Many Hungarians have taken advantage of the EU and the Schengen zone to work abroad, but less is said about Westerners, especially Germans, Austrians and Dutch, immigrating to Hungary, Hungarian news portal Mandiner writes.
Many of the foreigners moving to the country are elderly and retired, but there are also families with young children.
They are not necessarily looking for a life in a big city, but are happy to move to villages and small towns.
There are Facebook groups where foreigners can help each other with tips and tricks for those who want to move to Hungary.
In these groups, they write about how Hungarians are perceived by those who have been living in the country for a while.
A wide variety of topics are discussed in these groups. Some people want to find out more about horse breeding, others look for German friends for their children. More serious matters and political issues also often come up. They emphasize that
Hungarians are proud of their country and culture and dare to show it.
The topic of the Roma people also regularly raised, with several people writing that they live in a Roma neighborhood and that they have never been victims of atrocities.
Someone also wrote that it is well known that the Hungarian government is not very fond of foreigners. Some members agreed with the comment and said that Hungarians dislike German immigrants, but most commenters disagreed. Some of them said that Hungary is one of the most welcoming countries for Germans.
Some wrote that you shouldn't believe everything the German media says, with others adding that people should watch less German public media.
Many also praised the Hungarian crackdown on illegal immigration.
One Austrian citizen wrote:
I have been living in Hungary since 2018 and I consider my life very nice and safe.
Cover photo: Illustration (Photo: unsplash.com/Elijah G)
