Budapest

Budapest
From top, left to right: view of the city with the Danube River, lion guarding the Chain Bridge, Heroes' Square, the Parliament Building, Fisherman's Bastion, St. Stephen's Basilica, and a panorama from Gellért Hill with Buda Castle on the left
Flag Seal
Location of Budapest in Hungary
Coordinates:
Country	Hungary
County	Budapest, Capital City
Government
- Mayor	Gábor Demszky website (SZDSZ)
Area
- City	525.16 km2 (202.8 sq mi)
Population (2010)
- City	1,721,556
- Density	3,241.5/km2 (8,395.4/sq mi)
- Urban	2,503,205
- Metro	3,271,110
Demonym	Budapester
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	budapest.hu

Budapest (pronounced /ˈbuːdəpɛst/, also /ˈbʊdəpɛst/, /ˈbjuːdəpɛst/ or /ˈbuːdəpɛʃt/; Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈbudɒpɛʃt]  ( listen); names in other languages) is the capital of Hungary.^[1] As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre.^[2] In 2010, Budapest had 1,721,556 inhabitants,^[3] down from 1980 peak of 2.06 million. The Budapest Commuter Area is home to 3,271,110 people.^[4][5] The city covers an area of 525 square kilometres (202.7 sq mi)^[6] within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with a unification on 17 November 1873 of right (west)-bank Buda and Óbuda with left (east)-bank Pest.^[6][7]

Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement,^[8] was the direct ancestor of Budapest,^[9] becoming the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia.^[8] Magyars arrived in the territory^[10] in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42.^[11] The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture^[12] in the 15th century.^[13] Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule,^[14] development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city after the 1873 unification.^[15] It also became the second capital of Austria-Hungary, a great power that dissolved in 1918. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest of 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.

Regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe,^[1][16][17] its extensive World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in the world.^[16][18] Other highlights include a total of 80 geothermal springs,^[19] the world's largest thermal water cave system,^[20] second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building.

Considered an important hub in Central Europe,^[21] the city ranked 3rd (out of 65 cities) on Mastercard's Emerging Markets Index (2008),^[22] and ranked as the most livable Central/Eastern European city on EIU's quality of life index (both 2009 & 2010).^[23][24] It is also ranked as "Europe's 7th most idyllic place to live" by Forbes.^[25] It attracts about 2.3 million tourists a year.^[26] The headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)^[27] and the first foreign office of the CIPA will be in Budapest.^[28]

History

Panorama at night photographed from Gellért Hill, showing from left to right the Matthias Church, Buda Castle, Széchenyi Chain Bridge and the Parliament

Buda Castle during the Middle Ages.

The first settlement on the territory of Budapest was built by Celts^[8] before 1 AD. It was later occupied by the Romans. The Roman settlement - Aquincum - became the main city of Lower Pannonia^[8] in 106 AD.^[8] The Romans constructed roads, amphitheaters, baths and houses with heated floors in this fortified military camp.^[29]

The peace treaty of 829 added Pannonia to Bulgaria due to the victory of Bulgarian army of Omurtag over Holy Roman Empire of Louis the Pious. Budapest arose out of two Bulgarian military frontier fortresses Buda and Pest, situated on the two banks of Danube.^[30] Hungarians led by Árpád settled in the territory at the end of the 9th century,^[10][31] and a century later officially founded the Kingdom of Hungary.^[10] Research places the probable residence of the Árpáds as an early place of central power near what became Budapest.^[32] The Tatar invasion in the 13th century quickly proved that defence is difficult on a plain.^[6][10] King Béla IV of Hungary therefore ordered the construction of reinforced stone walls around the towns^[10] and set his own royal palace^[11] on the top of the protecting hills of Buda. In 1361^[11] it became the capital of Hungary.^[6]

The cultural role of Buda was particularly significant during the reign of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary.^[6] The Italian Renaissance had a great influence on the city.^[6] His library, the Bibliotheca Corviniana,^[6] was Europe's greatest collection of historical chronicles and philosophic and scientific works in the 15th century, and second only in size to the Vatican Library.^[6] After the foundation of the first Hungarian university in Pécs in 1367,^[33] the second one was established in Óbuda in 1395.^[33] The first Hungarian book was printed in Buda in 1473.^[34]

Hungarian Royal Palace (picture from 1930).

The Ottomans pillaged Buda in 1526, besieged it in 1529, and finally occupied it in 1541. The Turkish occupation lasted for more than 140 years.^[6] The Turks constructed some fine bathing facilities here.^[10] The unoccupied western part of the country became part of the Habsburg Empire as Royal Hungary.

In 1686, two years after the unsuccessful siege of Buda, a renewed campaign was started to enter the Hungarian capital. This time, the Holy League's army was twice as large, containing over 74,000 men, including German, Croat, Dutch, Hungarian, English, Spanish, Czech, Italian, French, Burgundian, Danish and Swedish soldiers, along with other Europeans as volunteers, artilleryman, and officers, the Christian forces reconquered Buda, and in the next few years, all of the former Hungarian lands, except areas near Timişoara (Temesvár), were taken from the Turks. In the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz these territorial changes were officially recognized, and in 1718 the entire Kingdom of Hungary was removed from Ottoman rule.

The city was destroyed during the battle.^[6] Hungary was then incorporated into the Habsburg Empire.^[6]

The nineteenth century was dominated by the Hungarians' struggle for independence^[6] and modernization. The national insurrection against the Habsburgs began in the Hungarian capital in 1848 and was defeated a little more than a year later.

The Hungarian State Opera House, built in the time of Austria-Hungary.

1867 was the year of Reconciliation that brought about the birth of Austria-Hungary.

Cutaway Drawing of Millennium Underground in Budapest (1894–1896) which was the second underground in the world.

The polyethnic nature of Budapest in 1919. During the Hungarian Soviet Republic the Heroes Square of Budapest was completely demolished and rebuilt into Marx-Engels memorial by the communists. The statues of Hungarian national heroes were toppled. The Hungarian national symbols were banned, many Hungarian historic monuments were destroyed in the name of internationalism.

This made Budapest the twin capital of a dual monarchy. It was this compromise which opened the second great phase of development in the history of Budapest, lasting until World War I. In 1873 Buda and Pest were officially merged with the third part, Óbuda (Ancient Buda), thus creating the new metropolis of Budapest. The dynamic Pest grew into the country's administrative, political, economic, trade and cultural hub. Budapest went from about 80% German-speaking in 1848 to about 80% Hungarian-speaking in 1880.^[35] The capital, Budapest, was 23% Jewish. Due to the prosperity and the large Jewish community of the city, Budapest was often called as the "Jewish Mecca"^[36] World War I brought the Golden Age to an end. In 1918 Austria-Hungary lost the war and collapsed; Hungary declared itself an independent republic. In 1920 the Treaty of Trianon finalized the country's partition, as a result, Hungary lost over two-thirds of its territory, about two-thirds of its inhabitants under the treaty including 3.3 million out of 10 million ethnic Hungarians.^[37][38]

In 1944, towards the end of World War II, Budapest was partly destroyed by British and American air raids. From 24 December 1944 to 13 February 1945, the city was besieged during the Battle of Budapest. Budapest suffered major damage caused by the attacking Soviet troops and the defending German and Hungarian troops. All bridges were destroyed by the Germans. More than 38,000 civilians lost their lives during the conflict.

Hungarian Jewish WWII Memorial

.

Between 20% and 40% of Greater Budapest's 250,000 Jewish inhabitants died through Nazi and Arrow Cross Party genocide during 1944 and early 1945.^[39] Despite this, modern day Budapest has the highest number of Jewish citizens per capita of any European city.

In 1949, Hungary was declared a communist People's Republic. The new Communist government considered the buildings like the Buda Castle symbols of the former regime, and during the 1950s the palace was gutted and all the interiors were destroyed.

In 1956, peaceful demonstrations in Budapest led to the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution. The Leadership collapsed after mass demonstrations began on 23 October, but Soviet tanks entered Budapest to crush the revolt. Fighting continued until early November, leaving more than 3000 dead.

From the 1960s to the late 1980s Hungary was often satirically referred to as "the happiest barrack" within the Eastern bloc, and much of the wartime damage to the city was finally repaired. Work on Erzsébet Bridge, the last to be rebuilt, was finished in 1965. In the early 1970s, Budapest Metro's East-West M2 line was first opened, followed by the M3 line in 1982. In 1987, Buda Castle and the banks of the Danube were included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Andrassy Avenue (including the Millennium Underground Railway, Hősök tere and Városliget) was added to the UNESCO list in 2002. In the 1980s the city's population reached 2.1 million. In recent times a significant decrease in population occurred mainly due to a massive movement to the neighbouring agglomeration in Pest county. In the last decades of the 20th century the political changes of 1989-90 concealed changes in civil society and along the streets of Budapest. The monuments of the dictatorship were taken down from public places, into Memento Park.

Geography

Budapest as seen from SPOT satellite.

The 525 km² area of Budapest lies in central Hungary surrounded by settlements of the agglomeration in Pest county. The capital extends 25 and 29 kilometers in the north-south, east-west direction respectively. The Danube enters the city from the north; later it encircles two islands, Óbuda Island and Margaret Island.^[6] The third island Csepel Island is the largest of the Budapest Danube islands, however only its northernmost tip is within city limits. The river that separates the two parts of the city is only 230 m (755 ft) wide at its narrowest point in Budapest. Pest lies on the flat terrain of the Great Plain while Buda is rather hilly.^[6] Pest's terrain rises with a slight eastward gradient, so the easternmost parts of the city lie at the same altitude as Buda's smallest hills, notably Gellért Hill and Castle Hill. The Buda hills consist mainly of limestone and dolomite, the water created speleothems, the most famous ones being the Pálvölgyi cave and the Szemlőhegyi cave. The hills were formed in the Triassic Era. The highest point of the hills and of Budapest is János hill, at 527 metres (1,729 ft) above sea level. The lowest point is the line of the Danube which is 96 metres (315 ft) above sea level. The forests of Buda hills are environmentally protected.

Climate

The city has a temperate, transitional climate - somewhere between the mild, snowy weather of Transdanubia, the variable continental climate of the flat and open Great Plain to the east and the almost sub-Mediterranean weather of the south.^[40]

Sports

City Park (Városliget) has one of the largest artificial ice surfaces in the world. It's home to Hungarian bandy. The B-group at the Bandy World Championship 2004 was held here [2] and also the Bandy World Championship for women 2007[3]. Budapest is also home to Ferencvárosi Torna Club a sports club best known for its football team.

Population

Ethnic groups

Population by nationalities according to the 2001 census, (Based on self-determination)^[42]:

• Hungarians - 1,631,043 (91.2%, 56.75% in 1880)
• Germans - 18,097 (1%, 34.3% in 1880)
• Roma - 14,019 (0.8%, 0% in 1880)
• Slovaks - 4,929 (0.3%, 6.1% in 1880)
• Others (mainly Poles, Greeks, Romanians) - 16,762
• No answer (unknown) - 93,071

According to Demográfiai Portré ("Demographical Portrait") estimation of 2009 95.6% of Budapest's population was native Hungarian (91% ethnic Hungarian, 4.6% Roma (Gypsi)) and 4.4% foreigner (mainly ethnic Hungarians from Transylvania, Romania and Voivodina, Serbia).^[43]

Religions

Population by denominations:^[44]

• Roman Catholic - 808,460 (45.5%, 67.4% in 1880)
• Calvinist - 224,169 (12.6%, 6.1% in 1880)
• Lutheran - 46,449 (2.6%, 5.5% in 1880)
• Greek Catholic - 28,901 (1.6%)
• Jewish - 9,468 (0.5%, 19.7% in 1880)
• Atheist - 347,209 (19.5%)
• Others (mainly Christian) - 26,681
• No answer (unknown) - 286,584

Districts

Panorama of Budapest, facing Pest from the walls of Buda Castle.

Originally Budapest had 10 districts after coming into existence upon the unification of the three cities in 1873. On 1 January 1950 Budapest was united with several neighboring towns and the number of its districts was raised to 22 (Greater Budapest). At that time there were changes both in the order of districts and in their sizes. Now there are 23 districts, 6 in Buda, 16 in Pest and 1 on Csepel Island between them. Each district can be associated with one or more city parts named after former towns within Budapest. The city centre itself in a broader sense comprises the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 13th districts on the Pest side, and the 1st, 2nd, 11th and 12th on the Buda side of the city^[45].

Economy

Around Budapest is concentrated almost 60% of the industry of Hungary. In the city are situated the centers for Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgist and light industry. More industrial enterprises are located in the neighborhoods of Újpest and Óbuda. Many worldwide companies for production of domestic equipment, have located their factories here.

Main sights

AmphiCoach GTS-1 amphibious sightseeing bus in front of the Hungarian Parliament Building

The neo-Gothic Parliament, containing amongst other things the Hungarian Crown Jewels. Saint Stephen's Basilica, where the Holy Right Hand of the founder of Hungary, King Saint Stephen is on display. The Hungarian cuisine and café culture: for example, Gerbeaud Café, and the Százéves, Biarritz, Fortuna, Alabárdos, Arany Szarvas, Kárpátia and the world famous Mátyás Pince Restaurants. There are Roman remains at the Aquincum Museum, and historic furniture at the Nagytétény Castle Museum.

The Castle Hill, the River Danube embankments and the whole of Andrássy út have been officially recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Castle Hill and the Castle District; there are three churches here, six museums, and a host of interesting buildings, streets and squares. The former Royal Palace is one of the symbols of Hungary – and has been the scene of battles and wars ever since the thirteenth century. Nowadays it houses two impressive museums and the National Széchenyi Library. The nearby Sándor Palace contains the offices and official residence of the President of Hungary. The seven-hundred year-old Matthias Church is one of the jewels of Budapest. Next to it is an equestrian statue of the first king of Hungary, King Saint Stephen, and behind that is the Fisherman's Bastion, from where opens out a panoramic view of the whole city. Statues of the Turul, the mythical guardian bird of Hungary, can be found in both the Castle District and the Twelfth District.

The Holy Crown, a key symbol of Hungary

In Pest, arguably the most important sight is Andrássy út. As far as Kodály Körönd and Oktogon both sides are lined with large shops and flats built close together. Between there and Heroes’ Square the houses are detached and altogether grander. Under the whole runs continental Europe’s oldest Underground railway, most of whose stations retain their original appearance. Heroes’ Square is dominated by the Millenary Monument, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front. To the sides are the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Arts, and behind City Park opens out, with Vajdahunyad Castle. One of the jewels of Andrássy út is the Hungarian State Opera House. Statue Park, a theme park with striking statues of the Communist era, is located just outside the main city and is accessible by public transport.

The city is home to the largest synagogue in Europe (Dohány Street Synagogue),^[46] and second largest working in the World .^[47] The synagogue is located in the Jewish district taking up several blocks in central Budapest bordered by Király utca, Wesselényi utca, Grand Boulevard (Budapest) and Bajcsy Zsilinszky road. The city is also proud at the largest medicinal bath in Europe (Széchenyi Medicinal Bath) and the third largest Parliament building in the world, once the largest in the world. The third largest church in Europe (Esztergom Basilica) and the second largest Baroque castle in the world (Gödöllő) are in the vicinity.

The world's largest panorama photograph was created in (and of) Budapest in 2010.^[48]

Matthias Church	Széchenyi Chain Bridge	Museum of Fine Arts	Saint Stephen's Basilica
Heroes' Square with the Millenary Monument	Vigadó Concert Hall	Vajdahunyad Castle	Saint Elisabeth Church
The Great Synagogue	Museum of Applied Arts	New York Café	Hungarian National Museum
Fisherman's Bastion	Holy Trinity's square	View of Budapest with the river Danube, the Parliament in the middle and the Buda hills in the background	Andrássy Avenue, it was recognised as a World Heritage Site
"Fashion Street"	Váci Street is one of the main shopping streets in Budapest.	Castle Theatre	National Theatre
Buda Castle	Heroes' Square	Liberty Bridge	City of Budapest seen from Saint Stephen's Basilica

Islands

Margaret Island

Seven islands can be found on the Danube: Shipyard Island, Margaret Island, Csepel Island, Palotai-sziget (now a peninsula), Népsziget, Háros-sziget, and Molnár-sziget.

Notable islands include:

• Margaret Island is a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long island and 0.965 square kilometres (238 acres) in area. The island mostly consists of a park and is a popular recreational area for tourists and locals alike. The island lies between bridges Margaret Bridge (south) and Árpád Bridge (north). Dance clubs, Swimming pools, an Aqua park, athletic and fitness centres, bicycle and running tracks can be found around the Island. During the day the island is occupied by people doing sports, or just resting. In the summer (generally on the weekends) mostly young people go to the island at night to party in its terraces, or to recreate with a bottle of alcohol on a bench or on the grass (this form of entertainment is sometimes referred to as bench-partying).
• Csepel Island (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈtʃɛpɛlsiɡɛt]) is the largest island of the River Danube in Hungary. It is 48 km (30 mi) long; its width is 6–8 km (3.75–5 mi) and its area comprises 257 km² (99 sq mi), whereas only the northern tip is inside the city limits.
• Hajógyári-sziget ([ˈhɒjoːɟaːri siɡɛt], or Óbudai-sziget) is a man built island, located in the third district. This island hosts many activities such as: wake-boarding, jet-skiing during the day, and dance clubs during the night. This is the island where the famous Sziget Festival takes place, hosting hundreds of performances per year and now around 400,000 visitors in its last edition. Many building projects are taking place to make this island into one of the biggest entertainment centres of Europe, the plan is to build Apartment buildings, hotels, casinos and a marina.
• Luppa-sziget is the smallest island of Budapest, located in the north region.

Spas

Rudas Baths is a thermal and medicinal bath that was first built in 1550

One of the reasons the Romans first colonized the area immediately to the west of the River Danube and established their regional capital at Aquincum (now part of Óbuda, in northern Budapest) is so that they could utilize and enjoy the thermal springs. There are still ruins visible today of the enormous baths that were built during that period. The new baths that were constructed during the Turkish period (1541–1686) served both bathing and medicinal purposes, and some of these are happily still in use to this day. Budapest really gained its reputation as a city of spas in the 1920s, following the first realization of the economic potential of the thermal waters in drawing in visitors. Indeed in 1934 Budapest was officially ranked as a "City of Spas". Today, the baths are mostly frequented by the older generation, as, with the exception of the “Magic Bath” and "Cinetrip" water discos, young people tend to prefer the lidos which are open in the summer. Construction of the Király Baths started in 1565, and most of the present-day building dates from the Turkish period, including most notably the fine cupola-topped pool.

The Rudas Baths are not only superbly centrally placed – in the narrow strip of land between Gellért Hill and the River Danube – they are also an outstanding example of architecture dating from the Turkish period. The central feature is an octagonal pool over which light is thrown from a 10 m diameter cupola, supported by eight pillars.

Széchenyi Thermal Bath.

The Gellért Baths and Hotel were built in 1918, although there had once been Turkish baths on the site, and in the Middle Ages a hospital. In 1927 the Baths were extended to include the wave pool, and the effervescent bath was added in 1934. With its immaculately preserved Art Nouveau interior, including colourful mosaics, marble columns, stained glass windows and statues, this is without doubt the most beautiful bathing complex in Budapest.

The Lukács Baths are also in Buda and are also Turkish in origin, although they were only revived at the end of the nineteenth century. This was also when the spa and treatment centre were founded. Happily, there is still something of an atmosphere of fin-de-siècle about the place, and all around the inner courtyard there are marble tablets recalling the thanks of patrons who were cured there. Since the 1950s it has been regarded as a centre for intellectuals and artists.

The Széchenyi Baths are one of the largest bathing complexes in all Europe, and the only “old” medicinal baths to be found in the Pest side of the city. The indoor medicinal baths date from 1913 and the outdoor pools from 1927. There is an atmosphere of grandeur about the whole place with the bright, largest pools resembling aspects associated with Roman baths, the smaller bath tubs reminding one of the bathing culture of the Greeks, and the saunas and diving pools borrowed from traditions emanating in northern Europe. The three outdoor pools (one of which is a fun pool) are open all year, including winter. Indoors there are over ten separate pools, and a whole host of medical treatments is also available.

Transport

Airport

Budapest Ferihegy International Airport.

Map of the Budapest Metro.

Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, which has 3 passenger terminals: Ferihegy 1, which tends to serve the many discount airlines now flying to and from Budapest, Ferihegy 2/A and Ferihegy 2/B. Terminal 3 is planned to be built. The airport is located to the east of the centre in the XVIII. district in Pestszentlőrinc.

Megyeri Bridge, M0 motorway, north sector.

Budapest Castle Hill Funicular

Roads

Budapest is the most important Hungarian road terminus; all the major highways end there. Budapest is also a major railway terminus.

Ring road M0 around Budapest was recently completed and allows people to go around Budapest from East to West and from North to South, however there is no way from West to North - you must go around to the South.

Public transport

Budapest public transport is provided by BKV,^[49] the company operates buses, trolleybuses, trams, suburban railway lines, the metro, a boat service, a cogwheel railway and a chairlift, called Libegő.

Budapest's tram network is extensive, and reliable despite poor track infrastructure and an ageing fleet. Routes 4 and 6 combined form the busiest traditional city tram line in the world, with the world's longest passenger trams (54-metre (177 ft) long Siemens Combino) running at 60 to 90 second intervals at peak time and 3–4 minutes off-peak and usually packed with people.

Day services operate from 4:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. each day. Night traffic (a reduced overnight service) has a reputation for being excellent.

There are three metro lines and a fourth is currently under construction. The Yellow line, built in 1896, is one of the oldest subway lines in the world, following London Underground and the Istanbul Metro that were built respectively in 1863 and 1875.

Railways

Hungarian main-line railways are operated by MÁV. There are three main railway termini in Budapest, Keleti (eastbound), Nyugati (westbound), and Déli (southbound), operating both domestic and international rail services. Budapest was one of the main stops of the Orient Express until 2001, when the service was cut back to Paris-Vienna. There is also a suburban rail service in and around Budapest, operated under the name HÉV.

Waterways

The river Danube flows through Budapest on its way to the Black Sea. The river is easily navigable and so Budapest has historically been a major commercial port (at Csepel). In the summer months a scheduled hydrofoil service operates up the Danube to Vienna.

Budapest Keleti pályaudvar

Budapest Nyugati pályaudvar

Special vehicles

Beside metros, suburban rails, buses, trams and boats, there are a couple of less usual vehicles in Budapest:

• trolleybus on several lines in Pest
• the Castle Hill Funicular between the Chain Bridge and Buda Castle
• cyclecar for rent in Margaret Island
• chairlift
• the Budapest Cog-wheel Railway
• children's railway ^[49]

The latter three vehicles run among Buda hills.

Education

Main Building of the BME. One of the oldest University of Technology in the World, founded in 1782.

Main Building of the Corvinus University of Budapest

Budapest is Hungary's main centre of education and home to numerous universities:

• Budapest University of Technology and Economics
• Corvinus University of Budapest
• Eötvös Loránd University
• Semmelweis University (medical university)
• Szent István University, Faculty of Veterinary Science
• Budapest Business School

• Pázmány Péter Catholic University
• Károli Gáspár University of the Hungarian Reformed Church
• Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies

• Central European University
• Andrássy Gyula German Language University of Budapest

• Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design
• Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music

Timeline of the history of Budapest

Aquincum Museum (Aquincum was the capital of Pannonia.)

The tomb of the Turkish dervish Gül Baba in Budapest

The Recapture of Buda Castle (1686)

Buda and Pest (ca. 1850)

Andrássy Avenue (1896)

Buda Castle

Buda Castle Daytime

Parliament Building

Gresham Palace

Gerbeaud Confectionery

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Budapest is twinned with:^[50][51][52]

Country	City	County / District / Region / State	Date
Austria	Vienna	Vienna	1990
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sarajevo	Sarajevo Canton	1995
Bulgaria	Sofia	Sofia City
China (PRC)	Beijing	Beijing	2005[53]
Croatia	Zagreb	Zagreb	1994[54]
France	Paris	Paris	1956
Germany	Berlin	Berlin	1992[55]
Germany	Frankfurt am Main	Hessen	1990
Indonesia	Jakarta	Jakarta Special Capital Region	2009[56]
Israel	Tel Aviv	Tel Aviv District	1989[57]
Italy	Florence	Tuscany	2008[58]
Poland	Warsaw	Masovian Voivodeship	2005[59]
Portugal	Lisbon	District of Lisbon	1992
Romania	Bucharest	Bucharest	1991
Slovakia	Košice	Košice Region	1997[60]
South Korea	Daejeon	Daejeon	1994[61]
Thailand	Bangkok	Bangkok	2007
Ukraine	Lviv	Ukraine	1993[62]
United States	Fort Worth	Texas	1990[63]
United States	New York City	New York	1992[64]

Some of the city's districts are also twinned to small cities or districts of other big cities, for details see the article List of districts and towns in Budapest.

Partnerships

• Kraków, Poland^[65]

See also

Christmas market, Budapest

• List of cemeteries in Budapest
• List of famous people of Budapest
• Music of Budapest
• Urban and Suburban Transit Association (most of its activity is centred around Budapest)
• Budapest metropolitan area

References

Sources

• DK Publishing, Budapest: Eyewitness Travel Guildes (2007). DK Travel. ISBN 978-0756624354. 
• Barber, Annabel (2004). Visible Cities Budapest: A City Guide. Somerset. ISBN 978-9632129860. 
• Ungvary, Krisztian (2006). The Siege of Budapest: One Hundred Days in World War II. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300119855. 
• Molnar, Miklos (2001). A Concise History of Hungary. Cambridge Concise Histories (Fifth printing 2008 ed.). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521667364. 

Notes

External links

• Official homepage
• Budapest Tourist Office
• Public transport in Budapest
• MÁV-Start Railway Passenger Transport Co.
• Budapest on Facebook
• Budapest travel guide from Wikitravel
• Beautiful Budapest: Vintage Photos - slideshow by Life magazine
• 70 gigapixel photo of Budapest

Counties of Hungary Counties Bács-Kiskun · Baranya · Békés · Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén · Csongrád · Fejér · Győr-Moson-Sopron · Hajdú-Bihar · Heves · Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok · Komárom-Esztergom · Nógrád · Pest · Somogy · Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg · Tolna · Vas · Veszprém · Zala Urban counties Békéscsaba · Budapest (capital) · Debrecen · Dunaújváros · Eger · Érd · Győr · Hódmezővásárhely · Kaposvár · Kecskemét · Miskolc · Nagykanizsa · Nyíregyháza · Pécs · Salgótarján · Sopron · Szeged · Székesfehérvár · Szekszárd · Szolnok · Szombathely · Tatabánya · Veszprém · Zalaegerszeg

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World Heritage Sites in Hungary Central Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue Transdanubia Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae) · Fertő / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape1 · Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment Great Plain and North Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst2 · Hortobágy National Park – the Puszta · Old Village of Hollókő and its Surroundings · Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape 1 Shared with Austria · 2 Shared with Slovakia

The Danube Countries Germany · Austria · Slovakia · Hungary · Croatia · Serbia · Bulgaria · Romania · Moldova · Ukraine Cities Donaueschingen · Ulm · Ingolstadt · Regensburg · Passau · Linz · Vienna · Bratislava · Győr · Komárom · Komárno · Esztergom · Budapest · Dunaújváros · Baja · Vukovar · Novi Sad · Belgrade · Smederevo · Drobeta-Turnu Severin · Negotin · Calafat · Vidin · Lom · Svishtov · Giurgiu · Rousse · Silistra · Cernavodă · Brăila · Galaţi · Izmail · Tulcea · Sulina Tributaries Iller · Lech · Regen · Isar · Inn · Morava · Váh  · Hron  · Ipeľ · Drava · Tisza · Sava · Timiş · Velika Morava · Timok · Jiu · Iskar · Olt · Osam · Yantra · Vedea · Argeş · Ialomiţa · Siret · Prut Islands Ada Kaleh · Balta Ialomiţei · Belene Island · Csepel Island · Donauinsel · Great Brăila Island · Great War Island · Island of Vukovar · Island of Šarengrad · Kozloduy Island · Margaret Island · Ostrovul Ciocăneşti · Ostrovul Mare, Islaz · Ostrvo (Kostolac) · Vardim Island · Žitný ostrov List of crossings