BUDAPEST

Some fall in love with the city at first sight, others are won over only after a longer period of discovery; but all agree that it is one of the most beautiful locations in the world.
The metropolis with a population of two million is bisected by the mighty flow of the Danube with hills and valleys on the Buda side and the flat, low-lying Pest on the other. The riverside panorama has been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Anybody who has ever seen it illuminated by night can understand why.
Here are some interesting facts about Budapest:
- Although initially inhabited fifty thousand years ago, it has only had its present name for a mere 128 years. Prior to 1873, Óbuda, Buda and Pest were separate towns.
- Under its hills there is a system of caves with thermal waters gushing from 80 thermal springs which supply 12 spas with 70 million litres of water daily.
- It's monuments include 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatres, 400-year-old Turkish baths and unique Hungarian Art Nouveau buildings from the 19th century. The cityscape owes its uniform appearance to the elegant mansions erected in Eclectic style in the early 20th century.
- The transport system also has some interesting features. The first underground railway of Europe has been connecting the downtown with the City Park for over 100 years. In the Buda hills you will find the world's third hill railway and a narrow-gauge forest railway operated by children.
- Lovers of culture are spoilt for choice with 237 monuments, 223 museums and galleries, 35 theatres, 90 cinemas, 2 opera houses and 12 concert halls. Around 200 excursion destinations offer a wide variety of things to do. Throughout the 365 days of the year, travel agencies organise walks and sightseeing tours by coach and boat, tailored to individual requirements.

Buda
The most important sights of the city can be found here, on the right bank of the Danube. Buda is the capital city's green belt with popular hiking destinations like the János-hegy ('hegy' meaning 'hill'), Normafa, Széchenyi-hegy, Kis- and Nagy-Hárs-hegy, Remete-hegy, Hármashatár-hegy and the Game Park in Budakeszi, all of them parts of the Buda Nature Reserve. We suggest the following route: take the cog-wheel railway (one stop from Moszkva tér by tram 56) to Széchenyi-hegy, then the children's railway to Hűvösvölgy. The train stops at Budapest's highest point on János-hegy (526 m). From here, take the chair lift to Zugliget, then bus 158 back to Moszkva tér. The only two caves open to the public in Budapest are the Pálvölgyi stalactite cave, which can be explored to a length of 500 m (entrance to the cave at 162 Szépvölgyi út) and Szemlő Hill cave (entrance to the cave at 35 Pusztaszeri út), a saline cave 300 m of which is open to visitors (reached by bus from Kolosy tér in Óbuda).

The Castle District in Buda
Erected in the 14th century and rebuilt in the Baroque style 400 years later, the royal palace at Szent György tér was the residence of the Hungarian monarchs for 700 years. Today it houses Budapest's most frequented museums and galleries. The Hungarian National Gallery (Buildings B, C, and D) offers a selection of the history of arts in Hungary from the 10th century to the present day. Exhibits include a collection of early medieval and Renaissance stone works, Gothic wood-carvings, panels and triptychs, Renaissance and Baroque art, 19th- and 20th-century painting, sculpture and collections of coins and medals. Guided tours are available to the crypt of the Hapsburg viceroys. At the History of Budapest Museum (Building E) restored sections of the medieval royal palace in Buda, its chapel and Gothic sculptures as well as permanent and temporary exhibitions on Budapest's history can be seen. The National Széchényi Library (Building F), the country's largest library, houses - among others - a rich collection of the Corvinas, medieval codices from King Matthias' library. In Building A the Museum of Contemporary Arts, also known as the Ludwig Museum, displays the works of outstanding Hungarian and foreign contemporary artists.
Topped by a tower of stone tracery, Matthias Church, also called the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, (2 Szentháromság tér) was the scene of coronations and royal weddings. In the early 19th century it was rebuilt in a neo-Gothic style. Its crypt now displays a collection of ecclesiastical artefacts. From spring to autumn concerts are organised here. The Fishermen's Bastion, a neo- Romanesque bulwark with seven towers built on medieval walls, offers an excellent view of the city. Further back the remains of the 13th-15th-century St. Nicholas Church with a Dominican monastery have been ingeniously incorporated into the interior of the stylish Hilton Hotel. The Dominican courtyard of the hotel hosts open-air performances. The urban middle-class houses in the streets connecting Bécsi kapu tér and Dísz tér, gates to the Castle District, were built on medieval foundations. The Gothic sedilia of their doorways lend a unique feature to them. The Castle Cave, a 1,800-m section of the 12-km cave system under Castle Hill (entrance at 16 Országház utca) is open to the public only by booking in advance. The Military History Museum (40 Tóth Árpád sétány) displays memories of Hungary's military past, and the medieval Jewish Chapel (26 Táncsics M. utca) offers an insight into the past life of the Jews in Buda. The Baroque Erdődy- Hatvany Mansion (7 Táncsics M. utca) keeps rare musical instruments from the Museum of Musical History as well as a rich collection of the manuscripts of the great Hungarian composer Béla Bartók (1881-1945).

Pest
Pest, on the left bank of the Danube, also has many historic districts, resorts and famous sights. There are nine bridges spanning the Danube, the oldest being the Széchenyi Chain Bridge built in 1849.

Downtown - Pest
The Downtown Parish Church on Március 15. tér was the city's first church. Examples of all architectural styles, ranging from Romanesque to Classicist, blend into the interior of the church. At 2 Dohány utca Europe's largest synagogue is found, serving also as a concert hall of excellent acoustics. The Jewish Museum in the courtyard of the synagogue is a centre for Jewish studies. The Hungarian National Museum (14-16 Múzeum körút) is the finest example of Hungarian Classicist architecture. In existence since 1846, it is the most significant public collection in Hungary, tracing the history of the Hungarian people from prehistoric times to the present day. The Vásárcsarnok ('Grand Market Hall', 1-3 Fővám körút) is striking in its architectural inventiveness.
The finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Hungary include the Museum of Applied Arts (33-37 Üllői út) with its wide selection of permanent and temporary exhibitions, the houses on Szervita tér (Pest town centre) and the building of the former Postal Savings Bank (4 Hold utca). The Parliament (Kossuth Lajos tér) is the largest and the most lavishly decorated building in the country. Built between 1885 and 1902 by Imre Steindl, this exquisite edifice is 96-m high and 118-m wide, and has 10 courtyards, 29 staircases and 27 gates. Europe's first area heating system was put in service in this building. Seat of the Hungarian Parliament and government offices, it provides a place of safety for the Holy Crown and the royal insignia. It is accessible only by guided tours in groups. The neo-Renaissance St. Stephen's Basilica (Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út), elevated to the rank of basilica minor, is the largest church in Budapest, and the second largest in Hungary. The right hand of St. Stephen, Hungary's first king (970?-1038), preserved intact for over 1,000 years, is the relic of the Chapel of the Holy Right. The tower balcony of the basilica offers a splendid uninterrupted panorama of the whole of the city.
It is worth taking a walk along the straight Andrássy út, a boulevard that is now a World Heritage site. It is lined with 19th- and 20th-century Eclectic-style palaces. The State Opera House (22 Andrássy út), with its frescoed interior, seating an audience of 1,200, is a splendid work of by Miklós Ybl, Hungary's most famous architect, and has been the centre of musical life in Hungary since 1864. There are guided tours.

The City Park
The famous buildings of the capital's premier park were erected by enthusiastic Budapest citizens to commemorate the country's millennium in 1896. At the imposing Hősök tere ('Heroes' square') the Archangel Gabriel raises the Holy Crown to a height of 36 m. The centre of the square is occupied by a colonnaded monument commemorating the millennium of Hungary's conquest. A group of sculptures represent the Magyar chieftains, including their legendary leader Árpád, who led the conquering tribes from Asia into the Carpathian Basin. Between the pillars statues of kings, generals and politicians of Hungary can be seen. On opposite sides of the square are the two principal art museums of Budapest.
The Museum of Fine Arts contains the country's prime art collection. Its old masters section boasts the largest collection of Spanish masters outside Spain as well as an equally superb collection of works by masters of other nationalities, including Bellini, Brueghel, Corregio, Dürer, El Greco, Giorgione, Goya, Murillo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian and Velasquez. Famous pieces from the 19th century include those by Delacroix, Gauguin, Monet, Renoir and Corot.
The other museum is called Műcsarnok ('Palace of Arts'), and it is the country's largest exhibition hall, a suitable venue for major temporary exhibitions.
Erected on Széchenyi Island, Vajdahunyad Castle is an imitative anthology of some of old Hungary's famous buildings and architectural styles ranging from the Romanesque to the Baroque. Of the imitation buildings, the most important is the replica of the Castle in Vajdahunyad in Transylvania (today in Romania). It houses the Agricultural Museum, the first of its kind, established in 1896. The nearby lake is a romantic setting for boating in summer and ice skating in winter.
The Széchenyi Baths complete with thermal pools, Turkish steam baths and tubs, swimming pools and a water park (11 Állatkerti körút) is Europe's largest spa baths.
The Transport Museum (11 Városligeti körút) houses one of Europe's oldest collections of transport history memorabilia.
The 135-year-old Budapest Zoo, built in the Art Nouveau style, was the first of its kind in the world. Two popular amusement facilities in the City Park are the Metropolitan Circus and the Amusement Park where a 100-year-old merry-go-round, winner of the Europa Nostra Award, is still in service. Two masterpieces of Hungarian Art Nouveau architecture are the Hungarian National Geological Institute (14 Stefánia út) and the Roman Catholic Parish Church in Kőbánya (25 Szent László tér). A design of geometrical regularity, the Wekerle Housing Estate in the 18th District, providing accommodation for minor officials, was an interesting social experiment. The Palace of Wonders at 19 Váci út is Central Europe's first interactive 'playhouse' of science, popular with children. So is the Park of Hungarian Railway History (95 Tatai út) with trains that visitors can drive.

More information:
itthon.hu
www.budapestinfo.hu