Dear Hungarian and American Friends and esteemed Clients!

Welcome to the website of the Consulate General of Hungary in Chicago!

The Midwestern region of the United States of America has always had a rich Native American culture long before the appearance of the first French, and subsequent British, explorers in the 17th century.  In the 19th century, the former Northwestern ministry region was the first in the United States to ban slavery. The southern boundary of this region was the Ohio River, which also became a symbol of the frontier of freedom and slavery, and it was during this era that Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the world-famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

In addition to European nations, an increasing number of settlers from historical Hungary also settled in the Midwest. Lajos Kossuth visited Cleveland in 1852, and in 1880 an influx of Hungarian immigrants arrived in several waves. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Hungarian diaspora in Cleveland began to grow incredibly and, according to some sources, the number of Hungarians in Ohio exceeded 130,000. They played an important role in local politics, sports and gave the world talents such as Paul Newman, one of our most famous actors of Hungarian descent.

Although preferences have changed in our accelerated world and everyday work often diverts attention from the truly important things, we can proudly say that in Chicago, Cleveland and other major cities in the Midwest, tens of thousands of our compatriots and American friends with Hungarian roots still nurture our ecclesiastical and cultural traditions.

Our Consulate General is constantly working to help the Hungarians in the diaspora, to act on citizenship and naturalization issues, to advise or settle the interests of Hungarian citizens if necessary, to establish contacts between our domestic companies and the American market, and to encourage American companies to invest and create jobs in Hungary.

I ask you to feel free to contact our Consulate General in the future if you have any questions!

Respectfully yours,

Consul General Tamás Kovács