Hungary

Budapest

  Budapest (Hungarian: [ˈbudɒpɛʃt]  names in other languages) is the capital and the largest city of Hungary, andone of the largest cities in Central Europe. It is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, andtransportation centre, sometimes described as the primate city of Hungary. In 2011, according to the census, Budapest had 1.74 million inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2.1 million due to suburbanisation. The Budapest Metropolitan Area is home to 3.3 million people. The city covers an area of 525 square kilometres (202.7 sq mi).Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with its unification on 17 November 1873 of Budaand Óbuda, on the west bank, with Pest, on the east bank.

  The history of Budapest began with Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement that became the Roman capital of Pannonia Inferior. Hungarians arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241–42. The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture by the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city after its unification in 1873. It also became the second capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that dissolved in 1918, following World War I. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Republic of Councils of 1919, Operation Panzerfaustin 1944, the Battle of Budapest in 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.

Cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, Budapest's 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 metro line in the world. It has around 80 geothermal springs, the world's largest thermal water cave system, second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building. The city attracts about 4.4 million tourists a year, making it the 25th most popular city in the world, and the 6th in Europe, according to Euromonitor.

Considered a financial hub in Central Europe, the city ranked third on Mastercard's Emerging Markets Index, and ranked as the most liveable Central or Eastern European city on EIU's quality of life index. It is also ranked as "the world's second best city" by Condé Nast Traveler, and "Europe's 7th most idyllic place to live" by Forbes, It is the highest ranked Central/Eastern European city on Innovation Cities' Top 100 index.

  Budapest is home to the headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and the first foreign office of the China Investment Promotion Agency. Eighteen universities are situated in Budapest, including the Central European University, Eötvös Loránd University and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

"Budapest" is the combination of the city names Buda and Pest, which were (together with Óbuda) united into a single city in 1873. One of the first documented occurrences of the combined name "Buda-Pest" was in 1831 in the book "Világ" ("World" / "Light"), written by Count István Széchenyi.

The origins of the names Buda and Pest are obscure. According to chronicles from the Middle Ages the name Buda comes from the name of its founder, Bleda (Buda), the brother of the Hunnic ruler Attila. The theory that "Buda" was named after a person is also supported by modern scholars. An alternative explanation suggests that Buda derives from the Slavic word вода, voda ("water"), a translation of the Latin name Aquincum, which was the main Roman settlement in the region.

There are also several theories about the origin of the name Pest. One of the theories claims that the word "Pest" comes from the Roman times, since there was a fortress "Contra-Aquincum" in this region which was referred to as "Pession" by Ptolemaios. According to another theory, Pest originates from the Slavic word for cave "пещера, peshchera" or from the word for oven, in reference to a cave where fires burned or to a local limekiln.

Sights of Budapest

Budapest possesses Roman ruins, still operating Turkish baths, the heritage of the Gothic and Baroque periods, as well as architectural masterpieces of the Art Nouveau and Bauhaus in close proximity. In addition, the city boasts two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Banks of the Danube since 1987, and Andrássy Avenue since 2002.

Buda Castle and the Matthias Church

With a vast array of sites, museums, as well as streets, squares, restaurants, cafés and stores with a unique atmosphere, Buda Castle and the whole of the Castle District are among the most well-known and frequently visited tourist attractions of Budapest. The Royal Palace, where many battles and wars took place from the 13th century, is a symbol for Hungary. In addition to three churches, including the Matthias Church (or Buda Castle Main Coronation Church), located on Szentháromság (Holy Trinity) Square—a monument with long history, one of the most beautiful and well-known catholic churches of the city, the Castle District also includes five museums, several buildings of historical interest as well as memorial sites and theatres. The Fisherman’s Bastion and the square in front of the National Gallery offer a breathtaking view of one of the most beautiful sections of the Danube.

Chain Bridge

With the Buda Castle in the background, the Hungarian capital’s first bridge, now a monument, is a fascinating spectacle that has attracted many tourists to Budapest. The bridge was built upon the request of Count István Széchenyi by designer William Tierney Clark and engineer Adam Clark between 1839 and 1849. Like many other Danube bridges, the Chain Bridge did not survive the ravages of the World War, so it had to be rebuilt in 1949, marking the centenary of its first opening. Visitors also have the opportunity to walk onto the top of the tunnel located on the Buda side, offering a marvellous view of the Danube, its bridges as well as the nicest parts of Pest.

Heroes’ Square

The three primary elements of this vast space are the Műcsarnok (Kunsthalle) built in 1896, the Museum of Fine Arts inaugurated in December 1906, and – bridging these two art institutions –the Millennium Memorial, on the 36-m-high central column of which Archangel Gabriel is shown holding aloft the Holy Crown of Hungary and the apostolic double cross. The monument was built in a semicircular form in Eclectic style. Bronze statues of seven figures from Hungarian history stand in each of the two colonnade.

St. Stephen’s Basilica

St. Stephen’s Basilica, or Lipót City Parish Church, is one of the most significant ecclesiastical buildings of Hungary as well as a major tourist attraction of the capital. It serves as the main site of worship for St. Stephen. The Basilica is named after St. Stephen, the founder of the Kingdom of Hungary, whose incorruptible right hand, known as the Holy Right, is kept here as a relic. It is the largest church in Budapest, the dome of which can be seen from all parts of the city. The Classicist Basilica was built between 1851 and 1905. Famous masterpieces in the church include statues by Alajos Stróbl as well as a painting of St. Stephen offering his country to the Virgin Mary by Gyula Benczúr. The dome of the building offers a wonderful 360° view of the Budapest.

Andrássy Avenue

Andrássy Avenue is a 2,310-metre boulevard lined with buildings in uniform architecture and linking the City Centre with the City Park. Andrássy Avenue, including the Millennium Underground Railway, running beneath the surface, as well as Heroes’ Square, located at is end, was recognised as a World Heritage Site in 2002. It accommodates the crème de la crème of Eclectic-style buildings in Budapest, among them a wealth of residential houses with wonderful and intimate inner courts, statues and foundations as well as the Opera House, built on the plans of Miklós Ybl.

Dohány Street Synagogue

It is the second-largest synagogue in the world, and tied with the Amsterdam Synagogue, the largest in Europe. It was built between 1854 and 1859 in Romantic style, on the plans of Ludwig Förster in cooperation with Frigyes Feszl. The building consists of three spacious aisles and seats more than 3,000 people. Due to its strong Oriental style, the use of colourful mud bricks, as well as the wrought-iron structure in its interior, the Dohány Street Synagogue is notable as an architectural landmark. During World War 2, it served as the boundary of the Budapest Ghetto—a fact remembered by The Memorial of the Hungarian Jewish Martyrs, a work of sculptor Imre Varga. The Jewish Museum, holding historical, religious and cultural relics of Hungarian Jewry, is located next to the synagogue.

Margaret Island

'Green ship’ of the River Danube, the home of springs, baths and green meadows. With a length of 2.8 kilometres, Margaret Island spans the area between Margaret Bridge and Árpád Bridge and is covered by the most beautiful park of the city with a modern skywalk. In addition, it also houses ruins of medieval sacred sites, promenades flanked by statues, a water tower classified as a heritage site by UNESCO, the famous “Music Well”, as well as a beach, a swimming pool, a running track, two hotels, restaurants, fast-food restaurants and bars.

The Spas of Budapest

The city officially won the title of a spa city in 1934, but people could already enjoy the treasures of natural hot springs in the Roman times. Every day 70 million litres of medicinal water with a temperature of 21-78 ˚C comes to the surface from the 118 natural springs discovered so far. Ten out of fifteen baths are open all year long in Budapest. You can even taste the medicinal water from several drinking wells in Budapest.

Budapest - presentation