Ferenc Mádl was one of the most important Hungarian lawyers of the last century.

He was a scientist who spent decades researching European Union law, and as a politician he did much to promote Hungary’s accession.

It is important to see Mádl not only as a president and a jurist, but also as a private person, because this is a typical Central European story, which may be of interest not only to Hungarians, but also to the peoples of the region. How does the son of a rural farmer rise from poverty through knowledge and achievement to become an internationally renowned jurist? How does Ferenc Mádl, a member of the German minority, become President of the Hungarian Republic?