Facts about Hungary - 30 things you (might) not have known

Writer: Peter Bergström

Updated: September 2026 | Facts about Hungary! Here we offer 30 things you (maybe) didn't know about the country of goulash, paprika, Tokaj wine and lovely thermal baths. But Hungary is also the country where the Rubik's Cube was created, where shepherds still ride across the puszta and where one of the world's most special languages is spoken.

Facts about Hungary

We have visited Hungary several times and have experienced everything from Budapest and Lake Balaton to vineyards, thermal baths and truly memorable meals. Here we mix history and culture with food, nature and some facts that are a little more unexpected.

1. Hungarian is related to Finnish – but not in a mutually intelligible way

Hungarian is quite different from the languages of most of the neighboring countries. The language belongs to the Uralic language family and is thus distantly related to, among others, Finnish and Estonian.

However, this does not mean that a Hungarian and a Finn can sit down and talk to each other. The relationship goes back a long way and the languages have developed in different directions over thousands of years. So the expression that Hungarian is ”related to Finnish” is true, but perhaps not quite as practical as it sounds.

2. In Hungary you can't just come up with any first name.

If you want to name a child in Hungary, there are rules to follow. Hungarian first names are regulated by official lists of names that can be registered. Parents who want to use a name that is not already on the list can apply to have it approved.

The rules have changed over the years, but the principle remains. So it's not really time to come up with something completely unique at the kitchen table and then assume that the authorities will say yes.

3. Paprika is Hungary's red gold

Paprika is much more than a colorful spice in Hungary. It has become an important part of Hungarian food culture and is found in everything from goulash and stews to sausages and the delicious cream cheese mixture körözött.

Paprika powder also comes in several varieties, from mild and sweet to really hot. Two places that are particularly associated with Hungarian paprika are Szeged and Kalocsa. It’s not hard to see why the spice is sometimes called Hungary’s ”red gold.”.

4. Goulash began as a food for shepherds

Goulash is perhaps the dish that most people associate with Hungary, but the Hungarian version is not always what we Swedes imagine. The word goulash has connections to cattle herders and the dish developed from the simple food that shepherds cooked over an open fire.

In Hungary, gulyás soup usually a soup-like dish with meat, vegetables and peppers. The thicker meat stew that we sometimes call goulash is closer to Hungarian pork stew. A little confusing perhaps, but above all very tasty. We rarely say no to a bowl of goulash and a cold beer.

5. Pálinka must not be made just any way

Pálinka is Hungary's classic fruit brandy and can be made from plums, apricots, pears, cherries or apples, for example. The name is protected within the EU and in order for the drink to be called pálinka, it must meet specific requirements regarding, among other things, raw materials and production.

The drink has a strong place in Hungarian food culture and is often served at festive occasions. However, we will leave Peter's old theory that pálinka works against most things aside. It is, after all, spirits, not Alvedon.

6. Hungary has 22 wine regions

Hungary is a much larger wine country than you might first think. The country has 22 official wine districts, usually grouped into six major wine regions. Everything from fresh white wines and sparkling wines to powerful reds and world-famous sweet wines are produced here.

Tokaj is best known internationally, but there are many more names to remember. Eger is associated with the red blend Egri Bikavér, ”bull’s blood”, while Villány is known for red wines and the areas around Balaton produce a lot of white. Etyek-Buda is close to Budapest and is a good place for a wine excursion from the capital.

7. Tokaj has made sweet wines world famous

The Tokaj wine region in northeastern Hungary has a long history and the entire historic wine landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area is best known for Tokaji Aszú, a sweet wine made from grapes infected with noble rot.

The most important grape is Furmint, which is also used for dry wines. So Tokaj does not automatically mean sweet dessert wine.

We ourselves find it difficult to think of Hungary without thinking of the combination of foie gras and sweet Tokaj wine. Sweet wine with foie gras may sound strange until you try it. Then it suddenly feels very logical. Tokaj's historic wine landscape has been a World Heritage Site since 2002.

8. Balaton is a ”sea” in a landlocked country

Hungary lacks a sea, but it does have Lake Balaton. The large and relatively shallow lake in western Hungary is the largest inland lake in Central Europe and is often called the ”Hungarian Sea”.

Around the lake are seaside resorts, beaches, small towns and vineyards. In summer, Balaton is one of the country's most important holiday areas, while the vineyards on the hills around the lake provide another reason to stop.

In other words, it is entirely possible to go on a sun and beach holiday in Hungary without getting anywhere near a real sea.

9. Thermal baths are part of Hungarian bathing culture

Hungary is rich in thermal waters and the bathing culture has deep historical roots. Perhaps the most famous are the magnificent baths in Budapest, where you can bathe in warm mineral-rich water amidst domes, columns and historic buildings.

We have bathed ourselves at the fantastic Gellért Baths in Budapest and also in the spa town of Harkány in southern Hungary. Another classic Budapest bath is the Széchenyi, where you can bathe outdoors all year round. Here the sight of people sitting in the warm water and playing chess is almost as classic as the bath itself.

10. In Hévíz you bathe in a natural thermal lake

If you want to take the Hungarian bathing tradition one step further, there is Hévíz, not far from Lake Balaton. Here you can bathe in a natural lake heated by thermal water.

The lake is known for its warm water and water lilies and is the center of a spa that has grown around bathing. The special ecosystem and the large amount of incoming water make Hévíz something completely different from an ordinary spa. The thermal water in the lake is continuously renewed.

11. Over a thousand caves hide in the World Heritage Site of Aggtelek

On the border between Hungary and Slovakia lies a huge karst area with more than a thousand known caves. The Aggtelek Caves and the Slovak Karst are together listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Also Under Budapest there is an extensive system of caves. We have been down there ourselves. We first happened to end up at Pál-völgyi and saw people putting on overalls for a much more adventurous cave crawl.

Helena looked at them and felt something like: no thanks. We chose Szemlő-hegyi instead, where you can walk on landscaped paths. Much more our level of cave adventure.

12. On the pusztan, the old shepherd culture lives on

The Great Hungarian Plain is associated with puszta, an open landscape with a long tradition of cattle breeding. One of the most famous areas is the Hortobágy National Park, which is also a World Heritage Site.

There are still traditions here connected to horse and cattle breeding. The famous csikos are horse herders and skilled riders who have become something of a symbol of the Hungarian Puszta.

Simply calling them ”Hungarian cowboys” is tempting, but also a bit simplistic. The herding traditions of Hortobágy are considerably older than the cowboy romance of Western films and are part of a cultural landscape shaped by pastoral use over a very long period of time.

13. Hungary has eight World Heritage Sites

Although Hungary is not a giant country, it has eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include Budapest's Danube banks and castle district, the Aggtelek caves, the old village of Hollókő, Hortobágy, Pannonhalma Monastery and the Tokaj wine region.

The beauty is the variety. Here you can find nature, wine, a big city, countryside and remains from different historical eras. It's almost like a small summary of Hungary in eight places.

14. The Rubik's Cube was born in Hungary

One of the world's most famous toys and puzzles has Hungarian origins. Architect and professor Ernő Rubik created the first version of his three-dimensional cube in Budapest in 1974.

From the beginning, it was about exploring how different parts could move without the whole structure falling apart. The result eventually became the Rubik's Cube, and millions of people have since twisted, turned, and swore at the little colorful creation. There are people who solve it in seconds. We don't necessarily belong to that group.

15. A Hungarian journalist gave the ballpoint pen its breakthrough

László Bíró was born in Budapest in 1899 and worked as a journalist, among other things. He became annoyed with fountain pens that smudged and began experimenting with a pen where thicker ink was dispensed using a small rotating ball.

Together with his brother György, he further developed the design. Bíró was not the first in history to devise the principle behind a ballpoint pen, but his design was crucial for the modern and commercially successful variant. His name also lives on in the language. In British English, the word is still used biro about ballpoint pens.

16. Harry Houdini was born in Budapest

Outlaw king Harry Houdini is strongly associated with the United States, but he was actually born in Budapest in 1874 as Erik Weisz. His family emigrated to the United States when he was a child.

He later became world famous for spectacular escapes from handcuffs, chains, locked containers, and other situations that most of us would rather avoid in the first place.

17. Judit Polgár became a grandmaster at the age of 15

Hungary has a strong chess tradition and its biggest name is Judit Polgár. In 1991, she became a grandmaster at the age of 15, breaking the then-age record held by Bobby Fischer for more than three decades.

Polgár chose to compete primarily in open tournaments rather than women's tournaments, reaching a peak of eighth in the world rankings, making her the only woman to have broken into the top ten ranked players in the world.

And speaking of chess: in Budapest you can still see players sitting with the board in front of them in the warm water of the Széchenyi Baths. Very Hungarian.

18. The number 96 keeps coming up in Budapest

The year 96 has a special place in the story of Hungary and Budapest. The year 896 is usually cited as the year when the Magyars established themselves in the Carpathian Basin, and the millennium was celebrated grandly in 1896.

Two of Budapest's most monumental buildings, the Parliament and St. Stephen's Basilica, are also 96 meters high. The Parliament itself describes the building's height as 96 meters.

However, one should be careful with all the other 96 stories circulating online. For example, there are claims that buildings in Budapest can never be higher than 96 meters by law and that the national anthem must take exactly 96 seconds to sing. Such things are much harder to prove.

19. Budapest got a metro as early as 1896

When Budapest celebrated the thousandth anniversary of the establishment of the Magyars in the Carpathian Basin, the city received, among other things, a new underground railway. The line, which is now called the M1, opened in 1896 and was the first metro on the European mainland.

It still exists and is a fun way to travel through Budapest. We rode it to Heroes' Square and remember the charming carriages and especially how narrow the tunnel felt. Peter also remembers that the train made a lot of noise. It is public transport and a tourist attraction in one package.

20. The Chain Bridge connected Buda and Pest before Budapest existed.

Budapest has not always been a single city. On either side of the Danube were Buda and Pest, and it was not until 1873 that Buda, Óbuda and Pest were united into Budapest. The Chain Bridge, Széchenyi lánchíd, was completed in 1849 and became the first permanent bridge over the Danube between Buda and Pest.

Today, the bridge is one of Budapest's main landmarks. We have of course walked all the way across it, which is a great way to change neighborhoods and enjoy the view of the Danube at the same time.

21. The Fisherman's Bastion is much younger than it looks

With its towers, stairs and arcades, Fisherman's Bastion looks as if knights could appear at any second. But the building is much younger than it first appears.

The current Fisherman's Bastion was built around the turn of the last century according to designs by Frigyes Schulek. The seven characteristic towers symbolize the seven Magyar tribes that, according to tradition, settled in the Carpathian Basin.

The Fisherman's Bastion is also Helena's personal favorite in Budapest. The architecture is unusual, but perhaps the best thing is the view over the Danube and Pest.

22. Matthias Church hides a Madonna legend

Right next to the Fisherman's Bastion is Matthias Church, whose history stretches back far into the past. During the Ottoman period, the church was used as a mosque.

There is also a dramatic story here. According to legend, a statue of the Madonna was walled up and hidden from the Ottomans. During the Battle of Buda in 1686, the wall was damaged so that the Madonna suddenly became visible again.

The story has lived on as ”Mary’s Miracle in Buda.” As with many really good old stories, it’s wise to keep legend and reliable historical fact separate. But good story? Absolutely.

23. The right hand of a thousand-year-old king is kept in St. Stephen's Basilica

St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest is dedicated to Stephen I, Hungary's first Christian king and one of the country's most important national saints. And here comes the slightly more unexpected part...

The basilica houses the so-called Holy Right Hand, a relic traditionally believed to be the mummified right hand of King Stephen. The relic has had a long and complicated history and remains important in the Hungarian Catholic tradition.

The basilica is worth a visit even for those who are not particularly interested in mummified royal hands. We have been inside and remember above all the fantastically beautiful interior. It is also possible to go up to a panoramic terrace with a view of Budapest.

24. The Hungarian Parliament has been decorated with around 40 kilos of gold

The Parliament Building on the Danube is one of the buildings that truly defines Budapest. Construction began in the 1880s and was completed in the early 20th century.

The interior is at least as lavish as the exterior. According to the parliament's own information, around 40 kilos of 22–23-carat gold were used for the decorations. We have been on a guided tour inside the Parliament and can confirm that it is not exactly a study in Scandinavian minimalism. The idea here is not to say "less is more".

25. Budapest has one of the world's largest synagogues

The Great Synagogue on Dohány Street in Budapest was built in the 1850s and can accommodate around 3,000 people. It is one of the largest synagogues in the world and is an important center of Budapest's Jewish history.

The synagogue is part of a larger complex that includes a museum, memorials and a cemetery. The area around it is also one of Budapest's liveliest districts today, filled with restaurants, bars and the famous ruin bars.

This creates great contrasts. Here you will find both a vibrant modern city life and traces of a very dark history.

26. Raoul Wallenberg saved thousands of people in Budapest

The Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg came to Budapest in the summer of 1944, when the Jewish population in Hungary was being subjected to deportations and persecution.

Through Swedish protection passports and so-called sheltered houses, Wallenberg and his associates helped save thousands of Jews. It is not possible to determine exactly how many people were saved through Wallenberg's efforts, and the very high figures sometimes quoted should therefore be treated with caution.

In January 1945, Wallenberg was arrested by Soviet forces. What happened to him afterwards is still not fully understood.

27. Sixty Pairs of Iron Shoes Tell the Story of People Murdered on the Danube

On the banks of the Danube in Budapest stand sixty pairs of iron shoes. They almost look as if the people who wore them have just left them and are about to return. But they are not coming back.

The monument The Shoes on the Danube reminds us of Jews who were murdered by members of the Hungarian Arrow Cross militia during the terror of 1944–45. People were forced to take off their shoes on the riverbank before being shot.

We were very moved when we visited the site. Memorials like this make history tangible in a way that numbers sometimes cannot. It is difficult to understand the evil that people can inflict on other people, but it is all the more important not to forget what happened.

28. New York Café is truly sumptuous

The New York Café in Budapest opened in the late 19th century and became a meeting place for writers, journalists and other cultural figures. The interior is still spectacular with gold, paintings, columns and lots of decorations. To call the environment ”a little special” would be an understatement.

We visited New York Café on our own many years ago and remember the fantastic setting above all. Another classic Budapest café is Gerbeaud, where during a later food and wine tour we were served so many amazing pastries that it almost started to feel like an endurance race. Almost. Read more about cafes in Budapest here.

29. Hungary is much more than goulash when it comes to gastronomy

Goulash, paprika, sausages and foie gras are classic flavours, but Hungarian gastronomy has evolved considerably. Budapest now has both relaxed modern pubs and restaurants at an international fine dining level.

We've had a real taste of that. One of our press trips to Hungary focused on food and wine and was a bit crazy in terms of the number of fantastic meals. We've eaten at Stand25, Textúra, MÁK and Onyx, among others, and got to try both traditional and modern interpretations of Hungarian cuisine.

We like both. An advanced tasting menu with exciting Hungarian wines can be amazing. But sometimes you just want goulash and beer. Read more about restaurants in Budapest here.

30. Pannonhalma has been a center of learning for over a thousand years

We end among Benedictine monks. The Pannonhalma Monastery was founded in 996 and has played an important role in Christianity, education and culture in Hungary. The Benedictines founded a school here, and the monastery developed into an important religious and cultural center.

Pannonhalma is still a living monastery and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.

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