Geography

Hungary is situated in the very centre of Europe, primarily occupying the Carpathian Basin, but Northern Hungary is home to part of the incredible Carpathian Mountain Range which offer some of the best sights and trails in Europe. The Carpathian range stretches from the western border of the Czech Republic to the Iron Gate on the Danube River between Romania and Yugoslavia. The whole bow-like chain is approximately 1400 kilometers long and 100-200 km wide. The entire Carpathian chain is usually divided into three major parts: the Western Carpathians (Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia), the Eastern Carpathians (SE Poland, eastern Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania), and the Southern Carpathians (Romania). Over the years the borders have continually been moved, pushed forwards or backwards with the numerous battles and wars. Nowadays Hungary covers only 93,000 sq kilometres, this is substantially less than when Hungary was at it's peak. Once a country with 3 coasts it now has none. Once the dominant power in all of Eastern Europe, a country so big that nothing could travel by land from  Western Europe to Eastern Europe without crossing a border of Hungary.  Now Hungary shares it’s borders with Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania and the Ukraine, the latter being the poorest neighbour. These were the borders fixed with the Treaty of Trianon in 1908 and are unlikely to ever change again. Two rivers divide the country into three parts, the East, central and the west. The Danube  divides the west and central areas and enters Hungary from Slovakia,  417km later it exits into Serbia. The Tisza joins from the Ukraine, dividing the central and eastern areas, and again exits by flowing into Serbia some 597km later. Both rivers join the Black Sea. The Drava River forms the south western border with Croatia and the Raba can be found in the west. Hungary has many lakes and thermal springs which can be found in all parts of the country however the biggest lake is Lake Balaton, often called the Hungarian Sea because of its size. At nearly 600 sq km it is the largest lake in Europe outside of Scandinavia. Hungary has got many counties but it is far easy to divide the country into eight main regions. Budapest, the Buda Hills, the Northern uplands, the North east, Northern Trans danubian, Western Trans danubian, Lake Balaton and the Danube bend. Budapest is the country’s capital and is by far the biggest city in Hungary with nearly 3 million inhabitants. It is close to the Danube bend which is an extremely beautiful area and popular with bird watchers, cyclists, hikers  and in fact anyone with a passion for nature. The Great Plain spreads across most of Eastern Hungary. Barely 200m above sea level this flat landscape stretches for hundreds of kilometres. In the east the plain is an area famed for breeding livestock,  the southern plain is agriculturally rich. The beautiful green mountainous region in the north of Hungary is better known as the Northern uplands. It is an area where the peaks on average reach 800 metres. The highest peak in the whole of Hungary can be found in the Matra Hills at 1014metres. The Bukk national park is even further north and home to slightly smaller peaks but with an incredibly, breathtaking panorama's. The North East of Hungary is a delightful mix  of  the Great Plain and the Northern Uplands, gently rolling hills followed by a flattish terrain and once again gentle sloping hills. This area is a well known wine making area, famous for the Tokaji Aszul which is produced only in this region. Once described as the King of wines and the wine of kings is definitely well worth a visit to a local wine cellar. During the summer grape vines carpet the slopes and sunflowers carpet the flatter land as far as the eye can see. Western Transdanubia is found in the north west corner of Hungary. It borders Austria and retains much Austrian influence. It is another area of outstanding beauty. Southern Transdanubia is less hilly than the rest of Transdanubia and is an area rich in minerals. All of Transdanubia is a successful wine producing area. Balaton is also very picturesque but is very popular with tourists during the summer months and therefore can get crowded. It is much better to pay a visit outside of July and August to really appreciate its beauty. The climate of Hungary is varied and over recent years the weather seems to be changing. The winter of 2006/2007 has been the mildest winter in years but the winter of the previous year was the worst on record for 50 years. Winters are usually cold, but bright and don’t seem to suffer with the dampness that one may expect. Snow has been known to fall as early as the beginning of  December and as late as March. However winter sports are popular here and many people embrace the snow. Horse sledging, sledging, skiing and ice skating are all popular activities in winter. Summer is hot, hot, HOT! The months of July and August are usually the warmest with temperatures up to 40 degrees but Indian summers are quite a common occurrence and can stretch into November. Summer storms are also another common occurrence. A cloudless summers morning can quickly turn into a rampaging dark blue sky, and within minutes the heavens will open. Luckily they don’t last long  and they are amazing to watch. The freshness of the air afterwards is a true natural delight  for the senses. Spring is a beautiful time of the year and is especially popular for tourists wishing to participate in outdoor type activities as the temperature is much more suitable.

Birds of Hungary Hotobagy- Great Bustards and Red Footed Falcons. During the autumn months up to 60,000 cranes pass through and in winter White Tail Eagles can be seen. Lake Ferő- White Storks, White Fronted Geese and Bean Geese. Aggtelek- a beautiful rugged hilly area in the north, close to the border of Slovakia. Hazel Grouse, Black Storks and Corncrakes. Ural Owls, Honey Buzzards and rock Buntings. Little Balaton- Spoonbills, Terns and Warblers have all been spotted.

Hungarian dogs The Hungarian Vizsla is one of the oldest hunting dogs of the world. It was common among Hungarian kings and the aristocracy since the 12th century. After WWII most of the Hungarian aristocracy fled the country and some took their dogs with them. Now there are vizsla-owners in the USA and in Canada and recently it has been introduced into the U.K. The Vizsla has stayed a popular dog in Hungary too. This unique race has a strange history. In the past it had been prohibited the ordinary Hungarian citizen to have a Vizsla . Only nobility had the right keep the dogs and to use them for hunting. They were  seen as a status symbol and one sees them frequently on old paintings. Because of the limited ownership the race almost died out but a successful breeding program began and now the Viszla is a popular pet. For more information  visit    www.vizsla.org.uk Presently in the UK there are waiting lists for Viszla puppies from several months to several years. With the introduction of pet passports it is now possible to buy a puppy from Hungary and take it home to the UK therefore reducing the waiting time but there are many rules to follow regarding this. However the biggest drawback is that due to due blood tests, micro chipping  and passport application the earliest a puppy from Hungary could enter into the UK would be at apx 8-10 months old. Please remember that Viszla's are big, intelligent dogs and do therefore require a lot of exercise and stimulation.