INTERNATIONAL STUDENT GUIDE INFORMATION FOR INCOMING STUDENTS 2019 / 2020 1 CONTENTS THE UNIVERSITY AND ITS LOCATIONS .........................................3 TRANSPORTATION ....................................................................... 7 ARRIVING IN HUNGARY: Rules and Documents………………………...10 EVERYDAY LIFE ........................................................................... 11 UNIVERSITY FACILITIES ............................................................. 188 CONTACT AND LINKS ................................................................. 21 USEFUL HUNGARIAN PHRASES ................................................. 222 2 THE UNIVERSITY AND ITS LOCATIONS Széchenyi István University was founded in 1968 as the Polytechnic of Transportation and Telecommunication. Its predecessors were located in Budapest and Szeged. The various buildings of the new campus in Győr were built between 1971 and 1977. During the 1970s and 1980s the institution strove to satisfy the need for polytechnic-level engineering training in the two determinant infrastructural branches, namely transportation and telecommunications. After the change of political system in 1990, the institution, as well as the traditional training areas, allotted its development funds to meet the labour expectations of the prosperous economy of the region and the demands of multinational companies which had settled in the region. With the Parliament of the Hungarian Republic’s decision of 11 December 2001, Széchenyi István University was raised to full university status from 1st January 2002. Since January 2016 the University has been expanded by merging with two faculties located in Mosonmagyaróvár, so that currently the University has 9 faculties situated on 6 campuses in two of the most attractive cities of West- Hungary. The aim of the University is to provide training leading to BSc, MSc as well as PhD degrees in a variety of fields; to offer post-graduate courses and to carry out research, consultancy and other professional activities. Over the years, the number of specialist fields covered by the University has been extended considerably. About 12,000 full-time and 2,000 part-time (distance learning) students were registered at the Institution in 2016/17. The number of academic staff is nearly 700, including around 300 professors and associate professors. For more information: http://uni.sze.hu 3 The City of Győr Lying halfway between Budapest and Vienna, Győr with its 130,000 inhabitants, is one of the most fortuitously situated cities in Hungary. Close to the western border, located at a meeting point of major highways, railways, and three rivers (the Danube, the Rába and the Mosoni-Duna), Győr is an obligatory stop to anyone travelling in Central Europe. The restoration of its Baroque city centre was awarded a European Prize for the Protection of Historic Buildings. Churches, palaces, museums, characteristic corner-balconies and narrow lanes, all reminders of a historic past, invite visitors to take a walk in the centre of the city. With its important commercial and industrial heritage, Győr is today one of the most dynamically developing cities in the country. Hungarian branches of multinational companies (e.g. Audi) have established themselves here, encouraged by the presence of existing large Hungarian companies (such as RÁBA). As a result, an enormous demand has been generated in the region for a highly skilled labour force. 4 The town of Mosonmagyaróvár Mosonmagyaróvár is a town in Győr-Moson-Sopron county in northwestern Hungary. It lies close to both the Austrian and Slovakian borders and is only 30 km from Győr. Mosonmagyaróvár was originally two separate towns, Magyaróvár and Moson. The town of Moson was the original capital of Moson county in the Kingdom of Hungary, but the county seat was moved to Magyaróvár during the Middle Ages. The two towns were combined in 1939, and by now almost all signs of dualism have disappeared, as the space between the two towns has become physically and culturally developed. Due to the length of the name, Mosonmagyaróvár is also referred to as Óvár amongst locals. The Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences of Széchenyi University is located on the Mosonmagyaróvár campus of Széchenyi István University. 5 The climate of Hungary The climate of Hungary can be described as a typical European continental influenced climate with warm, dry summers and fairly cold winters. There are four seasons – winter: December-January-February, spring: March-April-May, summer: June-July-August and autumn: September-October-November. Winter Spring Summer Autumn January is the coldest month with daytime temperatures usually around zero, but in some cases winter months can be very cold with temperatures far below zero and strong, cold north-easterly winds, especially in the mountainous regions where heavy snowfall or even snowstorms are also possible on some days. The yearly average number of days with snow is fewer than 40 in lowland areas of Hungary, but as many as 120 days in the mountainous regions of the country. In summer, daytime temperatures reach 20-25°C, but sometimes even higher, 30°C or more. Most of the time there is dry weather with sunny spells, although sometimes heavy thunderstorms can occur towards evening. July is the warmest month with an average temperature of 22°C. Annual precipitation is about 400-600 mm in the lowland areas, but higher in the mountainous regions. Generally, the weather is best in May- September, when days are warm and the nights are cool, although it rains more in spring than in summer. Autumn and winter are usually a little chilly and wet, sometimes snowy and often foggy, especially in the mountainous regions. 6 TRANSPORTATION Transportation within Hungary Hungary is small enough for you not to need to get around by air. International air traffic goes through one airport, Liszt Ferenc Airport (formerly Ferihegy), near Budapest. From the airport you can take a minibus to your destination in Budapest. The Airport Minibus Service has a desk at the airport, so you will find them easily. This service has a set price independent of your destination within Budapest, but you should call it 24 hours before you travel. When it is time to leave the country you can call the minibus to pick you up from your door. Have a nice journey! The Airport Minibus Service (www.airportshuttle.hu) costs 3,200 HUF/ person. To return to the airport you must book the minibus 24 hours in advance. Transfer buses operate between the airport and five major provincial towns (Debrecen, Győr, Miskolc, Pécs and Szeged). A taxi from the airport to the railway or bus station should cost no more than 4,000 - 5,000 HUF. From 4 am to 11 pm, bus number 200E runs between Terminal 2 and the Kőbánya- Kispest metro terminal (metro line M3). From the Kőbánya-Kispest metro terminal, passengers can take the M3 metro in the direction of Újpest Központ to reach the city centre. It is possible to change to metro lines M1 and M2 at the Deák Ferenc tér metro station. 7 From 11 pm to 1 am, night bus number 200E operates between Budapest Airport Terminal 2 and the Határ út stop where you can take bus number 950 and 950A to the city centre (Deák Ferenc tér). From 1 pm to 4 pm bus number 900 runs between Terminal 2 and the Bajcsi-Zsilinszky út stop where is possible to change to night buses 950 and 950A, operating to the inner city (Deák Ferenc tér). Transportation from Budapest By train: Trains departing from Budapest Keleti Railway Station arrive in Győr in 85 minutes. Besides the 9 or 10 InterCity trains that run daily, most international express trains from Western Europe stop in Győr, so it is possible to reach the city without having to go through Budapest. Train tickets are reasonably cheap in Hungary if you have a student card. Intercity trains are the most convenient way to travel: they are fast and comfortable, and tickets cost only 440 HUF more than for an ordinary train. Train tickets must be purchased in advance at the train station or from a travel agent. The website http://www.mav-start.hu will help you plan your route and give you information on ticket prices. By bus: Buses depart from Népliget bus station and the journey time is approximately an hour and a half. International buses (from Vienna, Bratislava, Prague and Munich) also have scheduled stops in Győr. By car: Take the M1 motorway. Győr lies halfway along the highway from Vienna to Budapest, approximately 125 km distant from both cities. Arriving in Győr The railway station (Pályaudvar) is in the middle of the city, behind the City Hall (Városháza). From the station, head through the centre, then cross the Mosoni-Duna River. The university is about 15 minutes’ walk from there. The Railway Station in Győr 8 Public transport in Győr Within the town of Győr there is a wide network of buses available. To reach the university, you can take the CITY bus (free) which runs from 6.45am until 17.30pm round the city centre from Monday to Saturday inclusive. Alternatively, you can catch bus No. 11. Note that this service is limited on Saturdays. The stop for the CITY bus (Honvéd Liget) is located only 2 minutes from the railway station. The bus stop for the No. 11 is located about 5 or 6 minutes from the railway station, on the opposite side of the main road (Szent István út) in Aradi vértanúk útja. To get to the University, travelling on either the CITY bus or No. 11 bus, get off at the stop Széchenyi István Egyetem. Note that the announcements on the bus before major stops like the University and the Hospital are also made in German and English. For the entire schedule and bus routes, visit the following website: http://www.enykk.hu/aktiv_tartalom/menetrendes/web.cgi?func=linelist&lang=en&city=gy Bus tickets (as well as season tickets) are available at the bus station, at kiosks and from ticket machines at several bus stops for 250 HUF.