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"Make the strangers welcome in this land, let them keep their languages and customs, for weak and fragile is the realm which is based on a single language or on a single set of customs."
"(Unius linguae uniusque moris regnum imbecille et fragile est)"
St. Stephen in a letter to his son St. Emeric, 1036 A.D..

St. Stephen of Hungary

St. Emeric of Hungary

Above, you see the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Hungary with crown of Vajk (pronounced similar to Vike) who made Hungary a Christian power and is now known as St. Stephen (Szt. István), Hungary's first Christian King, receiving his crown from the Pope in 1000 A.D. The stripes on the heraldic right side represent the 7 Hungarian (Magyar) tribes who established Hungary in the Carpathian basin in the 9th century.  The Apostolic white cross on its left, part of the coronation jewels presented to St. Stephen, sits on the mountains that protected the borders of historic Hungary - the Tatra, Matra, and Fatra.  St. Stephen's crown sits atop the arms with its crooked cross, which according to legend, broke after the death of the great renaissance King, Matthias Corvinus - Mátyás Király.  It is said, "truth and justice died with him."  This was soon to be prophecy, as Hungary's tragic history began to unfold.  The crown jewels were taken to the US after the Romanian occupation force attempted to remove them. The jewels were returned to Hungary by President Jimmy Carter. St. Stephen was a member of the original Árpád Dynasty which established Hungary in the Carpathian Basin in the year 896. His son, also canonized, is St. Emeric, the namesake of Amerigo Vespucci, discoverer of North America.  The images on the right have more detailed and larger representations - click to view.

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There is a lot here for those of you interested in Hungary and Central and Eastern European politics, history, and culture. Hungary has made phenomenal contributions to the world. I want visitors to my site to learn something about this land so filled with tragedy and triumph, a proud past and hopeful future. Though there is too much on these pages to describe in a few short paragraphs, the following text offers a few shortcuts. Click on the blue links to skip down to that area. I recommend, however, that you keep reading, take your time, and browse through the page!

Among other things, below is an interesting briefing I presented on the conflict in the former Yugoslavia that covers issues largely undiscussed by our media, an English translation of the Székely Himnusz (Székely National Anthem of Transylvania), and great maps and images. The ever popular list of Hungarian Nobel Prize Winners and Famous Hungarians now has photos and expanded biographical information. I have also added information on the Treaty of Trianon and a page dedicated to our Hungarian Olympians, their triumph in Atlanta, and past gold medal winners since 1896!

You will also find links to resources that will allow you to explore Hungary, Transylvania, and other Hungarian regions and related topics. For example, you can contact Hungarian political organizations in Hungary and Transylvania or visit the Hollosi Information Exchange. HIX is a great site that provides databases, news, and the ability to automatically download daily to your mailbox magazines and news articles from Hungarian and Western European news agencies in both Hungarian and English. Add your name to its directory.

If you like food, you'll love my links to delicious Hungarian recipes - Paprika Power! And, authentic Mexican recipes that go beyond tacos and burritos - Viva México!. Did you know there was an Austro-Hungarian Emperor of Mexico? Maximilian. He was eventually executed along with his Hungarian Huszárs. Poor guy...