STUDY IN HUNGARY - THE CROSSROADS OF EUROPE

Culture

Vibrant youth life, concerts, festivals, exhibitions, cinema, rich history, exciting present: all that in Hungary! Whether you live in the capital or another university town you can choose from a wide range of cultural programmes every season of the year.

The best places to learn about Hungarian culture, art and history are exhibitions. The Hungarian National Gallery ( www.mng.hu/en ) has the largest public collection of fine arts in Hungary but the Hungarian National Museum ( www.hnm.hu ), the Museum of Fine Arts (www.mfab.hu) and the Museum of Ethnography ( www.neprajz.hu/en/ ) definitely makes this list, too.

Hungarian cinema and theatre culture is quite popular; besides Hollywood movies, Hungary offers a wide selection of art films from all over the world. You can choose from various films, dubbed or subtitled, depending on your knowledge of foreign languages. There is a very rich and active theatre life throughout the country. The season starts in September and ends in May. To be on the safe side, you should book your tickets well in advance for the play of your choice.

Classical ballet and contemporary dance are both widely appreciated in Hungary. If you like dance, you should not miss the performances of Győri Balett (Győr Ballet) or Pécsi Balett (Pécs Ballet), or those performed by the ensemble led by Pál Frenák or Yvette Bozsik.

Going to the Opera House ( www.opera.hu ) at least once is a must. Not just because of the imposing building itself, but also for the high quality performances.

Festivals are also essential part of cultural life, and your student experience as well. VOLT Festival in Sopron, Campus Festival in Debrecen and EFOTT in Velence attracts thousands of students from all parts of the country. Sziget Festival is one of the most popular music festivals in Europe, which is held in Budapest. Otherwise, national and international artists are often invited for other gigs all over the country.

If you prefer learning something from the culture of the Hungarian past visit Dance Houses or Community and Cultural Centres.
The dance house movement started in the 1970's with the aim of preserving traditional folk music and dance. Given that this is a shortcut to understand another nation without even speaking the language, dance houses are quite popular among foreigners. Community and cultural centres offer various kinds of programmes to please everyone: club afternoons and evenings, workshops, concerts, sports, etc.

International Cultural Institutes

If you miss your home country and start to feel homesick, here is a list of international cultural institutes in Hungary.