Budapest (pronounced /ˈbuːdəpɛst/, also /ˈbʊdəpɛst/, /ˈbjuːdəpɛst/ or /ˈbuːdəpɛʃt/; Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈbudɒpɛʃt] ( listen); names in other languages) is the capital of Hungary Hungary /ˈhʌŋɡəri/ (Hungarian: Magyarország [ˈmɒɟɒrorsaːɡ] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Hungary (Magyar Köztársaság listen (help·info)), is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin in Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a.[1] As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments, but politics has been observed in other group interactions, including corporate, academic, and religious institutions. It consists of "social relations involving authority or power" and refers to, cultural Culture is a term that has different meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. However, the word "culture" is most commonly used in three basic senses:, commercial Commerce is a division of trade or production which deals with the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer OR commerce is the exchange of goods and services from the point of production to the point of consumption to satisfy human wants. It comprises the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services,, industrial Industry refers to the production of an economic good within an economy. There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction, and manufacturing; the tertiary sector, which deals with services (such as law, and transportation Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations centre.[2] In 2010, Budapest had 1,721,556 inhabitants,[3] down from 1980 peak of 2.06 million. The Budapest Commuter Area The Budapest Metropolitan Area or Budapest Agglomeration is a metropolitan area in Central Hungary. It means Greater Budapest and it's commuter belt. It has a population of 2.48 million (2008). In the official Budapest Commuter Area (established by the government in 2005) lived 3,271,110 people in 2008, so the Hungarian metropolis is the largest 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 The Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga with a unification on 17 November 1873 of right (west)-bank Buda Buda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian. The Roman name for Buda was Aquincum ("aqua" means "water" in Latin.) and Óbuda with left (east)-bank Pest Pest is the eastern, mostly flat part of Budapest, comprising about two thirds of Budapest's territory. It is divided from Buda, the other part of Budapest, by the Danube River. Among its most notable parts are the Inner City, including the Hungarian Parliament, Heroes' Square and Andrássy Avenue. In colloquial Hungarian, Pest is often used for.[6][7]

Aquincum The ancient city of Aquincum was situated on the North-Eastern borders of the Pannonia province within the Roman Empire. The ruins of the city can be found today in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. It is believed that Marcus Aurelius may have written at least part of his book Meditations at Aquincum, originally a Celtic The Iron Age and Roman-era Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Europe who spoke Celtic languages settlement,[8] was the direct ancestor of Budapest,[9] becoming the Roman Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world capital of Lower Pannonia.[8] Magyars Hungarians are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary, a Central European state, and its predecessor states (the Kingdom of Hungary and the People's Republic of Hungary). There are around 14 million Hungarians, of whom 10 million live in today's Hungary (as of 2001). About 2.5 million Hungarians live in areas that belonged to (the arrived in the territory[10] in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols The Mongol invasions of Eastern Europe, under the leadership of Subutai, centered on the destruction of East Slavic principalities, such as Kiev and Vladimir. The Mongols then invaded the Kingdom of Hungary and the fragmented Poland (Battle of Legnica), the former invasion commanded by Batu Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan, and the latter a in 1241-42.[11] The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist Renaissance Humanism was a European intellectual movement that was a crucial component of the Renaissance, beginning in Florence in the later half of the 14th century. The humani Social or civic humanism rose out of the republican ideology of Florence at the beginning of the fifteenth century. It sought to create citizens capable of participating culture[12] in the 15th century.[13] Following the Battle of Mohács The Battle of Mohács was fought on August 29, 1526 near Mohács, Hungary. In the battle, forces of the Kingdom of Hungary led by King Louis II of Hungary and Bohemia were defeated by forces of the Ottoman Empire led by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and nearly 150 years of Ottoman The Ottoman Empire was a regime that lasted from 1299 to 1923 rule,[14] development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city A global city is a city deemed to be an important node point in the global economic system. The concept comes from geography and urban studies and rests on the idea that globalization can be understood as largely created, facilitated and enacted in strategic geographic locales according to a hierarchy of importance to the operation of the global after the 1873 unification.[15] It also became the second capital of Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual Monarchy or the k.u.k. Monarchy, was a monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in Central Europe. The union was a result of the Ausgleich or Compromise of 1867, under which the Austrian House of Habsburg agreed to share power with the separate Hungarian government,, a great power A great power is a nation or state that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess economic, military, diplomatic, and cultural strength, which may cause other smaller nations to consider the opinions of great powers before taking actions of their own. International relations theorists have that dissolved World War I was a military conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918 and involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers. More than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilized in one of the largest wars in history. More than 15 million people were in 1918. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many revolutions that year and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. The revolution in the Kingdom of Hungary grew into a war for independence from Habsburg rule, the Hungarian Soviet Republic The Hungarian Soviet Republic or Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived Communist regime established in Hungary in the aftermath of World War I of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust Operation Panzerfaust, known as Unternehmen Eisenfaust in Germany, was a military operation to occupy the Kingdom of Hungary conducted in October 1944 by the German Military Forces . When German dictator Adolf Hitler received word that Hungary's Regent, Admiral Miklós Horthy, was secretly negotiating his country's surrender to the advancing Red in 1944, the Battle of Budapest The Siege of Budapest was a siege of the Hungarian capital city of Budapest, fought towards the end of World War II in Europe, during the Soviet Budapest Offensive. The siege started when Budapest, defended by Hungarian and German troops, was first encircled on 29 December 1944 by the Red Army and the Romanian Army. The siege ended when the city of 1945, and the Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the Stalinist government of the People's Republic of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956.

Regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus region (Specification of borders) and the Black Sea to the southeast. Europe is bordered by the,[1][16][17] its extensive World Heritage Site A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square Hősök tere is one of the major squares of Budapest, Hungary, rich with historic and political connotations. It lies at the end of Andrássy Avenue (with which it comprises part of an extensive World Heritage site), next to City Park 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 The Great Synagogue, also known as Dohány Street Synagogue or Tabakgasse Synagogue, is located in Erzsébetváros, the 7th district of Budapest. It is the largest synagogue in Eurasia and the second largest in the world, after the Temple Emanu-El in New York City. It seats 3,000 people and is a centre of Neolog Judaism, and third largest Parliament The Hungarian Parliament Building is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, one of Europe's oldest legislative buildings, a notable landmark of Hungary and a popular tourist destination of Budapest. It lies in Lajos Kossuth Square, on the bank of the Danube, in Budapest. It is currently the largest building in Hungary, and the second building.

Considered an important hub in Central Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. The term and widespread interest in the region itself came back into fashion after the end of the Cold War, which, along with the Iron Curtain, had divided Europe politically into East and West, splitting Central Europe in half,[21] the city ranked 3rd (out of 65 cities) on Mastercard MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters in Harrison, New York, United States. Throughout the world, its principal business is to process payments between the banks of merchants and the banks of purchasers that use its "MasterCard" brand debit's Emerging Markets Index Emerging Markets Index is a ranking of the 65 most influential cities in emerging economies, compiled by Mastercard (2008),[22] and ranked as the most livable Central/Eastern European city on EIU It is a research and advisory company providing country, industry and management analysis worldwide and incorporates the former Business International Corporation, a U.S. company acquired by the parent organization in 1986. It is particularly well known for its country profiles, monthly country reports, five-year country economic forecasts,'s quality of life The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and political science. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of living, which is based primarily on income index (both 2009 & 2010).[23][24] It is also ranked as "Europe's 7th most idyllic place to live" by Forbes Forbes, Inc. is a privately held publishing and media company. Its flagship publication is Forbes, a bi-weekly magazine, with a circulation over 900,000. In August 2006, the private equity firm, Elevation Partners, became a minority shareholder in a newly formed company, Forbes Media, which encompasses Forbes magazine and Forbes.com, one of the.[25] It attracts about 2.3 million visitors a year.[26] The headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology The regulation establishing the European Institute of Innovation and Technology came into force on 29 April 2008. The EIT is the EU's flagship education institute designed to assist innovation, research and growth in the European Union (EU) (EIT)[27] and the first foreign office of the CIPA will be in Budapest.[28]

Contents

History

Main article: History of Budapest Buda Castle during the Middle Ages The Middle Ages is a period of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The period followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, and preceded the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period in a three-period division of history: Classical, Medieval, and Modern. The term "Middle Ages" (medium aevum) was coined in.

The first settlement on the territory of Budapest was built by Celts The Iron Age and Roman-era Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Europe who spoke Celtic languages[8] before 1 AD. It was later occupied by the Romans Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world. The Roman settlement - Aquincum The ancient city of Aquincum was situated on the North-Eastern borders of the Pannonia province within the Roman Empire. The ruins of the city can be found today in Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. It is believed that Marcus Aurelius may have written at least part of his book Meditations at 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 Hungarians are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary, a Central European state, and its predecessor states (the Kingdom of Hungary and the People's Republic of Hungary). There are around 14 million Hungarians, of whom 10 million live in today's Hungary (as of 2001). About 2.5 million Hungarians live in areas that belonged to (the led by Árpád Árpád , the second Grand Prince of the Magyars (Hungarians) (c. 895 – c. 907 or 907). Under his rule the Magyar people settled in the Carpathian basin. The dynasty descending from him ruled the Magyar tribes and later the Kingdom of Hungary until 1301 settled in the territory at the end of the 9th century,[10][31] and a century later officially founded the Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary , emerged in 1000, when the Principality of Hungary, founded in 896, was recognized as a Kingdom. The form of government was changed from monarchy to Republic briefly in 1918 and again in 1946, ending the Kingdom and creating the Republic of Hungary. During most of its history, it was a considerable state in Central Europe,.[10] Research places the probable residence of the Árpáds as an early place of central power near what became Budapest.[32] The Tatar Tatars , sometimes spelled Tartars, are a Turkic ethnic group numbering 10 million in the late 20th Century, including all subgroups of Tatars, such as Siberian Tatars, Volga Tatars, and Lipka Tatars 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 Buda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian. The Roman name for Buda was Aquincum ("aqua" means "water" in Latin.). In 1361[11] it became the capital A capital city is the area of a country, province, region, or state, regarded as enjoying primary status; although there are exceptions, a capital is almost always a city which physically encompasses the offices and meeting places of the seat of government and is fixed by law. An alternate term is political capital, but this phrase has a second of Hungary.[6]

The cultural role of Buda was particularly significant during the reign of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary Matthias Corvinus also called the Just, was King of Hungary from 1458 to his death. After conducing several military campaigns he became also King of Bohemia, (1469-1490) and Duke of Austria.[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. The Heroes Square of Budapest was completely demolished and rebuilt into Marx-Engels memorial by the communists.

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] 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.[36][37]

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.[38] 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 habitants 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

Main article: Climate of Budapest

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.[39]

Climate data for Budapest
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 18.1 (64.6) 19.7 (67.5) 25.4 (77.7) 30.2 (86.4) 34.0 (93.2) 39.5 (103.1) 40.7 (105.3) 39.4 (102.9) 35.2 (95.4) 30.8 (87.4) 22.6 (72.7) 19.3 (66.7) 40.7 (105.3)
Average high °C (°F) 1.2 (34.2) 4.5 (40.1) 10.2 (50.4) 16.3 (61.3) 21.4 (70.5) 24.4 (75.9) 26.5 (79.7) 26.0 (78.8) 22.1 (71.8) 16.1 (61) 8.1 (46.6) 3.1 (37.6) 15.0 (59)
Daily mean °C (°F) -1.6 (29.1) 1.1 (34) 5.6 (42.1) 11.1 (52) 15.9 (60.6) 19.0 (66.2) 20.8 (69.4) 20.2 (68.4) 16.4 (61.5) 11.0 (51.8) 4.8 (40.6) 0.4 (32.7) 10.4 (50.7)
Average low °C (°F) -4.0 (24.8) -1.7 (28.9) 1.7 (35.1) 6.3 (43.3) 10.8 (51.4) 13.9 (57) 15.4 (59.7) 14.9 (58.8) 11.5 (52.7) 6.7 (44.1) 2.1 (35.8) -1.8 (28.8) 6.3 (43.3)
Record low °C (°F) -25.6 (-14.1) -23.4 (-10.1) -15.1 (4.8) -4.6 (23.7) -1.6 (29.1) 3.0 (37.4) 5.9 (42.6) 5.0 (41) -3.1 (26.4) -9.5 (14.9) -16.4 (2.5) -20.8 (-5.4) -25.6 (-14.1)
Precipitation mm (inches) 38.5 (1.516) 36.7 (1.445) 37.4 (1.472) 47.2 (1.858) 64.5 (2.539) 69.8 (2.748) 50.4 (1.984) 49.5 (1.949) 42.7 (1.681) 46.9 (1.846) 59.9 (2.358) 49.3 (1.941) 592.8 (23.339)
Sunshine hours 55 84 137 182 230 248 274 255 197 156 67 48 1,933
Source: www.met.hu[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 Budapest Honvéd FC a sports club best known for its football team.

Population

Main article: Demographics of Budapest
Historical populations
Year Pop. %±
1870 302,085 —
1880 402,706 33.3%
1890 560,079 39.1%
1900 861,434 53.8%
1910 1,110,453 28.9%
1920 1,232,026 10.9%
1930 1,442,069 17.0%
1941 1,712,791 18.8%
1949 1,590,316 −7.2%
1956 1,848,000 16.2%
1958 1,764,000 −4.5%
1960 1,804,606 2.3%
1970 2,001,083 10.9%
1980 2,059,226 2.9%
1990 2,016,681 −2.1%
2001 1,777,921 −11.8%
2005 1,695,814 −4.6%
2009 1,712,210 1.0%

Ethnic groups

Population by nationalities according to the 2001 census, (Based on self-determination)[41]:

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).[42]

Religions

Population by denominations:[43]

Districts

Panorama of Budapest, facing Pest from the walls of Buda Castle. Main article: List of districts in Budapest

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.

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

Economy

This section requires expansion.

Main sights

AmphiCoach GTS-1 amphibious sightseeing bus in front of the Hungarian Parliament Building See also: List of sights and historic places in Budapest

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),[44] and second largest working in the World .[45] The synagogue is located in the Jewish district standing up of several blocks in downtown 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.

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:

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,[46] 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[citation needed].

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

Main articles: MÁV and HÉV

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:

The latter three vehicles run among Buda hills.

Education

Main Building of the BME. 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:

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
Year Event
B.C. Neolithic, Chalcolithic-, bronze and iron age cultures, Celtic and Eravisci settlements on present day Budapest.
1st century Romans found the settlements known as Aquincum, Contra-Aquincum and Campona. Aquincum becomes the largest town of the Danubian region and one of the capitals of Pannonia.
5th century The Age of Huns. King Attila builds a city for himself here according to later chronicles.
896 Following the foundation of Hungary, Árpád, leader of the Hungarians, settles in the "Town of Attila", usually identified as Aquincum.
10th century Out of the seven to ten Hungarian tribes, four have settlements in the territory of modern Budapest: Megyer, Keszi, Jenő and Nyék.[citation needed]
1046 Bishop Gellért dies at the hands of pagans on present-day Gellért Hill.
1241 During the Tatar invasions both towns are destroyed. King Béla IV builds the first royal castle on Castle Hill, Buda in 1248. The new town adopts the name of Buda from the earlier one (present day Óbuda). Pest is surrounded by city walls.
1270 Saint Margaret of Hungary dies in a cloister on the Isle of Rabbits (present day Margaret Island).
1458 The noblemen of Hungary elect Matthias Corvinus (in Latin) or Hunyadi Mátyás (in Hungarian) as king on the ice of the Danube. Under his reign Buda becomes a main hub of European Renaissance. He dies in 1490, after capturing Vienna in 1485.
1541 The beginning of Ottoman occupation. The Turkish Pashas build multiple mosques and baths in Buda.
1686 Buda and Pest are reconquered from the Turks with Habsburg leadership. Both towns are destroyed completely in the battles.
1690s Resettlement, initially only a few hundred German settlers.
1773 Election of the first Mayor of Pest.
1777 Maria Theresa of Austria moves Nagyszombat University to Castle Hill.
1783 Joseph II places the acting government (Helytartótanács) and Magyar Kamara on Buda.
1795 20 May Ignác Martinovics and other Jacobin leaders are executed on Vérmező or 'The Field of Blood'.
1810 A fire in the Tabán district.
1825 Commencement of the Reform Era. Pest becomes the cultural and economic centre of the country. The first National Theatre is built, along with the Hungarian National Museum and the Széchenyi Lánchíd.
1838 The biggest flood in recent memory in March. Pest is completely inundated.
1848 15 March Start of the Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-49. Pest replaces Pozsony/Pressburg (Bratislava) as the new capital of Hungary and seat of the Batthyány government and the Parliament.
1849 The Austrians occupy the city in early January, but the Hungarian Honvédsereg (Army of National Defense) reclaims it in April, taking the fortress of Buda on May 21 after an 18-day siege. In July, the Habsburg army again captures the two towns.
1849 6 October Lajos Batthyány, the first Hungarian Prime Minister is executed on the present-day Szabadság tér.
1867 Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, followed by unprecedented civic development, resulting in the style of present day Budapest.
1873 The former cities: Pest, Buda and Óbuda are united, and with that the Hungarian capital is established with the name of Budapest.
1874 The Budapest Cog-wheel Railway service is inaugurated.
1878 Electric public lighting installed in downtown.
1893 Electrification of Budapest finished
1896 Millennium celebrations, the Millennium Underground is inaugurated, and the Ferenc József híd (today's Freedom Bridge) is opened.
1909–1910 Electric public lighting expanded to the suburbs, the nearby towns villages had Electric public lighting.
1910 The census finds 880,000 people in Budapest and 55,000 in the largest suburb of Újpest (now part of Budapest). The religious make-up was 60.9% Catholic, 23.1% Jewish, 9.9% Calvinist and 5.0% Lutheran. Újpest was 65.9% Catholic, 18.4% Jewish, 9.7% Calvinist and 4.5% Lutheran. The percentage of ethnic Germans was 9.0% in Budapest and 5.7% in Újpest, while 2.3% of the population claimed to be Slovak. (Source: Történelmi Magyarország atlasza és adattára 1914, Budapest, 2001.)
1918–1919 Revolution and the 133 days of the Hungarian Soviet Republic (March-August 1919) under the leadership of Béla Kun. It is the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.
1924 Hungarian National Bank is founded.
1925 Hungarian Radio commences broadcasting.
1933 Disassembly of the Tabán commences.
1944 19 March Budapest is occupied by the Germans. At the time of the occupation, there were 184,000 Jews and between 65,000 and 80,000 Christians considered Jewish in the town.

Fewer than half of them (approximately 119,000) survived the following 11 months.
1944 26 December - 13 Ferbuary Soviet and Romanian troops besiege Budapest from 15 January to 18 January. The retreating Germans destroy all Danube bridges. On 18 January, Pest is completely occupied by Soviets. The Buda castle falls on 13 February. World War II took the lives of close to 200,000 Budapest residents and caused widespread damage to the buildings of the city.
1956 23 October - 4 November The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 breaks out, ending in the invasion of a large Soviet force.
1960s Wartime damages are largely repaired. Work on the final bridge to be repaired, the Elizabeth Bridge is finished in 1965.
1970–1972 The first phase of the East-Western Metro begins.
1982 The first phase of the North-Southern Metro begins.
1987 Castle Hill and the banks of the Danube are included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
1990 The city is home to 2,016,100 residents.
2002 Andrássy Avenue is added to the list of World heritage Sites, along with the Millennium Underground railway and Heroes' Square.
2006 2006 Hungarian protests.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Hungary

Twin towns — Sister cities

Budapest is twinned with:[47][48][49]

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[50]
Croatia Zagreb Zagreb 1994[51]
France Paris Paris 1956
Germany Berlin Berlin 1992[52]
Germany Frankfurt am Main Hessen 1990
Indonesia Jakarta Jakarta 2009[53]
Israel Tel Aviv Tel Aviv District 1989[54]
Italy Florence Tuscany 2008[55]
Poland Warsaw Masovian Voivodeship 2005[56]
Portugal Lisbon District of Lisbon 1992
Romania Bucharest Bucharest 1991
Slovakia Košice Košice Region 1997[57]
South Korea Daejeon Daejeon 1994[58]
Thailand Bangkok Bangkok 2007
Ukraine Lviv Ukraine 1993[59]
United States Fort Worth Texas 1990[60]
United States New York City New York 1992[61]

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

See also

Christmas market, Budapest
Budapest portal

References

Sources

Notes

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External links

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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Budapest.
Counties of Hungary
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Belgrade, Serbia Berlin, Germany Bern, Switzerland Bratislava, Slovakia Budapest, Hungary Ljubljana, Slovenia Prague, Czech Republic Vienna, Austria Warsaw, Poland Vaduz, Liechtenstein Zagreb, Croatia

Ankara, Turkey 1 Athens, Greece Gibraltar, Gibraltar4 Nicosia, Cyprus 2, Northern Cyprus 2, 3 Podgorica, Montenegro Pristina, Kosovo 3 Rome, Italy San Marino, San Marino Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Skopje, Republic of Macedonia Tirana, Albania Valletta, Malta Vatican City, Vatican City

Astana, Kazakhstan 1 Baku, Azerbaijan 1 Bucharest, Romania Chişinău, Moldova Kiev, Ukraine Minsk, Belarus Moscow, Russia 1 Sofia, Bulgaria Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic 3 Sukhumi, Abkhazia 3 Tbilisi, Georgia 1 Tskhinvali, South Ossetia 3 Yerevan, Armenia 1
1 Transcontinental country. 2 Entirely in Southwest Asia but having socio-political connections with Europe. 3 Partially recognised country. 4 Crown Dependency or Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. 5 Also the seat of the European Union, see Location of European Union institutions and Brussels and the European Union.
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 · 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

Categories: Budapest | Capitals in Europe | Populated places on the Danube | Spa towns in Hungary | World Heritage Sites in Hungary | Roman legions' camps in Central Europe | NUTS 3 statistical regions of the European Union | Populated places established in 1873 | County seats in Hungary

 

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'Budapest' News
Budapest exhibition examines Srebrenica massacre - Washington Post
washingtonpost.com
Budapest exhibition examines Srebrenica massacre - Washington Post
Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:52:28 GMT+00:00
exhibition examines Srebrenica massacre Washington Post By Krisztina Than budapest , June 25 (Reuters Life!) - Brutal evidence recording how Serb forces killed thousands of Muslim men at Srebrenica in July 1995 ...
Google News Search: Budapest,
Wed Jul 21 13:18:07 2010
'Budapest' Images
Budapest jpg
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Budapest af shagal D ShA 3798 x Biala NASS ShA 71 002 NASS ShA 86 038 Purebred Shagya Arabian

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Thu Jul 22 11:47:31 2010
'Budapest' Blogs
Thai embassy in Budapest assigned to be in charge of Montenegro
nationmultimedia.com
Thai embassy in Budapest assigned to be in charge of Montenegro

unknown

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:46:33 GM

The Cabinet Tuesday empowered the Thai embassy in . Budapest. to aslo be in charge of Montenegro. The Cabinet assigned the Thai ambassador to Hungary as a special envoy for Montenegro. The ambassador will continue to stay in . Budapest. . ...

Google Blogs Search: Budapest,
Mon Jul 26 16:59:31 2010
'Budapest' Answers
What is a reasonable budget for a long weekend in Budapest?
Q. We will have about 3 days in Budapest. Flights & hotel & tram ticket already paid for. Am trying to budget food + sightseeing + occasional taxi. I know Hungary is cheap and we are buying in pounds, but I want to get some Forints ahead of time to have cash on hand. Thanks!
Asked by newcitykitty - Wed Apr 30 04:59:18 2008 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. I've had many long weekends in Budapest. If you're only thinking food, sightseeing and taxi fares - then 50-60 per person should be more than enough. I'm speaking from experience, both when staying at hotels or at a friend's place. Even that may be too much. Also, I'm talking average restaurants, cake shops and sightseeing. It is cheap on the whole. We never had any restrictions, but since we also did some shopping, this is the most accurate figure I could come up with. Have fun:)
Answered by Goca - Sat May 3 08:28:54 2008

Yahoo Answers Search: Budapest,
Sat Jul 17 07:06:08 2010
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