Here are some quick facts about Hungary and Budapest:

Hungary 

  • Central European location offers an excellent base from which to explore the rest of Europe
  • 1100 year history with a rich cultural heritage
  • Parliamentary democracy and a member of the European Union and NATO
  • Modern amenities, comforts, and services
  • Temperate climate similar to that of Pennsylvania

Budapest 

  • Vibrant city of 2 million people with many cultural offerings
  • One of Europe's most affordable cities, offering a comfortable lifestyle on a budget
  • Many locals speak English and are eager to help visitors
  • Easy access to the rest of Europe by rail and inexpensive air connections

The Budapest Milieu 

Budapest embodies a rich mixture of traditions and cultures deriving from various historical periods. Óbuda (where AIT is located) finds its roots in ancient times when Aquincum was established by the Roman Empire as part of the flourishing province of Pannonia.

Buda and the Castle District thrived in the late Middle Ages under the great renaissance leader of King Matthias, while the architecture of bourgeois Pest is a reminder of the spectacular fin-de-siècle modernization which made Budapest one of the great cities of Central Europe.

Central Europe itself maintains an intellectual tradition linked to the vivid urban culture which emerged in Budapest, Prague, Vienna and Zagreb. There are many emblematic names connected to this tradition and known all over the world. The list contains Kafka and Freud, Musil and Wittgenstein, Bartók and Mahler, von Neumann and Szilárd, Capa and Moholy Nagy, Hertzl and Pulitzer. They are all linked, one way or another, to this part of the world. Living in Budapest offers a great opportunity to get acquainted with the traditions of a cosmopolitan metropolis known for its innovative and creative spirit.

Please see this video: Budapest a Central European hub of innovation

Today Budapest is a pulsing international center with great cultural life, festivals, concerts, and interesting subcultures. It is also the home of the internationally renowned Sziget Festival, one of the largest annual music events in the world, attracting tens of thousands of young people from every continent.