Arts & Cultural Tourism in Hungary
Art and culture are the cornerstones of our everyday lives. Diversity, creativity, artistic freedom and dialogue are vital. Museums, galleries, theatres, concerts, festivals, book markets – we love them all. Pick your favourite from the most beautiful places and the most interesting events and activities.
Royal castles & aristocratic palaces
Visit Hungary’s amazing castles and palaces. There are 103 castles in Hungary alone, most of which are still open to tourists and visitors. Our castles were built in different styles and at different times, but the view from all of them is unrivalled and is paired with the exciting history that lies within their walls. They are calling to us to take a journey back in time.
BUDA CASTLE has been home to the kings of Hungary since the 13th century. The ‘HUNGARIAN VERSAILLES’ IN FERTŐD is the largest Baroque-style castle in the country. Queen Sissi’s favourite castle was THE ROYAL PALACE IN GÖDÖLLŐ, while FESTETICS PALACE remained in the hands of the family it was named after for 200 years. EGER CASTLE is where one of the most ominous events in Hungarian history took place, while the medieval CITADEL OF VISEGRÁD served as the seat of the king. FÜZÉR CASTLE was built by royal command following the invasion of the Tatars.
Museums & Galleries
A museum is always a perfect place for adults or children alike. The experience will be unparalleled, whether you are visiting a permanent or a special temporary exhibition. Spare some time to admire the buildings and surroundings of the museums and galleries as the architectural value of these buildings is also substantial.
The NATIONAL GALLERY in Buda Castle in Budapest is a very good example, and is home to the largest public collection of fine art in Hungary.
Műcsarnok (Kunsthalle) on HŐSÖK TERE hosts exhibitions of contemporary arts, while the MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS features exhibitions of international and Hungarian artists.
Fans of photography should visit the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Centre. The Csontváry Museum – a must-see museum in Pécs – showcases the life’s work of the lonely genius of Hungarian painting, while in Szentendre, THE LARGEST OPEN-AIR MUSEUM in the country is not to be missed.
The HOUSE OF TERROR MUSEUM commemorates the victims of dictatorships.
Religious Sights
From churches to cathedrals, synagogues and abbeys – Hungary is home to hundreds of beautiful religious locations and sights. These buildings take visitors back to different ages in history, and carry the marks of events such as the foundation of the Hungarian state, coronations, the Reformation and the era of the Ottoman rule.
SAINT STEPHEN’S BASILICA is one of the most beautiful ecclesiastical sights in the country and is the third-tallest building in Hungary, where visitors can enjoy a wonderful 360° panorama from its lookout tower.
MATTHIAS CHURCH is the gemstone of the Castle District with its snow-white, lacework tower and a roof covered with colourful tiles made by the Zsolnay factory.
The DOHÁNY UTCA SYNAGOGUE is the second largest synagogue in the world, while THE CATHEDRAL on Castle Hill in Esztergom is the largest church in Hungary.
The Hungarian declaration of independence was read out by Lajos Kossuth in the REFORMED GREAT CHURCH IN DEBRECEN, and the almost 1,000-year-old BENEDICTINE ABBEY OF PANNONHALMA is a UNESCO World Heritage site. THE BENEDICTINE ABBEY ON THE TIHANY peninsula is a must-see: it’s the jewel of Lake Balaton.
Gül Baba ‘– the father of roses’ – was already an icon when he was alive, and his tomb was built in the 16th century. The Footsteps of the Wonder Rabbis is a pilgrimage that leads us into the Jewish heritage of northern Hungary.
Theatres
All the World’s a stage. Whether you want to see something light, something musical or something more serious, you’ll definitely find what you are looking for. Theatre buildings in Budapest are symbols of the immortality of art and music. The walls of some of these buildings could tell you many a tale about times of sadness and happiness.
The National Theatre, located on the bank of the Danube, is an exceptional sight in a beautiful environment. Standing right next to it is MÜPA, where classical and popular music, jazz, world music, dance, new circus and fine arts take centre stage.
The Renaissance Revival-style building of the HUNGARIAN STATE OPERA often hosts concerts by national and international stars of the opera world.
The National Dance Theatre in Millenáris Park offers visitors a truly unique experience.
Festivals & prestigious events
There are several festivals and events in Budapest and around the country all through the summer. The activities on offer at open-air or tourism festivals include popular music, classical music, jazz, fine arts and gastronomy. And plan your summer by Lake Balaton so that you can take part in the VeszprémFest.
Most of the events of THE JEWISH CULTURAL FESTIVAL are held in the wonderful DOHÁNY UTCA SYNAGOGUE in Budapest.
The Budapest Spring Festival is the largest cultural festival of Hungary, focusing on classical music, opera, jazz, dance, theatre and fine arts.
THE GOURMET FESTIVAL – which is all about gastronomy – is held in May in Millenáris Park, while THE SZIGET FESTIVAL lasts a whole week in August on Óbuda Island, with international stars headlining.
If you visit the BUDAVÁR WINE FESTIVAL, you will have a chance to taste thousands of wines from hundreds of winemakers while admiring the most breathtaking view of Budapest.
The town of Veszprém organises a SERIES OF EVENTS that attracts legendary performers, and while you are so close to Lake Balaton, you should try and catch the BLUE RIBBON YACHT RACE, where competitors take a tour around the lake. The starting point of the Blue Ribbon yacht race is actually the port of Balatonfüred.
Hungary, where colourful folk traditions live on to this day
Hungary has a very rich repository of folk traditions, whose heritage is well worth exploring. We’ll show you all that makes up the country’s fabulous folklore legacy.
Hungary is rich in preserved and living folk traditions, as well as valuable intellectual heritage, which are certainly important parts of the cultural tourist attraction of the countryside. Just to name a few: the Busó festivities, falconry, THE MATYÓ EMBROIDERY or even folk dancing and folk music; but when it comes to DISTILLING PÁLINKA and WINEMAKING, it’s safe to say that they all form part of the country’s authentic image. Let’s take stock of what constitutes the complex world of Hungarian folklore.
Guardians of community folk art: folk houses
The main ‘duty’ of folk houses is to preserve and present local culture of the past, along with the folk art produced by the community; to show the general public the architectural masterpieces of folk culture and to present authentically furnished house interiors, together with the everyday life of a given social stratum. As a result, if you visit the country’s individual folk houses, you can travel back in time from the period following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise (1867) up to the 1950s.
Another way to protect folk monuments is to relocate valuable buildings to open-air ethnographic museums and allow a glimpse into the habits of the peasant way of life.
Jump headfirst into the world of traditional folk building styles: Hungarian open-air ethnographic museums
Open-air museums and village museums are created with the aim of presenting folk building styles and methods through buildings, tools and equipment that fall within the conceptual scope of original ethnographic material. You have plenty of open-air museums to choose from in Hungary if you want to get to know the world of folklore up close.
SZENTENDRE OPEN-AIR ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
This is Hungary’s largest outdoor collection, often just called the ‘Szentendre skanzen’. Come and see in detail the folk architecture of the country’s characteristic regions, the way of life and the housing culture of village and market town social strata here.
Göcsej Village Museum
This was the first open-air museum in the country and opened in Zalaegerszeg, in 1968. On display are wonderful examples of Göcsej folk construction in a 19th century village setting: farmhouses, a church, a blacksmith’s mill and farm buildings await you.
Folk monument ensemble
You can visit the museum village in Szalafő, which is 8 km from the centre of Őrség in south-west Hungary. The village was built on seven mounds (the local idiom is “szer” for the mound phrase). So you can check out eight distant street rows, stunning open-air village museums, all of which have preserved the old way of life unadulterated.
NATIONAL HERITAGE PARK
In this museum located in Ópusztaszer, you can see – among other things – the ever-so-famous Feszty Panorama, the fabulous 120-metre long and 15-metre tall panoramic painting by Árpád Feszty, which brings to life some imagined scenes of the Hungarian conquest.
HOLLÓKŐ VILLAGE MUSEUM
Gain insight into the life of a three-member family from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Catch a glimpse of the types of furniture, utensils and tools used at the time so you can imagine what the Palóc way of life might have been like then.
Szenna Open-Air Ethnographic Collection
The aim of this collection is to preserve the most beautiful memories of wooden architecture in Somogy – this is the only village museum in the country that was established in a living village.
Sóstó Village Museum
In the largest regional open-air ethnographic museum in Hungary, the truly diverse folk architecture and housing culture of the Nyíregyháza region is on display in a uniform framework.
Vas Museum Village
The village houses erected here present the folk architecture of the whole area of Vas county. This museum in Szombathely also serves as a venue for many fairs and activities, so it’s worth going at a time when you can also catch an exciting event in addition to the display of folklore.
Tihany Open-Air Ethnographic Museum
A multitude of folk architectural monuments in their original location combined with an exhibition await you. Peek inside the house of the fishing guild, the pottery house or even the house of a farmer.
Hungarian intellectual and cultural heritage also recognised by UNESCO
Any mention of true Hungarian heritage is sure to include MATYÓ FOLK ART. This folk art is characterised by floral, space-filling embroidery, which dates back to the end of the 19th century and is used, in the main, on textiles for household use and with decorative functions. The various patterns, such as the famous Matyó rose, also play a major role in other craft activities. This characteristic folk art and costume has become world famous over the years, and has also been added to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Matyó folk art is not the only Hungarian particularity recognised by UNESCO: falconry is also on the organisation’s highly prestigious list – as are the Busó festivities of Mohács, the costumed end-of-winter, GREETING-OF-SPRING, protecting and fertility-conjuring carnival; and the indigo dyeing process, which was the dominant fabric dyeing method used for Hungarian folk costumes and home textiles.
National treasures of the Hungarian Treasure Depository
Several Hungarikums, i.e. Hungarian specialties, exist, and are included on the national list of intangible cultural heritage of the Hungarian Treasure Depository. Examples include, but are not limited to:
the living tradition of lace-sewing in Halas, where the production of this immensely fine lace requires incredibly meticulous freehand work;
‘hen beating’ in Moha, named after the ‘beating of hens’ by young bachelors while collecting egg donations (this is just a symbolic act: the backs of hens are symbolically tapped with a stick to promote fertility);
the tradition of the miller’s cake in Borsodnádasd, where the folk cake is made with a unique, round-plate, scissor-like baking iron
or the world-famous KASSAI VALLEY method of horseback archery, a traditional sporting and leisure activity, in which the archer must be able to make as many accurate shots as possible from the back of a galloping horse.
Do you fancy exploring and experiencing the folk values of Hungary? Discover these unique national values; no matter where you go, a fabulous Hungarikum awaits you everywhere.
