From the inventor of the Rubikโs Cube to the worldโs second-oldest metro system, these are the most interesting facts about Hungary.
Fast facts
Official name: Hungary
Population: 9.6 million
Area: 93,028 sq km
Capital city: Budapest
Major languages: Hungarian, English, German
Major religions: Christianity, Atheism
Fun facts about Hungary
1. Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe bordering Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.
2. Hungary gets its name from the tribes that arrived on the steppes of Eastern Europe in the 9th century. These were known as the โOungroiโ, a name that was later Latinized to โUngriโ and then became โHungariโ. The word originally meant โalliance of 10 tribesโ.
3. Hungary is known locally as Magyarorszรกg, meaning โLand of the Magyarsโ. The Magyars were the dominant Hungarian tribe that settled in the region.
4. In 1920, following the Treaty of Trianon, Hungary lost around two-thirds of its land area and 3.3 million of its population. Following the First World War, the Austro-Hungarian empire fell apart, and historic Hungary was forced to cede land to what is now Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania and Austria.
5. Although Hungary is landlocked, it is home to Lake Balaton, the largest lake in central Europe. Hungarians often refer to it as the Hungarian Sea due to its size and popularity.
6. Hungaryโs flag is horizontally striped red, white and green. The red symbolizes the bloodshed throughout the countryโs history; the white its rivers, and the green its mountains.
7. Billionaire philanthropist George Soros is from Hungary. Soros became known as the man who broke the Bank of England after he shorted the British pound in 1992. In 2017, his net worth was $25.2 billion.
8. Hungaryโs capital city, Budapest, used to be two independent towns separated by the Danube River: Buda and Pest. Today, each has its distinct ambiance, with Buda considered more serene and relaxed while Pest is busier and livelier.
9. The national dish of Hungary is gulyรกs, a stew-like soup with paprika, beef and vegetables.
10. The Budapest metro is the worldโs second oldest metro system after Londonโs in the UK. The Budapest metro became operational in 1896 making it continental Europeโs oldest metro system.
11. Itโs considered rude to clink glasses in Hungary. The practice originated in 1848 after Hungarians lost their Independence War against the Habsburgs. Austrian generals supposedly celebrated by toasting with drinks and clinking their glasses after executing 13 Hungarian generals known as the โ13 Martyrs of Aradโ.
12. Hungary has also produced 15 Nobel prize winners, making it among the countries with the highest number of Nobel prize winners per capita.
13. The Rubikโs Cube was invented by Hungarian Ernล Rubik in 1974. After he invented the puzzle, Erno Rubik was unsure if it could be solved. It took him a month to unscramble it. As of 2024, over 500 million cubes have been sold globally.
14. The ballpoint pen was also invented in Hungary in 1938 by journalist Lรกszlรณ Bรญrรณ.
15. Hungary is home to one of the worldโs first official wine regions. The Tokaj region, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been producing wine for centuries. It wasnโt until 1737 that Emperor Charles VI (Charles III, King of Hungary) formally declared it a designated wine region, solidifying its prestigious status.
16. The region was praised by Louis XIV as the โWine of Kings, King of Winesโ, which became a slogan still in use today.
17. One of Hungaryโs most recognizable sights is the Parliament in Budapest. It is Hungaryโs biggest building and the worldโs third-largest parliament building. Completed in 1902, it has 691 rooms, 28 entrances, 10 courtyards and 29 staircases.
18. In Budapest, there is a life-size bronze sculpture of the TV character Lieutenant Columbo. American actor Peter Falk (who played Columbo) is rumored to be related to the 19th-century Hungarian writer and political figure Miksa Falk.
19. Escape artist and magician Harry Houdini was from Hungary. Born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874, he moved to the US where he found fame as โThe Worldโs Handcuff King and Prison Breakerโ.
20. Memento Park in Hungary is home to a collection of toppled communist-era statues, including an enormous pair of Stalinโs giant bronze boots โ all that remains of a statue of the dictator that was torn down in 1956.
21. The worldโs greatest female chess champion is Hungarian. Judit Polgรกr is universally recognized as the strongest female player of all time and became the worldโs youngest grandmaster in 1991 at the age of 15.
22. Budapestโs Great Synagogue (Nagy Zsinagรณga) is the worldโs second-largest synagogue. Built between 1854 and 1859, it features a 1,200 sq m hall with 1,472 seats for women and 1,497 for men.
23. Hungary has its own version of cowboys. The Hungarian Plain is home to csikos, horsemen who have ridden the steppe for hundreds of years. Csikos wear wide-brimmed black hats and long blue pleated tunics and herd cattle on the plain.
24. Hungarian names are regulated by law. Parents must choose from a government-approved list of names. Any variations have to be approved by application to the Research Institute for Linguistics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
25. Hungarian is considered the worldโs seventh hardest language to learn and takes around 1,100 hours to learn.
26. Gyermekvasรบt Railway (Childrenโs Railway) near Budapest is operated entirely by children. Local students get to work on the railway roughly every 15 days as long as their grades donโt dip.
27. Hungary is famous for its thermal baths. The country has over 1,300 thermal water springs, 123 of which are in Budapest alone.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.