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We arrived in Budapest on a warm June morning in 2003, to visit the city divided by the Danube River where the Great Plain meets Transdanubia. Actually two cities in one, Buda and Pest merged to form Budapest in 1873. The towns themselves date back to Roman times - a Roman aqueduct still exists in the north of the city.
The first thing that caught our attention was the sheer size of the city that now is home to 2 million people. It is big and it is busy. However, the traffic moved surprisingly smoothly as we traversed our way from the south to the north end of town where we found our hotel. The second thing we noticed was the rich and varied architecture to be found. As you can see from the photo above, there is an interesting mix of old and new; furthermore, the city has a rather low skyline making it a comfortable scale for walking about (the tallest buildings other than the churches seem to be no more than about 10 stories). The air quality seemed quite good, considering the size of the city. |
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St. Stephen’s Basilica was surprisingly ornate in every detail. Inside, there are 3 huge naves, each with at least one dome. At left is the central nave with a view toward the altar. There is a chapel on the left side which holds the mummified right hand of St. Stephen. Stephen I was Hungary’s first king who created the Hungarian state in the year 1000 and he is now Hungary’s patron saint.
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The above left photo is a view of Pest taken from Castle Hill in Buda, looking across the Danube. The bridge is Chain Bridge, left (the first of 9 bridges crossing the river, originally built in the late 1800s). All the bridges were destroyed by the Germans during the war and have since been rebuilt, most in their original style. To see chainbridge at night click here.
At the end of the bridge is an old palace, recently renovated and soon to be a new hotel. Behind the palace is St. Stephen’s Basilica (1906).
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Budapest also has Europe’s largest functioning synagogue (photo at right), a striking building in the heart of Pest.
Budapest had a large Jewish population at the time of the war and a large walled ghetto was created at that time. Most of these people were spared form the concentration camps as the soviets entered the city before the Jews could be transported out. There is a beautiful memorial to those who lost their lives in the rear of the synagogue, a willow-like “tree” with leaves added for each remembered person.
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The other striking building on the Pest side is the Parliament, sitting right on the river’s edge (right). As you can see in the photo, there is a large amount of scaffolding erected along the left front. The building is made of a soft limestone and requires constant cleaning. Evidently, the scaffolding is simply moved around the building and is never totally absent. The right side is already looking like it ready for a wash. Regardless, it is a fantastic piece of architecture from 1904 and is one meter taller than the British Parliament building.
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On the northeastern side of town is the huge, leafy City Park. In 1896 the monument Heroes’ Square was created to mark the millennium of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin. The statues depict St. Stephen (center) on horseback with the angel Gabriel above. The horse-drawn chariots representing war (left) and peace(right) appear on the pillars on either side. The square around the statue is used for state occasions and celebrations. At the same time, Andrassy street was made into a wide, tree-lined boulevard leading from the city to the park, with continental Europe’s first subway underneath. Today it is still the most attractive boulevard in Budapest. From the center of the city, this statue is visible as you look down the boulevard toward the park.
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The park contains a zoo, a small lake with boats in the summer and ice skating in the winter, a museum and exhibition hall, and Vajdahunyad Castle, a reproduction of several interesting buildings from the around the country, representing Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque architectures. The Szechenyi Baths are also here and while we didn’t take advantage of them, the complex was certainly inviting (right). There are several thermal baths in Budapest available for public use and they are very popular with the locals, especially in the winter.
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While the Pest side is relatively level, sitting on the river’s edge, what remains of medieval Buda sits up on Castle Hill, perched high above the Danube. Perhaps the most imposing site in Buda is the Buda Castle or the Royal Palace (above, left). It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times over the years but had its greatest splendor during King Matthias’s reign in the late 1400s.
For more pictures of Buda Castle click here.
There are several museums on Castle Hill as well as Matthias Church with its colorful tile roof (right). |
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Also of note in Buda, near the water, is the Kilometer 0 marker (left), from which all roadways are measured as they leave Budapest.
At right is the Liberation Monument, erected in 1945 in tribute to the Soviet soldiers who died liberating Hungary in 1945. However, many Hungarians chose not to remember that and the names and statues of the soldiers have been removed. |
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While in Budapest, we took the opportunity to sample the Hungarian Dobos Torte at the famous Cafe Gerbeaud. We also tried the Hungarian Goulash as well as some delicious Thai food. We found quite a variety of international cuisine in the city so there is something to please every palate.
On our return, we happened upon the Westend City Center Mall (left) where we spent several hours wandering around. We were very surprised at the huge, modern mall, especially the hours. It is open from 8 am to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 8 am to 2 am Friday and Saturday. We were amazed at the number of people shopping at 10 am Sunday morning when we took this photo. Without telling you where we were, you could guess this mall was anywhere in the USA, right?
By the way, we found the mall on our way to the Post Office which also had incredible hours. It was open from 8 am to 7 or 8 pm - every day of the week (yes, including Sundays!).
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