Debrecen

Debrecen (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈdɛbrɛt͡sɛn], known by alternative names) is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county. It was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and it is one of the most important cultural centres of the Hungarians. Debrecen was also the capital city of Hungary during the revolution in 1848-1849 and by the end of the World War II in 1944-1945.

Name

The city was first mentioned by the name "Debrezun" in 1235. The name derived from the Turkic word "debresin", which means "live" or "move" and it is also a male given name. Other theory says the name is of Slavic origin meaning well-esteemed (Polish: Dobrze cenione). In other languages, the name of the city varies more in spelling than in pronunciation: Romanian Debreţin, German Debrezin, Serbian Debrecin, Czech and Slovak Debrecín.

Climate

Debrecen, typical of Central Europe, has a climate on the boundaries of oceanic (Köppen Cfb) and humid continental (Dfb).

List of minor planets: 82001–83000

Hungary

Coordinates: 47°N 20°E / 47°N 20°E / 47; 20

Hungary (ⁱ/ˈhʌŋɡəri/; Hungarian: Magyarország [ˈmɒɟɒrorsaːɡ]) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, Slovenia to the west, Austria to the northwest, and Ukraine to the northeast. The country's capital and largest city is Budapest. Hungary is a member of the European Union, NATO, the OECD, the Visegrád Group, and the Schengen Area. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken non-Indo-European language in Europe.

Following centuries of successive habitation by Celts, Romans, Huns, Slavs, Gepids, and Avars, the foundation of Hungary was laid in the late 9th century by the Hungarian grand prince Árpád in the Honfoglalás ("homeland-conquest"). His great-grandson Stephen I ascended to the throne in 1000 CE, converting the country to a Christian kingdom. By the 12th century, Hungary became a middle power within the Western world, reaching a golden age by the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526 and about 150 years of partial Ottoman occupation (1541–1699), Hungary came under Habsburg rule, and later formed a significant part of the Austro–Hungarian Empire (1867–1918).

Hungarian wine

Hungarian wine has a history dating back to at least Roman times. Outside of Hungary, the best-known wines are the white dessert wine Tokaji and the red wine Bull's Blood of Eger (Egri Bikavér).

Etymology

Only three European languages have words for wine that are not derived from Latin: Greek, Turkish and Hungarian. Records carved in a Runic alphabet used by ancient Hungarians have words for wine derived from Turkic. There are two hundred Hungarian words (including wine as well) that are of Bulgaro-Turkic origin, suggesting that the Magyars had contact with the first winemakers in the South Caucasus. Examples include :

History

The Romans brought vines to Pannonia, and by the 5th century AD, there are records of extensive vineyards in Hungary. Following the Magyar invasion of 896, Árpád rewarded his followers with vineyards in Tokaj. Over the following centuries, new grape varieties were brought in from Italy and France. Most of the production was of white wine.

Kingdom of Hungary (1920–46)

The Kingdom of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyar Királyság), also known as the Regency, existed from 1920 to 1946 as a de facto country under Regent Miklós Horthy. Horthy officially represented the Hungarian monarchy of Charles IV, Apostolic King of Hungary. Attempts by Charles IV to return to the throne were prevented by threats of war from neighbouring countries and by the lack of support from Horthy (see the conflict of Charles IV with Miklós Horthy).

The country has been regarded by some historians to have been a client state of Germany from 1938 to 1944. The Kingdom of Hungary under Horthy was an Axis Power during most of World War II. In 1944, after Horthy's government considered leaving the war, Hungary was occupied by Nazi Germany and Horthy was deposed. The Arrow Cross Party's leader Ferenc Szálasi established a new Nazi-backed government, effectively turning Hungary into a German puppet state.

After World War II, Hungary fell within the Soviet Union's sphere of interest. In 1946, the Second Hungarian Republic was established under Soviet influence. In 1949, the communist Hungarian People's Republic was founded.