Budapest – I of III left bank of the Danube River - the historic part and more

View of the old Pest and of the old Buda

Budapest, Hungary's capital, is located on the banks of the Danube. It was founded on November 17, 1873 with the merge of the cities of Ôbuda (in Hungarian, "Old Buddha", founded by the Romans in

89 BC) on the west bank of the Danube, with Pest on the east bank. Its inhabitants are called Budapestians. The Magyar people, as the Hungarians like to be called, comes from the northern

region of the Ural Mountains, where lived a nomadic life.(click)

Around 900 AD the region was occupied by the Magyars, who founded the Kingdom of Hungary and raised a castle in 1241 in a location that would be called Buddha. In 1361 Buda became the capital of Hungary. Once free from Ottoman dominion, Hungary was granted an autonomous government within

the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy and then, in 1873, the two towns were merged creating Budapest.

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On the left bank of the river Danube, up on the hill of Buda, stands the Royal Palace in Buda Castle, which in fact is a neighborhood served by several bus and subway lines.

The Royal Palace, where many battles and wars took place, is one of the symbols of the country. Three churches, five museums, many buildings, monuments, streets and squares of historic interest

and a theater can also be found in the area covered by what is considered the Castle.

Castle District (Várnegyed) is also famous for its medieval houses, Baroque and 19th century edifices and by its churches and public buildings. The hill were it stands is linked to Clark Ádám

Square and to the Chain Bridge (Széchenyi) via the Castle Hill Funicular.

Under Buda Hill, since 1857, with one of its openings at Ádám Clark Square, runs a 350m road tunnel towards where Széchenyi Bridge (Bridge of Chains) begins.

By the side of the tunnel, the funicular provides uphill transportation to the Castle, even on days when Budapest displays itself under another of its charms: wet with rain...

Buda Hill Funicular or Budavári Sikló

The little trip is an opportunity to admire the smooth operation of a machine of the seventies ... 1870...

The starting point of the cable car leading to the gate of the castle is located at the Adam Clark Square right in front where sits the city’s Ground Zero.

From the square, when looking up to the top of the funicular, one can see the sculpture of "Turul" on a pillar of that castle gate. 

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Next to the Habsburg Gate is located the sculpture of the Turul. The mythical bird Turul, according to the old Hungarian legend would be a huge hawk or eagle, which was already part of the Hungarians

coat of arms since the times of Attila, king of the Huns.

Buda Castle - Lions Gate - The ruins of the old castle were not marked, but the Buda Castle dates back to 1247 and was destroyed and rebuilt many times.

The enormous building at the southern end of Castle Hill has been the royal palace from the fourteenth century. It was rebuilt 400 years later and required major work after World War II. It now houses the Historical Museum of Budapest, the Hungarian National Gallery and the

National Széchenyi Library.

The Historical Museum of Budapest is installed in the early primitive baroque palace of Buda. This institution consists of three museums: the Museum of the Castle - within the palace, the Museum Kiscell,

and the Aquincum Museum, both located in Obuda District.

Budavár Saloon - near Gate Vienna (Bécsi kapu), is one of the most fascinating sites of the Castle. It’s beautiful spaces are excellent venue for gala dinners, conferences, concerts, weddings, presentations,

parties and all sorts of events of the highest social or cultural level.

Matthias Fountain (detail)- on one of the external walls of the Royal Palace’s building, it encompasses a monumental group of sculptures. Neo-baroque artwork, it constitutes one of major photo

focuses of Budapest. Outstanding particularity: the dog that "drinks" from the Fountain’s water...

Széchényi National Library - (Országos Széchényi Könyvtár-OSZK) was founded in 1802 by an enraptured Hungarian patriot - the aristocrat Count Ferenc Széchényi.

Buda Castle - another of the many works of art and beauty that decorate the Royal Palace.

Uri Street, in Buda Castle district– in this street is found the entrance to the Labyrinth located under Buda Hill, with a long and rich history dating back to half a million years.

Its other entry is located in Lovas út, n. 4 A.

This is the building at 9, Uri Street - Uri utca in Hungarian - where is the main entrance to the Labyrinth of Buda Castle, currently closed.

The labyrinth is located 16m below the surface and is an unique cultural spectacle throughout the world. This font is a jocose memorial to King Matthias, so rich that from its springs poured

red wine instead of water.

After the Castle, a panorama formed by the Calvinist church in Szilagyi Dezso Square is dintinguished in the foreground; a little above it the Fishermen's Bastion and, in the background,

St. Matthias Church.

Budapest surprises us at each new angle, at each variation of luminosity:still the Fishermen’s Bastion, with St Anne’s Church in the foreground.

Deriving the focus 45 degrees to the right, stands still the image of the castle and it is already possible to see part of another historic edification of Budapest: the Fishermen’s Bastion.

Both Matthias Church and its neighbor the Fishermen's Bastion are situated in the heart of Buda Castle (district). The church was originally built in Romanesque style in 1015, but the present building, from the second half of the 14th century, is built in florid Gothic style and has

been extensively restored since the late 19th century.

The Bastion is a belvedere terrace with many stairs and paths.

The Bastion bears the name of the guild of fishermen which was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages.

The terrace of the Fishermen's Bastion (Halaszbastya) consists of a fortress of seven towers, representing the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896.

The towers and walls of the Bastion have a medieval look, but were actually built in 1902 to complement the Mátyás (Mathias) Church.

From the towers of the terrace there’s a panoramic view of the Danube that encompasses, beyond the Parliament, the Margarette Island, Old Pest, as well as the east side of Gellért Hill.

A bronze statue of Stephen I of Hungary on horseback, from 1906, can be seen between the Bastion and Matthias Church. In its pedestal in Neo-Romanesque style are represented some

episodes of the King’s life.

The gorgeous Mathias Church, built between XIII and XV centuries, has a belfry measuring 89m in height. Its delicate roof of colored tiles is amazing.

The National Archives building (Magyar Országos Levéltár), located in Buda Castle, is one of the public edifices of great importance and beauty.

Udvarház Restaurant – lunch - refinement, fine cuisine, pleasant views and also open air.

Udvarház Restaurant, located on top of Hármashatárhegy (that is part of Buda Hills), offers unforgettable views of Budapest at dinner.

A cable car in old-fashioned way, dating back to 1970, passes over the János Hill trees covering 1040 m of forest at a height of 262m. From there after steep 15-minute walk you arrive at the highest point of

Budapest - 527 m - where was built the neo-Romanesque:

Elizabeth Belvedere (1908-1910), Erzsberet, so called because in 1882 the Queen Elizabeth (Sissi), wife of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph, made an excursion to the top of János Hill.

According to unofficial history, Queen Elisabeth (Sissi), wife of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Francis Joseph, may have had a long and rumored affair - perhaps platonic - with one of the great figures of Hungary’s History, Julius Andrássy (Gyula Andrássy)- Hungarian Count that, among other prominent positions, came to be Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary.

Vandereycken, Walter & Van Deth, Ron, "The Anorectic Empress: Elisabeth of Austria", History Today, Vol. 46, April 1996.

Image – www.imagenesdesissi.blogspot.com

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Margaret Island, that in the Middle Ages was called the Island of Rabbits, since the nineteenth century is the result of the junction of three separate islands in order to control Danube’s flooding. Originally,

the island was 102.5m above sea level, but at the junction was raised to 104.85 meters.

Traffic-free Margarete Island is the playground of Budapest, with sports stadium, numerous tennis courts, outdoors swimming pool complex, open air theater, Japanese garden and rose gardens,

two spa hotels, a beer garden, and still retains the early medieval ruins.

In summer, the "Singing Fountain" of Margaret Island offers sound and light shows. The waters gush in the rhythm of the melody, so the source seems to dance at the various played classics themes.

The island is covered by parks with beautiful scenery and is a popular recreation area. 

It retains medieval ruins, reminders of its importance in the Middle Ages as a religious center.

The lush beauty of Margarete Island can be admired in all its extension, between Margaret and Arpad bridges,

Rudas Bath (Rudas fürdő) is a center of thermal and medicinal baths. It was the first built - 1550 - still during the Ottoman rule. Maintains many of the key elements of a traditional Turkish bath, such as

its Turkish dome and octagonal pool. It is located on the left bank of the Danube, right next to the Elizabeth Bridge.

Visible from almost everywhere Budapest, Gellért Hill - 235m high - with the statue of Liberty at its peak, is one of the city's memorable landmarks. The statue was erected in 1947, Hungary by then

under USSR rule, in memory of Hungary’s liberation from the Nazi by Soviet forces after the end of Second World War.

Next to the Statue of Liberty is rooted the Citadella, built by the Habsburgs after the War of Independence 1848-1849. It now houses an open air museum telling the hill`s history.

The Citadella,, a fortress built in 1851, is a U-shaped structure 220m long, 60m wide, and 4m high. It had a complement of sixty guns. Today, without guns, it’s destined to host large

social and peaceful events.

At the foot of Gellért Hill is located the famous Danubius Gellért Hotel and the Gellért Baths. Also on the hillside, next to Liberty Bridge, is located the church of Gellért Hill Cave –

overlooking the Danube.

By the Gellért Hill and the Liberty Bridge (Szabadság), is the famous Danubius Hotel Gellért, a first class four star hotel. It was built between 1916 and 1918 in Art Nouveau style, having already passed

through two reforms.

Much of European royalty, as well as world leaders and international personalities have stayed at Danubius. Queen Juliana of the Netherlands spent her honeymoon here.

In 1927, an outdoor pool was built, but only in 1934 the machinery was installed to turn it into a wave simulation pool to the delight and applause of his guests.

The Budapest University of Technology and Economics, abbreviated as BME in Hungarian and in

English BUTE – its official abbreviation, – was founded in 1782. It is the most important university of technology in Hungary and also one of the oldest institutes of technology in the world.

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Architectural beauty of building façade at Budapest University of Technology and Economics..

Already seen the main attractions of Budapest on the left side of Danube river and going down Buda Hill, we are back to the level of the banks of this river to go on toward:

Chain Bridge, which allows us to cross to the right bank of the Danube, where was the ancient city of Pest.

Images – All taken from the Internet with their credit.

Music – Mazurka Brillante S.221- by Franz Liszt - Transcription by Zoltan Kocsis - Live in Művészetek Palotája Budapest

Creation, research and formatting:

Delza Dias Ferreira delzadfer@gmail.comRevision of texts: Claudia RicciEnglish version: Flavio Musa de Freitas Guimarães São Paulo, III – 2012

Previous Archives: www.culturesandart.com

End of volume I of III