Social activity of rural communities in Hungary – experiences of research camps

In this paper two basic points of the successful operation of a settlement will be examined. On the one hand, social activity will be studied. Since, according to the authors, a cooperative, active local community is essential for sustainable rural development in rural areas. On the other hand, in authors’ opinion a settlement can be successful in the long run only if its own a positive internal image. To achieve this, the settlement management needs to know how can work the local communities, how the locals perceive their own settlement, what do they regard as their strengths, weaknesses, dangers, opportunities. Therefore, this study gives a comprehensive overview about the social activity and the internal image of two Hungarian rural communities which are in quite different socio-economic situation. The findings of this study are based on interviews made with the leaders of social organizations and other key actors of rural communities and questionnaire surveys conducted among inhabitants within research camps in the summer of 2014 and 2015 in Hollókő and Átány villages.