Basic facts About Budapest Places of interest in Budapest BASIC FACTS: Budapest in figures: Territory: 525 sq. km, two-thirds on the left bank in Pest, one-third on the right, in Buda. North-south dimension: cca. 25 km, east-west cc 29 km. Deepest point is the level of Danube (96 meters above sea level at normal water level), highest point is János Hill (527 m). Population: 1,906,800, that is 19 percent of the total population. Population density: 3,632 persons per square kilometer Administration: divided into 23 districts. Number of Bridges: 9, of which 2 are for railway only. Total length of underground lines: 30 km, of which the Millennium Underground is 4.5 km. Opening hours: Food stores: 0700-1900 Mon-Fri, 0700-1400 Sat, Sun only non-stops shops and large shopping centres Banks: In Hungary banks are usually open between 08.00-16:00 on weekdays. Some banks are open on Saturday, but all are closed on Sunday. ATM machines and currency exchange machines are available throughout the country. Post offices: 0800-0900 Mon-Fri, 0800-1300 Sat. 24-hour service at the Keleti and Nyugati Railway Stations. Office hours: 0800-1700 Mon-Fri. Restaurants: generally every day. How to get to Budapest? By plane: Budapest Ferihegy, Hungary's international airport is 24 km from the city. By train: Budapest has three large international railway stations: Keleti, Nyugati and Déli By coach: Volánbusz Rt,. Being a member of Eurolines, operates scheduled services to 15 countries. By boat: There is a scheduled hydrofoil service on the Danube, calling Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest between early April and early November. By car, motorcycle: In terms of documents, you only need a valid driving licence, registration document and a country sticker to enter Hungary. Third-party liability insurance is obligatory in Hungary, the existence of which can simply be proved by the number plate and the country sticker in the case of most countries. The production of a green card is obligatory for the citizens of a couple of countries but is advisable for everybody. If you are coming from Austria, you take M1 motorway to Budapest. International traffic rules generally apply in Hungary. Drink-driving is strictly prohibited: the alcohol level in your blood cannot exceed 0.0 promille. Travelling in Budapest Public transport in Budapest is excellent by international standards. A wide of variety of buses, trolley buses, trams and underground trains usually operate from 4.30am to 11 pm. At night 15 bus and 2 tram lines are in service. Bus No. 78 at night runs roughly the same route as M2, while No. 182 that of M3. You have to purchase a ticket in advance at the terminals, at metro stations or newsagents. Single tickets are the same for each means of transport. If accompanied by an adult, children under 6 need no ticket. Types of tickets: single ticket, day ticket, 3-day tourist ticket, 7-day travel card. Suburban trains called HÉV also belong to the public transport system. You can use them to visit such towns outside Budapest as Szentendre or Gödöllő. Taxis: Cars with taxi sign and yellow number plate. You can also call a taxi by phone: the car will usually get there in 5-10 minutes. Switchboard operators generally speak English. Parking: Park your car only at the places allowed, as the police can transport the vehicles parked at a wrong place (signs indicate these places). At the parking areas a ticket is avalaible from attendant, or you get a parking ticket from the machine for 5,10,20,50 and 100 Ft coins for the duration of your stay. (max. 2 hours in the inner city from 08:§0 to 18:00) If you miss to buy a ticket or leave your car there after the time you paid for, your car may be wheelclamped. Rent-a-car: International companies have a seat in Hungary, some have town and airport offices. Advice to city visitors Public security is no worse in Budapest than in any other foreign capital. The most frequent crimes committed to the injury of foreigners are confidence tricks, pickpocketing and car theft. We would like to protect you from such troubles, so please take our advice. Avoid street vendors and beggars. Beware of pickpockets, who are active on public transport vehicles and in popular tourist destinations (Basilica, Heroes' Square, Fishermen's Bastion, Matthias Church). Make sure you have your bag closed. Don't keep your money and credit card in the same place. Changing money in the street is not only forbidden but can be dangerous and unprofitable operation. Do not carry too much cash. Before getting into a taxi ask the driver how much it will cost. Every car must have a meter. Make sure the driver turns it on before setting out. Ask for the receipt at the end of the journey. You should call a taxi to your hotel rather than flagging down one in the neighbouring streets. Taking a taxi from Ferihegy Airport to the city can be extremely expensive, so we recommend the Airport Shuttle (Minibus) to reach town. Never leave valuable articles in your car. Wherever possible, leave your car at the attended place. Finding your way: It is relatively easy to find your way in Budapest. The Danube flows in the middle, the right side is Buda, the left is Pest. The main roads are the boulevards, with the streets running in radiation. As for house numbers, numbering usually begins at end closer the Danube and one side is for odd, the other is for even numbers. Major traffic junctions in Buda are Moszkva tér and Batthyány tér, and Deák tér, Ferenciek tere and Blaha Lujza tér in Pest. The three underground lines meet at one point Deák tér. ABOUT BUDAPEST Budapest is often called the „Pearl of the Danube”, and it truly is a stunningly beautiful place. Geography, history and human creativity have all combined to create a city that simultaneously charms amazes and fascinates. Budapest is full of diversity, and so is its history. The story starts on the Buda side when Celts settled on Gellért Hill well before the birth of Christ. This territory was later occupied by the Romans at the beginning of the Christian era. Its inhabitants moved to the Danube plains, to a city retaining the Celtic name (Aquincum), in the first century and in 106 the city became the capital of the province Pannonia Inferior. The headquarters of the governor and significant military force were stationed here, and its population numbered about 20,000. It was frequently involved in wars on the border of the Roman Empire (formed by the Danube). In the early fifth century the Roman defence lines were swept away by the Goths and other peoples fleeing westwards from the Huns. During the flourishing period of the Hun empire (after AD 430), this crossing point over the Danube retained its significance. No Romanized population remained in the city: they were replaced by Ostrogoths and Huns. In the 400 years following the dissolution of the Hun empire, the inhabitants of the territory of Hungary often changed in the turbulence of the Great Migration Era: Gepids, Longobards, Avars and other long forgotten peoples of Germanic and Central Asian stock followed one another. Avar rule was the longest, lasting more than 200 years. The Avars were followed by the Franks, when the Danube again became the eastern borderline of a West European empire. In the ninth century Pannonia became part of the Moravian empire. There is no trace of any significant urban development during the Great Migration Era The Hungarian appeared around the end of the ninth century, establishing the seat of their prince near the crossing of the Danube. They quickly recognized the geostrategic significance of the place. Obuda, the territory of the civilian city of Aquincum, became the first centre of Hungary. (The name of Buda derives from a Hungarian given name.) The princely (and later, royal) seat was moved to Esztergom in 973, and returned to Obuda only in the thirteenth century. The Western European type of urban and bourgeois development began in Pest, which had a mixed German- Hungarian population in the thirteenth century. In the middle of the thirteenth century, the city began to flourish when suddenly the Mongols invaded (1241-1242). After Tatar invasion, significant fortification work began all over the country. This was when the royal castle and the walled city were built on Castle Hill, on an elevated terrace of the Danube which could be easily defended. This third city was called Buda, its inhabitants presumable coming mainly from Pest. In the Middle Ages Buda gradually emerged from among the Hungarian towns, and it reached its peak in the second part of the fifteenth and the early sixteenth centuries. At that time the Hungarian kingdom extended over a large territory, including a significant part of the Balkans, and subsequently uniting with Poland and Lithuania. The rule of the Hungarian Crown extended from the Baltic to the Adriatic Sea. The Hungarian kings established a highly centralised authority. While the German region of Europe was breaking up into small principalities in the late Middle Ages, a strong Hungarian empire was unfolding on the eastern side of Central Europe. Buda, the centre of the empire, was also a major urban settlement in political, as well as economic cultural terms. At the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Buda had 12,000-15,000 inhabitants, Pest 10,000, and Obuda only 2,000-3,000. Thus the total population of the three towns that constitute the present Hungarian capital stood at roughly 25,000- 30,000 - a big city in Central Europe in those days, ranking with Vienna, Prague, Krakow and Danzig. There was no urban centre of comparable significance in the Balkans. Moreover, no other city between Constantinople and Vienna had a population of over 5,000. The economic role of this centre was enhanced by the important trade routes crossing the Danube at Buda, linking Eastern and Western Europe together. Cattle for slaughter played an important role in East-West economic relations, driven from the grazing lands of the Hungarian Plain to the cities of the northern Italy, Austria and Bavaria. Its role in the wine trade was also renowned. Attached to the royal seat, crafts were able to flourish in the city. The treasury made its purchases and the needs of the army were also partly met in Buda. This was where aristocrats and high priests had their houses and went shopping. Thus the great majority of craftsmen lived in Buda. A large number of German settlers were active in commerce and trade, and there were Armenian, Greek and even Arab merchants in the city. About half of the urban inhabitants may have been Hungarians. The cultural role of Buda was particularly significant during reign of King Matthias. The Italian Renaissance had a great influence upon the city. The second Hungarian university was established in the city in 1395 (the first was founded in Pécs in 1367): and the first book was printed in Buda in 1473 under the title Budai krónika (The chronicle of Buda). One-and-a-half of prosperity was followed by a long decline. Buda and Pest came under Turkish occupation for about 150 years (and served as the headquarters of the Turkish military administration.) That part of the country not occupied by the Turks became part of the Habsburg empire. When, at the end of the seventeenth century, Buda was liberated from the Turkish rule, it became a provincial centre. When Buda was occupied, the Hungarian Diet moved to Pozsony and stayed there until 1848. During the peaceful eighteenth century the total population began to grow, but the three cities only reached the size of their medieval population by the end of the century. However, a population of 35,000-40,000 was not considered a big city in the Europe of the late eighteenth century, nor did the city have any significant international role. The nineteenth century was dominated by the Hungarian's struggle for independence and modernisation. The national insurrection against the Habsburgs began in the Hungarian capital in 1848 and was defeated a little more than a year later. In 1867 the Habsburg administration reached a compromise with the Hungarian nobility, and Hungary was granted a status equal to that of Austria within the Habsburg empire. 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 rapidly growing and flourishing city received new public offices, avenues, channels, public lihting, horse carriageways, a subway, green parks and bridges. The city never had such a glorious era before or since. Once again the city became the centre of a large region. As the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom, which had a territory three times as large as today, it was the second most important urban centre of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy (after Vienna). And it had an economic and cultural influence stretching beyond the borders of the empire, to the Balkans and northern Italy. The population of the city trebled between 1875 and 1900. Of the large European cities, only Berlin recorded a similar rate of growth. When Obuda, Buda and Pest were united, the Hungarian capital was a medium-sized city of 300,000 inhabitants, the seventeenth largest European city. In 1910, taking the present borders of the city, it already had a million inhabitants and ranked eighth in Europe, larger than Rome, Madrid or Milan. The rapid population growth fed upon all parts and nationalities of the monarchy. Migrants were attracted primarily by the vigorous industrial and economic boom. From the 1870s was the age of the Hungarian industrial revolution, the benefits of witch were mainly concentrated in Budapest. The city attracted the majority of newly-founded banks, business associations and industrial enterprises. The city's growth was closely linked to the expansion of industry. It was quite unusual for a big capital to have such a markedly industrial character. In 1910, 44 per cent of those employed worked in industry. The unique geographical position of the capital played an important role in the development of the economy. The Hungarian railway network was built before the industrial revolution (in the 1850s). All the main railway lines radiated out from the capital in all directions across the Carpathian Basin, towards Vienna, the Adriatic, the Balkans and northern Europe. The development of the railway network around Budapest was influenced primarily by political considerations: the Hungarian capital - politically still subordinate to Vienna - wanted to secure its control over the Carpathian Basin. Moreover, since the construction of railways was heavily subsidised, the railway lines were soon acquired by the state, so that national strategic considerations could determine where the lines were laid. The various railway lines met at the navigable section of the Danube, at the largest river port: Budapest. Budapest as the largest river port of the Danube, it became an entrepôt for raw materials, like timber and grain, and was where the products of an enormous agricultural hinterland were processed, stored and sold. According to some estimates, it was the world's second largest centre of milling industry early this century. Profits from the export of agricultural products of the Hungarian Plain all found their way to the commercial centre. Up-to-date engineering and electrical works also appeared, and by the beginning of the twentieth century Budapest had become a centre of modern large-scale industry. This rapid growth was very different from the urban growth of developing countries today. The inflowing labour quickly found employment and adjusted to urban society within a single generation. As the population grew, so the city expanded, and new residential suburbs were built. During the last decades of the nineteenth century the city grew at a rate which has never been matched since, even during the reconstruction after World War II. So fast was this growth that it earned the description of an 'American tempo'. However, Budapest resembled Chicago only in the speed of its growth. The development was carefully planned and the effect was delightful. In 1870 the municipality set up the Council of Public Works, which elaborated a grand master plan, and the city had the power to realise it. Everything that marked the standards of the age could be found in the master plan: there was a system of ring roads and boulevards, and a network of urban public transport: the height of the buildings was set, green spaces were included, and so forth. Though a major part of the city was built within the space of twenty years, the result was not monotony but a harmonious uniform style During recent years it has become fashionable to discover the legacy of the turn of the century. Vienna has become particularly fashionable for art nouveau, psychoanalysis, Viennese music, and its delightful decline as the capital of the dual monarchy. It is not generally known, however, that Budapest also had an intellectual boom at the turn of the century. The young Bartók and Gustav Mahler were teaching at the Academy of Music at the same time, and the magnificent buildings of the Hungarian art nouveau were completed in quick succession. In Vienna, decay could be felt in its intellectual life: the imperial city was rooted in the political power of the monarchy, but this power had been already weakened. In Budapest, however, there was no sense of decay. The city was feeding upon the growth of the Hungarian economy which still had great élan. Rapid development suppressed the sense of danger. Budapest was a dynamic, extremely optimistic city right until the final collapse. The modern infrastructure development of the city was most impressive. Bridges were built over the Danube, and the first underground railway of the European continent was opened here in 1896. In 1873 electric lighting was brought to the streets. In 1887 trams appeared, followed in 1888 by the first suburban trains; in 1885 the first urban telephone exchange was installed; in 1896 the Post Office used battery-driven vans for delivering parcels; and in 1900 the Royal Hungarian Automobile Club was founded. Within a few decades the capital was, it seemed, making up for the long centuries it had spent behind the rest of Europe. However, this rapid progress was founded on fragile foundations. The capital could not rely on a broadly modernising Hungarian urban network and had to join the main trend of European urban development on its town. In 1910 it was a big city of 1 million inhabitants, while the population of the second and third largest country towns (Szeged and Szabadka) was only just over 100,000, both of them traditional agricultural market towns. The First World War and its consequences are well known. The Austro - Hungarian monarchy was broken up. Budapest became the oversized capital of a small country, which could not regain its earlier international role in a hostile Carpathian Basin that had been cut into pieces. Its population continued to grow at a moderate pace, but it now resembled the urban growth of the developing countries, nurtured more by crisis in the countryside than by the internal energy of the city. By the 1930s Budapest was beginning to overcome the consequences of World War I, when the next world war overwhelmed it, causing enormous damage to its buildings, as well as to its population. Under socialism, it has maintained a steady rate of development. With the dissolution of socialism in 1989, the city has entered the post-industrial age with the leading role of blue-collar industry being replaced by services and a white-collar workforce. And now Budapest is again searching for its place among the major European metropolises. Budapest is once again becoming a Central European capital. PLACES OF INTEREST IN BUDAPEST Aquincum: Museum and Ruins of Roman settlement Art Gallery: the biggest gallery of Budapest and Hungary Buda Castle Labyrinth: natural and artificial passages underneath the Buda Castle Buda Royal Castle: Hungarian National Gallery: showing Hungarian fine art from the 10th c. to the present day Budapest History Museum: exhibitions on the history of the city National Széchenyi Library: Castle Cave: a section of the labyrinthine cave system under the Buda Hill Castle district: Fishermens' Bastion: part of UNESCO's World Heritage, an excellent look-out place Matthias Church: symbol of the city in gothic style Chain Bridge: the first permanent bridge over the Danube designed by W. T. Clark and built by his namesake Adam Clark Citadel: built by Austrians after the repression of the 1848-49 War of Independence City-Park: Budapest largest park, a favourite recreational and entertainment district Gellért Hill: Liberation Monument, St. Gellért Monument, Citadel Grand Market Hall: Budapest largest and greatest market hall opened in 1897. House of Terror: memorial house of the victims of two tragic periods in 20th century Hungarian history: Arrow Cross and communist terror Hungarian National Museum: Hungary's first public collection and largest museum the country's history from the foundation of the state up to today Heroes' Square: splendid unity of two Eclectic style buildings and a monument Museum of Fine Arts, Art Gallery, Millennium Monument, Monument or National Heroes Hungarian State Opera House: neo-Renaissance building designed by Miklós Ybl Jewish Museum: world's second largest and Europe's largest synagogue Margaret Island: a treasure of Budapest between Margit and Árpád Bridges Museum of Fine Arts: largest Hungarian public collection with 120.00 exhibits One of the finest Spanish collections outside Spain Parliament: Hungary's largest, most beautiful and best-known building St. Stephen's Basilica: largest church of the capital with a unique panorama from 65 metres up Statue Park: Gigantic Memorials from the Communist Dictatorship Széchenyi Medicinal Bath and Swimming Pool: largest medical bath in Europe Vajdahunyad Castle: house of Museum Hungarian Agriculture Surroundings Szentendre: Village Museum, Old town, Margit Kovács Museum where world-famous ceramics are exhibited Gödöllő: 250 years old Royal Palace, Palm-house Visegrád: Fortress, Ruins of the castle Esztergom: Basilica, the oldest royal and ecclesiastical residence