View source for Greeks in Hungary

{{Greeks}}

The '''Greeks in Hungary''' constitute one of the thirteen officially recognized [[Minority group|ethnic minorities]] in [[Hungary]] since ''The Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities Act'' was enacted by the [[National Assembly of Hungary|Hungarian parliament]] on July 7, 1993.<ref name="RelationsProject">{{cite web |url=http://www.per-usa.org/self_gov.htm |title=Self-government in Hungary: the Romani/Gypsy experience and prospects for the future |access-date=2007-02-18 |work=Project on ethnic relations |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060927105513/http://www.per-usa.org/self_gov.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2006-09-27}}</ref>

Hungarian law recognizes individuals' minority rights, establishes the concept of the collective rights of ethnic minorities, and states the inalienable collective right of minorities to preserve their ethnic identity. The law also permits associations, movements, and political parties of an ethnic or national character and mandates the unrestricted use of ethnic languages. To be recognized, an ethnic group must have at least 100 years' presence in the country, and its members must be [[Hungarian nationality law|citizens]].<ref name="USDoS">{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41685.htm |title=Hungary |access-date=2007-02-18 |work=[[United States Department of State]]: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2004 }}</ref>

Hungarians kept close relation with the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref name=":0">Παπαδόπουλος, Στέφανος (1989). ''[https://olympias.lib.uoi.gr/jspui/bitstream/123456789/6076/1/5.%20%CE%9F%CE%B9%20%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B7%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AD%CF%82%20%CE%BA%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%BD%CF%8C%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%82%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CE%9F%CF%85%CE%B3%CE%B3%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CE%B7%20%CF%83%CF%85%CE%BC%CE%B2%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AE%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%82%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD%20%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE%20%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AC%CF%80%CF%84%CF%85%CE%BE%CE%B7%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CE%92%CF%8C%CF%81%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CE%95%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%AC%CE%B4%CE%B1%CF%82.pdf Οι ελληνικές κοινότητες της Ουγγαρίας και η συμβολή τους στην οικονομική και πολιτιστική ανάπτυξη της Βόρειας Ελλάδας κατά την περίοδο της Τουρκοκρατίας] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224224246/https://olympias.lib.uoi.gr/jspui/bitstream/123456789/6076/1/5.%20%CE%9F%CE%B9%20%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%B7%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AD%CF%82%20%CE%BA%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%BD%CF%8C%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%82%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CE%9F%CF%85%CE%B3%CE%B3%CE%B1%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CE%B7%20%CF%83%CF%85%CE%BC%CE%B2%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AE%20%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%85%CF%82%20%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD%20%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%BF%CE%BD%CE%BF%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE%20%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%B9%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE%20%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AC%CF%80%CF%84%CF%85%CE%BE%CE%B7%20%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%82%20%CE%92%CF%8C%CF%81%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CE%95%CE%BB%CE%BB%CE%AC%CE%B4%CE%B1%CF%82.pdf |date=2023-02-24 }}''. [''The Greek Communities in Hungary and their contribution in the economic and cultural development of Northern Greece during the Ottoman Period'']. [[University of Ioannina]].</ref> After the Fall of Constantinople, some Greeks reached Hungary and found refuge in the court of [[Matthias Corvinus]].<ref name=":0" /> The earliest migrations of Greeks to the territory of present-day Hungary (as part of the [[Habsburg monarchy]]) were noted in the 15th and 16th centuries and consisted primarily of isolated highly educated individuals.<ref name="CentralEurope">{{cite web |url=http://www2.fhw.gr/projects/migration/15-19/gr/v2/central_europe.html |title=Oi ellinikes paroikies tis Kentrikis Evropis |access-date=2007-02-18 |work=Greek Migration to Europe (15th-19th c.) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103193825/http://www.fhw.gr/projects/migration/15-19/gr/v2/central_europe.html |archive-date=2012-11-03 }}</ref> Mass migrations did not occur until the 17th century,<ref name="CentralEurope" /> the largest waves being in 1718 and 1760-1770;<ref name="Hungary">{{cite web |url=http://www2.fhw.gr/projects/migration/15-19/gr/v2/mayar.html |title=Oi ellinikes paroikies stin Ungaria |access-date=2007-02-18 |work=Greek Migration to Europe (15th-19th c.) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920074914/http://www.fhw.gr/projects/migration/15-19/gr/v2/mayar.html |archive-date=2011-09-20 }}</ref> they were primarily connected to the economic conditions of the period.<ref name="CentralEurope" /> During the reign of [[Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor|Joseph II]] (1780-1790) mass printing of Greek books began in Hungary.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Füves |first=Ödön |date=1979 |title=Die ofener universitätsbuchdruckerei und die Griechische diaspora in Ungrarn |url=https://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/makedonika/article/view/6015 |journal=Μακεδονικά |language=en |volume=19 |pages=159–167 |doi=10.12681/makedonika.454 |issn=2241-2018|doi-access=free }}</ref>

It is estimated that 10,000 Greeks lived in Hungary by the second half of the 18th century.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Hungary" /> At that point, every single town in Hungary had a Greek population and Greek communities are estimated to have been over 100.<ref name=":0" /> [[Buda]] and [[Pest, Hungary|Pest]] (today [[Budapest]]) had the largest concentration of Greeks in the country. In particular, the cities of [[Kecskemét]], [[Vác]], [[Szentendre]] and [[Ráckeve]] had significant Greek communities.<ref name=":0" />

The Greeks of Budapest originally worshiped in the Serbian church of Agios Georgios, where the liturgy was held in both Serbian and Greek. But later, at the end of the 18th century, about two hundred [[Macedonians (Greeks)|Macedonian Greeks]] (most of whom were from [[Thessaloniki]], [[Serres]], [[Kozani]], [[Siatista]] and [[Monastiri]]) built a [[Greek Orthodox]] church, with the permission of the Hungarian rulers, which costed 110,000 [[Hungarian forint|forint]].<ref name=":0" />

The present-day Greek community consists primarily of political refugees from the [[Greek Civil War]],<ref name="Embassy">{{cite web |url=http://www.greekembassy.hu/english/BILATERAL%20RELATIONS.htm |title=Bilateral relations between Greece and Hungary |access-date=2007-02-18 |work=The website of the Greek Embassy in Budapest |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070325223848/http://www.greekembassy.hu/english/BILATERAL%20RELATIONS.htm |archive-date=2007-03-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and numbers 3,916 people according to the 2011 census.<ref name="Census">{{cite web |url=http://www.ksh.hu/nepszamlalas/tables_regional_00 |title=Population by mother tongue, nationality and sex, 1930–2011 |access-date=2017-04-21 |work=Hungarian Central Statistical Office }}</ref> In the village [[Beloiannisz]] (Greek: Μπελογιάννης ''Beloyannis''), founded in 1950 by Greek refugees, the mayor is traditionally Greek although the number of Greeks has dwindled to about 300 out of a total population of 1,200.<ref name="Embassy" />

==See also==
{{Portal|Greece|Hungary}}
* [[Greek people]]
* [[Greek diaspora]]
* [[Greece–Hungary relations]]
* [[Immigration to Hungary]]
* [[Hungarian diaspora|Hungarians in Greece]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{in lang|el|hu}} [http://www.ellinismos.hu/ Self-government of the Greeks of Hungary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526202117/http://ellinismos.hu/ |date=2016-05-26 }}
* {{in lang|el|hu}} [http://www.patriarchatus.hu/ The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople - Exarchate of Hungary]

{{Greek diaspora}}
{{Ethnic groups in Hungary}}
{{Portal bar|Greece|Hungary}}
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Hungary]]
[[Category:Greek diaspora by country|Hungary]]
[[Category:Hungarian people of Greek descent| ]]