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WIP Budapest 2007
About Hungary and Budapest
 Hungary
Set like a jewel in the center of Europe, Hungary offers travelers a tantalizing array of contrasts, the familiarity of Europe and its traditions from the 1,000 year kingdom, the Austrian-Hungarian empire plus the exotic influences from the remnance of the Turkish occupation, also the latest high in technology and avant-garde art, sophisticated cities with rich museums and galleries and a countryside filled with castles, peasant villages and magnificent natural scenery, perfect for hiking, biking and horseback riding, spicy cuisine, fine wines and soothing spas.
Budapest
 Budapest with its 2.1 million inhabitants, in an ancient city steeped in history as well as a modern metropolis. The history goes back to the roman times when in 1st century AD, the land was a province of the Roman Empire, and Aquincum (on the site of the present Obuda) was its capital. The Danube River formed an important natural boundary for the empire. With the Hungarian conquest before AD 1000 and the founding of the state, Buda Castle soon became the residence of the Hungarian kings. The charming hills of Buda with its old and elegant residential districts, the beautiful waterfronts of the majestic Danube together with Pest, the flat side, as well as the dynamic administrative and business center offers an unsurpassable location to the “pearl of the Danube”. Because of its cosmopolitan flair, Budapest is also called “ Paris of the East”. Being at the cross-roads of East and West, the city has gained importance with the collapse of the communist regime.
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