HungaryHungary is a very popular destination in Europe.
Most of the religious people are Roman Catholic, about a quarter are Reformed (Calvinist) and less than 10% are Evangelical (Lutheran), 5% belonging to other religions. The Hungarian state is a parliamentary democracy. Hungary has been a member of the European Union since 2004. The country's major industries are mining, metallurgy & agriculture, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals) and motor vehicles. Major trading partners are Germany, Austria, Italy and Russia. Economic growth is above 4% for the past years mainly due to the dynamic expansion of export. It has rich traditions in folk and classical music and was the birthplace of numerous well loved performers and composers, including Franz Liszt, Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly. It also has a long history of wine making. Once part of the Ottoman and Hapsburg empires, it became a partner in the Austro-Hungarian empire in the mid-19th century. After a period of turmoil following World War I, an independent kingdom of Hungary was established. Following World War II, the country found itself under communist rule. An uprising against Soviet domination in 1956 was crushed by Red Army forces but Hungary did later become the first Eastern European country to gain some economic freedom. It embraced aspects of the free market while still under communist rule and in 1968 the authorities allowed limited decentralisation of the economy. Hungary played an important part in accelerating the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe when in 1989 it opened its border with Austria, allowing thousands of East Germans to escape to the West. Just a few months later the Berlin Wall was history. Capital city: Budapest
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