Hungary re-research tips

[ninjawarrior1x3]

If Subotica is included in the West Balkans DLC, another border crossing towards Subotica can be reached via Road 53, branching off near Kisszállás.

According to the 1.47 hidden roads, it's now pretty much confirmed that Subotica will not be in the WB DLC.

[krmarci]

The M5 motorway

Now, we cross the Danube to the eastern part of the country. Most of eastern Hungary is covered by the Great Hungarian Plain, a large flat area which makes Hungary one of Europe's agricultural powerhouses.

The M5 crosses the Great Hungarian Plain, and connects Budapest to Szeged and the Serbian border. The M5 also passes close to Hungary's geographic midpoint near Pusztavacs, a small village, which is commemorated by a small pavillon on the outskirts of the village.

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Kecskemét Mercedes-Benz factory - Google StreetView

The only larger city between Budapest and Szeged is Kecskemét. Its most important industry is a Mercedes-Benz car factory south of the city.

A bit further in the east, in the village of Szentkirály, there is a mineral water bottling plant. This is something I forgot to mention earlier - Hungary is quite rich in mineral waters, which would be nice to see represented in the game. Two other such bottling plants, both near Road 84, were retrospectively added to its description.

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The Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park

Another landmark, the Ópusztaszer National Heritage Park, is also located close to the M5, south of Kecskemét. According to tradition, the first Hungarian national assembly took place here. Today, there are many interesting buildings in the park, including the Rotunda, which houses the Feszty Panorama, a 360° painting depicting the arrival of the Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin.

Further south, the game is lacking the M5xM43 interchange, the M43 being the motorway connecting the M5 to Romania. The eastern half of it is already in the game, however, the western part was omitted when Road to the Black Sea was made.

The M5 bypasses Szeged from the west and connects to the Serbian A1 at the Röszke/Horgoš border crossing.

[orizon]

Maybe it will help in the future rework of Hungary

Watch on YouTube

[orizon]

Watch on YouTube

[krmarci]

Szeged and Expressway M43

Szeged is one of the largest cities in Hungary. Most of its industries are located in the western part of the city.
One of the largest industries in Szeged is the Pick Salami factory. It is the second largest employer in Szeged, behind Szeged University. It is located south of the main industrial area.
Another large industry in Szeged is Sole-Mizo, a dairy company, which is located in the main industrial area.

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Szeged Cathdral

The main landmark of Szeged is Szeged Cathedral. However, it is located in the city centre, far away from any industries.

The most important industry near Szeged is located in Algyő, a neighbouring village. It is home to Hungary's largest oil extraction plant, operated by the Hungarian oil company MOL.

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Ferenc Móra Bridge, where the M43 crosses the Tisza

The M43 runs north of Szeged to the east, towards the border with Romania. After crossing the Tisza river, the most important town it passes by is Makó, famous for its onion production, though recent articles claim that production has significantly decreased due to competition from Italy, Spain and Germany.

FYI: The Danube Bend section has been updated to reflect recent changes in the road network.

[Benito92]

I read and fully support this research, however I have some additional suggestions. I found it very cool, how SCS completed the Austria rebuild. First of all the design is beautiful, I must note. Furthermore, I found the fact very interesting, that one central city would collectively represent industries from the neighboring towns and villages.
In Hungary the situation is very similar. I would love to go on secondary roads to find industries in towns that have their own name signs, but belong to a bigger city. Some examples were already mentioned in the post by the author.
Moreover, I would suggest the addition of a new city Szombathely, along with the road 86. This road starts at Mosonmagyaróvár (M1) and connects to Körmend (8) with the option of further connecting to the M7 through Zalaegerszeg and Nagykanizsa. This is a very important north-south axis of the country, used heavily to connect Poland, Czechia and Slovakia to the Adriatic sea.
I really hope the Hungary rework will turn into reality once. In my opinion, it is the most underdeveloped country in the game.
Thank you for reading.

[krmarci]

@Benito92 If Szombathely were added, I think it would make more sense to add the M85-M86 motorway connection instead of Road 86.

[krmarci]

Expressway M4, Road 4 and Szolnok

M4 and Road 4 connect Budapest with eastern Hungary and Romania. For the section of (M)4 within the M0 ring road, see Budapest.

Heading east from Budapest and the M0, M4 passes through the flat Great Hungarian Plain.

After about 100 km, the M4 reaches the city of Szolnok, and bypasses it in the north.
Road 4 bypasses Szolnok in the south. This is where Szolnok's main industrial area is located, including a Stadler train factory.

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Road 4 bridge over the Tisza

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M4 bridge over the Tisza

Both roads cross the river Tisza near Szolnok, which flows through the city.

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Planned route of M4 beyond Szolnok

Beyond Szolnok, at Törökszentmiklós, M4 terminates at its intersection with Road 4. As of 2023, M4's section until Kisújszállás is under construction and planned to be completed in 2026, while the section between Kisújszállás and Berettyóújfalu is not under construction yet.

In this area, Road 4 crosses the towns of Fegyvernek and Kenderes (famous for being the birthplace of Miklós Horthy).

At Püspökladány, Road 4 intersects Road 42. This intersection is already included in the game, as this is where Road 42, heading towards the Ártánd-Bors border crossing, begins.

Road 4 continues towards Debrecen. The eastern section of M4, which connects M35 to the Romanian border, will be discussed in the post about Debrecen.

FYI: Changes were made to Budapest (updated info of Athletics Centre, added picture of Richter Gedeon) and Szeged (added new industries: Pick and Sole-Mizo).

[krmarci]

From Szeged to Debrecen - Road 47

Road 47 connects Hungary's second and third largest cities - Debrecen and Szeged.

After leaving Szeged, Road 47 crosses the M43 expressway, and passes near the Algyő oil field. On the way to Békéscsaba, the road bypasses larger towns such as Hódmezővásárhely and Orosháza, while it crosses smaller villages such as Székkutas and Csorvás.

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The Gyula meat processing plant

Békéscsaba is the largest city and capital of Békés County. However, if you were to introduce a significant industry from the region, I would suggest going to Gyula, a nearby town, to include its meat processing plant, famous for its sausages. Gyula also has a famous castle, though it is not really accessible by trucks.

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Wenckheim-Merán Castle in Körösladány

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Rhédey Castle in Zsáka (Wikipedia)

Continuing north on Road 47 from Békéscsaba, we cross multiple towns and villages: Mezőberény, Köröstarcsa, Körösladány, Szeghalom, Csökmő, Darvas and Zsáka. Of these, Körösladány and Zsáka have castles as landmarks, though neither of them on the main road.

Berettyóújfalu is a larger town along the road, and located at a major crossroads. Here, Road 47 intersects Road 42, which heads towards Szolnok, as well as - currently in the game - towards Ártánd and the Romanian border. However, to reflect recent changes in the road network, I would recommend replacing the eastern section of Road 42 with the eastern section of Expressway M4, connecting M35 with the Romanian border. A southern extension of M35 compared to what is currently in-game could also be used to reach Debrecen.

[krmarci]

Debrecen and its surroundings

Debrecen is the second-largest city of Hungary, with over 200,000 inhabitants. Debrecen is currently experiencing an industrial boom, which means that potentially many construction sites could be included.

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Debrecen's main landmark, the Reformed Great Church, located deep in the city centre

Debrecen's largest industrial area can be found east of the M35, between roads 4 and 33. Various companies can be found here, including the medicine production company Richter Gedeon (previously mentioned in Budapest).

Northwest of Debrecen, at the intersection of M35 and road 354, there is a BMW factory under construction, scheduled to be completed in 2025.

South of Debrecen, there is a new industrial area that is growing quickly. One of its largest developments is a (politically somewhat controversial due to its water demands, and the employment of foreign workers) CATL battery factory under construction, with completion date yet unknown.

EDIT as of 2023-11-29: The Hungarian Supreme Court revoked the battery factory's permit, leaving the future of the factory yet uncertain.

Off-topic: Battery industry in Hungary

Debrecen also has the second-largest international airport in Hungary, with a few flights every day, mainly by low-cost airlines.

Debrecen's main motorway is the M35, which passes the city on its eastern side. To the north, it connects to the M3, which connects Budapest with northeastern Hungary. To the south, it heads towards Berettyóújfalu, where it connects to the M4, heading towards the Romanian border.

Road 4 passes through Debrecen, however, it avoids the city centre as part of the ring road surrounding it. It continues towards Szolnok and Budapest in the west, providing a shorter (though slower) way to Budapest than the M3-M35. To the north, it continues towards Nyíregyháza and the Ukrainian border.