Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE 333

Hungary has a varied landscape, with

forests and moun tains dominating the

north and a vast plain covering the

rest of the country. The Tisza river

and its tributaries shape the eastern

regions, while the west has Lake

Balaton, one of the largest lakes in

Europe. The mighty Danube flows

through the heart of the coun try,

bisecting the capital, Budapest, where

one-fifth of the population lives.

HISTORY

In AD 100 the Romans established

the town of Aquincum near modern-

day Budapest, and ruled the area,

then called Pannonia, for three cen-

turies. They withdrew completely

following the arrival of the Huns in

the early 5th century. After the death

of Attila the Hun in 453, the area was

ruled by the Goths, the Lombards

and the Avars. The ances tors of the

modern Hungarians, the Magyars,

migrated from the Urals in 896,

under the leadership of Prince Árpád,

whose dynasty lasted until 1301,

when King András III died with out

leaving an heir. The throne then

passed to a series of foreign kings,

but the country flourished, and dur-

ing the reign of Mátyás Corvinus

(r. 1458–90) it became the greatest

monar chy in Central Europe. The

Ottomans won a major victory at the

Battle of Mohács in 1526. They

returned to capture Buda in 1541,

which became the capital of

View from Castle Hill across the Danube, with the Parliament visible beyond Elizabeth Bridge, Budapest

The grand Széchenyi Baths in Városliget, Budapest

HUNGARY

U

niquely in Central Europe, Hungary is peopled by

descen dants of Magyars, a race from Central Asia who

set tled here in the 9th century. In recent times, the coun try

has fought against Ottoman, German, Austrian and Soviet occu piers,

yet its indigenous culture remains intact. In 1989 Hungary became

the first Eastern Bloc country to embrace Western-style democracy.