Budapest the capital of Hungary in the Heart of Europe

June 13, 2009
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Budapest (pronounced /buːdəpɛst/ 1.8 mill inhabitants), the capital of Hungary serves as the country’s principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre – even more: is considered an important hub in Central Europe. It covers an area of 525 square kilometres (202.7 sq mi) within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with unification on 17 November 1873 of Buda and Óbuda (left) with Pest (right):

Budapest in Hungary - The View #6

Diane and I just came back from a romantic and adventures long weekend in this beautiful city took plenty of pics and would love to share some with you. Let’s learn something too and start with the beginning as Budapest history a gripping story from the early times to present days:

Historical background:
Archaeologists found evidence of human settlements as early as 500,000 BC. During the first 1000 years BC Illyrians and Celts lived in the area. Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement, was the direct ancestor of Budapest, becoming the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Magyars 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 in the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became an alpha world city after the 1873 unification. 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.

Uprising from two World Wars:
Somehow this nation stood on the wrong sides in both world wars. Although Hungary became independent from Austria after World War I, the Treaty of Trianon deprived the country of three-fifths of its land. Trianon is still a sensitive issue in everyday-life in Hungary. Budapest and the country needed a few decades to recover from the war, but they needed a couple of centuries to get over Trianon forever.
The consequences of the Treaty resulted in the outbreak of World War II, when Hungary backed the wrong horse again. Budapest was demolished in the siege in 1944-45. The Germans blown up all the Danube bridges and it took 30 years to rebuild the Hungarian capital. This rebuild has been a preserving process and gives a breath taking architectural impression. Let me give you a glance from some of my pics (click to bigify and enjoy):

Monumentally Buildings:
Budapest in Hungary - Buildings and Architecture #2 Budapest in Hungary - Buildings and Architecture #3
Budapest in Hungary - Buildings and Architecture #8 Budapest in Hungary - Buildings and Architecture #11

Architectural streets:
Budapest in Hungary - In the Streets #1 Budapest in Hungary - In the Streets #2
Budapest in Hungary - In the Streets #4 Budapest in Hungary - In the Streets #5

Parks, fountains and statues:
Budapest in Hungary - Parks and Statues #2 Budapest in Hungary - Parks and Statues #4
Budapest in Hungary - Parks and Statues #6 Budapest in Hungary - Parks and Statues #7


Let me end this glimpse of guidance with another landmark of the city, The Parliament:
Budapest in Hungary - The Parliament #1


It’s impossible to cover a city like Budapest in one post, so there will be more stories, more adventures, more to learn and even to eat – with pictures – in the nearest future. I will take you to the Heroes Square, the Horror House, Budapest’s Champs Elysees, Margit recreational island and even to some restaurants in the posts to come – so stay tuned!

A collection of all my Budapest posts from our trip in June 2009:
#0: All pics from Budapest at my Flickr account.
#1: This post
#2: House of Terror and Dohany Great Synagogue
#3: Andrassy Avenue with Heroes Square, City Park and Millennium Underground
#4: Hungarian paradise on Margaret Island and Park
#5: New York Café and Hungarian cuisine as food traditions in Budapest

History, Travel Abroad