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 buda (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.
(click)

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 (Vrnegyed) 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 dm
Square and to the Chain Bridge (Szchenyi) via the Castle Hill Funicular.

Under Buda Hill, since 1857, with one of its openings at dm Clark Square, runs a 350m road tunnel
towards where Szchenyi 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

Budavri Sikl
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 citys 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.

(click)

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 Szchenyi 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.

Budavr Saloon - near Gate Vienna (Bcsi kapu), is one of the most fascinating sites of the Castle. Its
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 Palaces 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 Fountains water...

Szchnyi National Library - (Orszgos Szchnyi Knyvtr-OSZK) was founded in

1802 by an enraptured Hungarian patriot - the aristocrat Count Ferenc Szchnyi.

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 t, 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 Fishermens Bastion, with St Annes 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 Fishermens 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 Mtys (Mathias) Church.

From the towers of the terrace theres a panoramic view of the Danube that encompasses, beyond
the Parliament, the Margarette Island, Old Pest, as well as the east side of Gellrt 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 Kings 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 Orszgos Levltr), located in Buda Castle,
is one of the public edifices of great importance and beauty.

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

Udvarhz Restaurant, located on top of Hrmashatrhegy (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 Jnos 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 Jnos Hill.

According to unofficial history,

Queen Elisabeth (Sissi), wife of the AustroHungarian Emperor Francis Joseph, may
have had a long and rumored
affair - perhaps platonic - with one of the great
figures of Hungarys
History, Julius Andrssy (Gyula Andrssy)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

(click)

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 Danubes 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 frd) 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, Gellrt 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 Hungarys 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, its destined to host large
social and peaceful events.

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

By the Gellrt Hill and the Liberty Bridge (Szabadsg), is the famous Danubius Hotel Gellrt, 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.
(click)

Architectural beauty of building faade 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 Mvszetek Palotja Budapest

Creation, research and formatting:

Delza Dias Ferreira

delzadfer@gmail.com
Revision of texts: Claudia

Ricci
English version: Flavio Musa de Freitas Guimares
Previous Archives:

www.culturesandart.com

So Paulo, III 2012

End of volume I of III