUF 208 billion (EUR 612 million) has its headquarters in Luxembourg, while MPF Holding’s is in Singapour. The second most valuable company, Videoton Holding Zrt., is located in Székesfehérvár (Fejér County) and has a value of HUF 172 billion (EUR 506 million).
The top 10 list features companies dealing with the business of the real estate market. Below them, some got featured which are prominent in the fields of manufacturing and the food industry. From three Hungarian counties (Nógrád, Somogy, and Zala), no company was featured on the list. The number of employees in the top 100 companies slowly increased since 2018, from 60 thousand to 65 thousand.
On the other hand, in 2017, these companies owned 14% of the Hungarian GDP, but last year, this percentage increased by 21%, which equals HUF 8922 billion (EUR 26 million).
The top 10 Hungarian companies
- Docler Group, HUF 208.4 billion
- Videoton Holding Zrt.
- MPF Holding
- Gránit Pólus Group
- Dayton Invest (Wing)
- Bonafarm Group
- Duna Group
- Jász-Plasztik Kft.
- Futureal Group
- MET Group
Featured image: www.facebook.com/DoclerHoldingLU
Hungarian start-up company is the new favourite of Apple
Dóra Pálfi’s start-up company called Imagilabs does not just provide electronic devices for young women to learn to program but at the same time builds an active community. To invest in their unique app, the Imagicharm, she not only got money from donations but at the same time co-operates with several multinational companies and a Swedish pop star.
How much progress did Hungary make in terms of gender equality?
The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) published an update of its Gender Equality Index last week, which analyses the progress of the 28 countries of the European Union in terms of gender equality.
According to an article by Business Insider, “the European Union is moving towards gender equality at a snail’s pace.” In this study, the EIGE measured the efforts made in seven main areas: work, money, health, knowledge, time (the balance between household and leisurely tasks), power and violence. Each country was measured by using a scale from 1 to 100. In summary, the EU obtained an average score of 67.4 out of 100, which is only 5.4 times more than in 2005, and 1.2 times more than in 2015.
What is the situation in Hungary? The study revealed that Hungary was ranked at the bottom with a score of 51.2 and 51.9 out of 100. This result is 15.5 lower than the average EU score. Between 2005 and 2017, the country’s score only increased by 2.4.
It is a general fact that Hungary moves closer to gender equality much slower than the other European Union states. The Institute of Gender Equality stated that “gender inequalities are most pronounced in the domain of power (20.6 points) and time (54.3 points). The domain of health ranks highest (86.6 points), compared to other domains. Hungary’s score in the domain of money (71.6 points) has improved the most since 2005 (+ 5.1 points). Progress has stalled in the domain of knowledge. In the domain of time, Hungary’s score has sharply decreased (- 6.8 points)”.
Although Hungary’s index has improved between 2005 and 2017, it is still lower than the average and further progress is needed. Reportedly, “Hungary’s slower rate of improvement has led to an increasing gap with the EU over time.”
The top three countries with the best score are Sweden, France, and Denmark, while at the end of the list featured Luxembourg, Belgium and Spain.
Global Gender Gap Report: Hungary finishes last among EU nations
World Economic Forum has published this year’s Global Gender Gap report. Out of all the 149 countries examined, Hungary finished below the global average at the 102nd place. Hungary had the worst score among all the European nations.