Spain's National Day Celebrated in Budapest

On the occasion of Spain’ National Day and that of the end of her tenure in Hungary, the Ambassador of Spain, Anunciada Fernández de Córdova invited members of the diplomatic corps, Spanish nationals living in Hungary and other guests to the Aurea Ana Palace Hotel in downtown Budapest.

The National Day of Spain (Fiesta Nacional de España) is a national holiday held annually on October 12 as it commemorates the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus for Spain on this day in 1492. It is also traditionally and commonly referred to as the Día de la Hispanidad, commemorating Spanish legacy worldwide.

In her speech, Ambassador Fernández de Córdova recalled her adventurous trip, over four years ago, to the Sándor Palace to present her credentials to the Hungarian President. As her car crossed the Danube several times on that trip, it was when her veneration for this river started, she said.

The other things she particularly likes in Hungary are music and other arts, emphasizing her collaboration with the Palace of Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest. In the latter, “my last event in this country shall be attending the opening of the magnificent exhibition on El Greco at the end of the month,” she added.

She also mentioned that she is most proud of, as a result of her mission in this country, the intensification of bilateral visits and the introduction of teaching Spanish in primary education in this country.

“From the economic, commercial and business point of view, the presence of Spanish companies is important in several fields: automotive, renewable energies (the eolic plants you see driving to Vienna), agri-food, textile, hotels (two five stars hotels and eight four stars hotels) and transport. According to Hungarian official data, there are 5.568 employees in Spanish companies in this country in 2022,” she said.