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Hungary: Overview

Missionary work in what is now Hungary began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Though it was illegal to hold Church meetings, Latter-day Saint missionaries baptized people and organized the first branch in Temesvár, Austria-Hungary (what is now Timişoara, Romania), in 1901. With the onset of World War I, all missionaries were evacuated from Hungary, and most of the Saints emigrated. The few remaining members scattered throughout the country lived in isolation from the Church for decades during postwar Communist rule.

During the 1980s, the Hungarian government began to relax its policies, and missionaries were allowed to return to the country in 1987. That same year, the Szeged, Ajka, and Budapest branches were organized, and Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated Hungary for the preaching of the gospel. The Church gained official legal recognition the following year. In 1991, the Book of Mormon was published in Hungarian and distributed to the Saints by Christmas. Construction of the Budapest Hungary Temple was announced in the April 2019 general conference.

In the 21st century, Hungarian Latter-day Saints have established youth outreach centers where young adults in their communities can gather, socialize, participate in activities together, and attend religious classes. When a flood struck Budapest in 2013, young adults were among the volunteers who labored to reinforce a barrier protecting the Dagály Beach, filling sandbags, reinforcing dams, and feeding their fellow volunteers. Through their daily service and acts of faith, these young Saints follow the Savior’s counsel to demonstrate their discipleship by their love for one another (see John 13:34–35).