QUICK FACTS
Population
» 1.9 million
Time zone
» GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October)
Currency
» Hungarian Forint (HUF)
» 1,000 HUF ~ €4.00
» 1,000 HUF ~ $5.60
Electricity
» 220 volts AC, 50Hz; round two-pin plugs are standard
Average January temperature
» 0°C (32°F)
Average July temperature
» 21.5°C (71°F)
Annual rainfall
» 635mm (25 inches)
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THE CHAIN BRIDGE (Széchenyi Lánchíd) |
Eight bridges link Buda to Pest but the  Chain Bridge is the first and most famous, with its solid arches and lion statues. Count István Széchenyi commissioned the Englishman responsible for London's Hammersmith Bridge, William Tierney Clark, to design a bridge after his father's funeral was delayed by a week while his son attempted to cross the Danube in particularly bad weather. Completed in 1848, the bridge was inaugurated in 1849, allowing for the integration of Buda, Pest and Óbuda in 1872. After suffering considerable damage at the hands of the Nazis, the bridge was repaired and re-inaugurated on 21 November 1949. |
BUDA ROYAL PALACE (Budavári Palota) |
 First inhabited by King Béla IV, after the 1241 Mongol invasion, the Royal Palace had its heyday during King Mátyás's reign (1458-90). In the late 18th century, Empress Maria Theresa rebuilt and enlarged the palace. The Royal Palace has risen Phoenix-like from the ashes of many wars – the Turkish siege (1541) and invasion (1686), the 1848-49 War of Independence and the latter stages of World War II. Within the palace's partially reconstructed walls lies a vast museum complex, which includes three museums (Budapest History Museum, Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art and the Hungarian National Gallery) and the National Széchenyi Library. |
MATTHIAS CHURCH (Mátyás Templom) |
 The Zsolnay pyrogranite tiles of Matthias Church are as colourful and richly patterned as snakeskin. Inside is a melange of styles from the 13th to the 19th centuries. It is thought that a church was first built on this site in 1015, by King István. When the Turks occupied the Castle District in 1541, the church was turned into a mosque and the walls painted with extracts from the Koran. In the 20th century, the church was used as a kitchen by occupying German forces, and later as stables by the Russians. |
THE FISHERMEN BASTION |
 Behind the sanctuary of the Matthias Church, the Fishermen's Bastion offers a splendid view of the Danube and Pest. At the end of the 19th century, Frigyes Schulek designed a graceful system of stairs running from the Danube to the hilltop, and the current structure, which has been embellished with turrets, scrolls, arcades, curved stairs and statues, was intended to be the end point. Schulek imagined the bastion section defended by the fishermen's guild, hence the name. Many felt his vision was of a more austere, defensible and less decorated piece of architecture, but his original plans were later altered to the delight of today's visitors. |
THE PARLIAMENT (Országház) |
 Imre Steindl's design for Budapest's Parliament, inspired by London's Houses of Parliament, won first prize in a competition to celebrate the 1,000th year of the Hungarian nation. Work commenced in 1885 and was finally completed in 1902. The edifice, with its elegant neo-Renaissance dome, topped by a pointy neo-gothic spire, stretches for over 250m (820ft) along the River Danube. It was here that the crowds assembled on 23 October 1989, when Mátyás Szurös declared the Hungarian People's Republic from the balcony on Kossuth Lajos tér. |
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