You can get a real flavour of Hungary past and present by tasting the culture in its galleries and museums. Furthermore, there are clues all around in the country’s architecture. A single street can take you on a journey through several centuries; Hungary contains examples from a host of architectural periods, including Roman ruins, medieval castles, Baroque palaces, Art-Nouveau mansions and cutting-edge contemporary buildings. There are the remains of ancient castles and centuries-old country houses all over the country, and over 50 of these have been converted into elegant hotels where you can enjoy historic charm and aristocratic luxury while making use of the facilities and comforts you’d expect from 21st-century accommodation. Roman, Gothic, Baroque influenced the Hungarian art and architecture and Art Nouveau styles. The musical tradition of the country is also remarkable, famous works are the rhapsodies of Ferenc Liszt, the operas of Ferenc Erkel, the folk-music and gypsy music. Music enthusiasts should coincide their visit with one of several international cultural and music festivals. Lovers of opera and classical music are particularly well catered for – the capital’s beautiful State Opera House is world class, and there are many concert venues around the country hosting high-quality performances by famous Hungarian and international artists.
Furthermore, Hungary offers entertainment for those interested in less-mainstream cultural forms, including fashion shows and art-house films. The most famous works of literature are connected to the main events of the Hungarian history. Hungary has one of the most valuable folk traditions and folk art. The most important folk crafts: woodcarving, pottery, ceramics, embroidery, weaving, blue painting, tanning, saddler, clothes and costume manufacturer, hatmaker, straw spinner, matting, wicker, lace worker, pearl stringer, jewel and horse jewel manufacturer, felt maker, blacksmith, toy-maker, furniture maker, paper dipper, bone and horn carving, egg painter, farrier, candle dipper, music instrument maker , shoemaker, boot maker . Travellers can familiarise themselves with the Hungarian folk art in museums, exhibitions and markets. The Hungarian applied arts are also remarkable. The products of the Herend, Zsolnay and Hollóház china factories are world famous.
Painting and Graphic Arts
The earliest relic of Hungarian painting is the 12th century fresco of the undercroft of the church in Feldebrõ. The painting of Byzantine style is in the interior of the Romanesque building. Of the art nouveau, post-impressionist painters of the 20th century Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka was the first one. The period after World War Two put the masters of graphic art , Ádám Würtz, János Kass, Arnold Gross and Károly Reich into the forefront. The best-known contemporary painters include, among others, Tibor Csernus, István Mácsai, the expressionist avant-garde Károly Klimó, Lili Ország, István Nádler, Ilona Keserû, Pál Deim, Péter Földi and Endre Szász.
Sculpture
The best-known works of sculpture of the Romanesque period are the figures of the gate of the Ják church. One of the relics preserved until this day of the wooden sculptures characteristic of Hungary in the 14th and 15th centuries is the Saint Nicholas Altar of Jánosrét. The best-known work of art of Renaissance sculpture is the relief of King Matthias and Queen Beatrix by an Italian master. The last major sculptural-architectural endeavour of the century dedicated to the millennium was Heroes Square based on the plans of György Zala and Albert Schickedanz. Sculpture in the 20th century adopted new plastic means of expression. The David statue of Zsigmond Kisfaludi Stróbl, the Standing Girl of Béni Ferenczy and the Seedsman of Ferenc Medgyessy are displayed in the Hungarian National Gallery and these adequately show the changes.
Architecture
The first Hungarian architecture relics date back to the Romanesque period. The military camp of Aquincum was situated on the territory of today's Óbuda during the second century, and smaller castles can be found in Nagytétény, Tác and Leányfalu. Following the Mongolic invasion, royal stone castles were built in Gothic style, the Buda Castle came into being during this period, the Church of Our Lady and the monastery on Margaret Island were also built at the same time. Budapest became a metropolis at the turn of the century as a result of the millennium celebrations. Andrássy avenue, Heroes' Square with its museums were built together with the City Park with Vajdahunyad Castle in it. The construction project that has attracted the most attention recently is that of the National Theatre in Ferencváros, based on the designs of Mária Siklósi.
Music
Hungary has won high renown in world musical history. Though the country's history has repeatedly prevented uninterrupted development, talented Hungarian musicians in classical music and jazz alike are world famous in our days as well. The history of Hungarian music stared with folk music. Hungarian spirit finds its expression through the music of Hungary. Gypsy music is very popular in Hungary. However, Hungarian music has its own style and characteristics, different from the gypsies. After the end of the Turkish occupation, church music was reborn in the baroque style of the 18th century. The collection of sheet music of the cathedral of Gyõr includes the works of Mozart and Haydn, who composed music for the bishopric. In the 1960's Hungarian rock music conveyed political protest; the bands Illés, Metró and Omega are still popular. The alternative, underground musicians of the eighties (Sziámi, Európa Kiadó) are classics today. Since then, Hungarian popular music of varying standards has achieved international recognition: in the eighties the disco music of the Neoton Family was successful in the Far East, while most recently the electronic dance music of Yonderboi has won international acclaim.
Dance
Dancing provided the primary source of recreation for village people before the electronic entertainment forms of the modern world penetrated filtered into the lives of the tiniest settlements. Hungarian dance is a set of Hungarian folkloric dances. Hungarians have been noted for their "exceptionally well developed sense of rhythm". The Csárdás is undoubtedly the most popular and important dance in the Hungarian repertoire.A courting dance for couples, it begins with a slow section (lassu), followed by an exhilarating fast section (friss). The individual dancers carry themselves proudly and improvise on a simple fundamental step, their feet snapping inward and outward, the couples whirling.
Folk Art
It was in the beginning of the eighteenth century that the present style of Hungarian folk art took shape, incorporating both Renaissance and Baroque elements, depending on the area, as well as Persian Sassanide influences. Flowers and leaves, sometimes a bird or a spiral ornament, are the principal decorative themes. The most frequent ornament is a flower with a centrepiece resembling the eye of a peacock's feather. The finest achievements in their textile arts are the embroideries which vary from region to region. Those of Kalotaszeg in Transylvania are charming products of Oriental design, sewn chiefly in a single colour - red, blue, or black. Soft in line, the embroideries are applied on altar cloths, pillow cases and sheets.
Matyó
Matyó folk embroidery, originating in Mezökövesd, is popular both within Hungary and abroad. Shawls, tablecloths and aprons of black material are thickly embroidered with a dense accumulation of multicolored flowers in rich Oriental colors which harmonize despite their gaudiness. According to legend, there is a symbolism in the colors used in Matyo decorative work: black represents the soil from which life springs, red is the color of summer - representing light and joy - and blue stands for grief and death. Matyó embroidery decorates men's wear, too, providing men with coats, vests and shirts more ornate than anywhere else in the country.
Kalosca
Kalosca also ranks high in popularity. "Writing women" in this town on the Danube in Southern Hungary draw their designs on white or pastel colored fabrics. Daisies, marigolds, cornflowers, poppies, lilies, tulips and roses furnish the colorful motifs. Kalocsa designs are also applied to wall decorations. The reason embroidery has become so widespread in folk art lies in the ancient custom of dowry. It was expected that a well-to-do peasant family provide their marriageable daughter with a dozen ornate pillows and embroidered sheets, two to four decorated featherbeds and six to eightembroidered tablecloths.
Kalotaszeg
One of the favorite destinations for lovers of ethnographic art in Transylvania is Kalotaszeg. A famous painter, referring to the beauty of the women's costumes in Kalotaszeg, once asserted that even the ancient Greeks would not have found them barbaric. Their lines and cut conform to the structure of the human body, so that besides being picturesque they are architectonic too. Women's aprons, worn both front and back, are especially interesting parts of their apparel. Both aprons are gathered into small folds. The back apron is hemmed with broad, colored cloth - generally bright red - and is fastened in such a way that the colored hem shows curious shapes and, especially when walking, the movements of its wearer are accentuated.
Ceramics
Hungarian ceramic arts and pottery are an excellent example of purely Hungarian traditional arts. The Great Plain of Hungary, which is the place to go to learn horse riding in Hungary, is located in the centre and east of the country has traditionally been the home and centre for production of this type of Hungarian art.
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