Count István Széchenyi (1791-1860) was the outstanding figure of Hungary's Reform Era. His contemporaries hailed him as "the greatest Hungarian" even during his lifetime, and he has been looked back ever after on as a personality, writer and statesman whose reforms and achievements stand as permanent examples. István Széchenyi's civic activities bore fruit far and wide, and left a heritage which is daily visible and tangible in Hungary even after the passage of a century and a half. If the visitor to Budapest only sees the Chain Bridge across the Danube, with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences at one end and the tunnel through the Buda Castle Hill at the other, he will have a strong impression of Széchenyi's wonders. The foundation of the Academy – for which purpose, exactly 175 years ago, he donated an entire year's income – was the overture to the era of Hungarian civic transformation.

From the long list of his magnificent initiatives and achievements, it is only possible here to mention a few examples. In the economy, the establishment of steam mills, savings associations and railways, the shipyard, the regulation of the Lower Danube and of Hungary's second-largest river, the Tisza, the launch of steam navigation on the Danube and the Balaton, the foundation in Hungary of modern estate management, silkworm production, horse-racing and horse-breeding are all linked to his name. He also left a lasting heritage in social and cultural life: urban development, the casino and sporting societies still preserve his spirit. One of the most valued treasures of Hungarian economics literature is the trilogy in which he outlines the principles for bringing Hungary economically up alongside Europe. As a public figure, István Széchenyi worked to build his country, spread civic society and promote public good, becoming a member of Parliament and, in 1848, the minister of transport in the first independent Hungarian government.

A highly cultured European citizen, who spoke several languages, and a great patriot, István Széchenyi declared that it was essential to turn the experiences of the most advanced nations to the profit of Hungarians, and his main aim was to bring the values of civic life to all inhabitants of Hungary.

From this sketch portrait, it will be clear why the Hungarian civic government, at the threshold of the new millennium, has chosen to name its long-term national development plan after István Széchenyi.