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Key Attractions SzÉchenyi Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) Eight bridges link Buda to Pest but the Chain Bridge is the first and most famous, with its solid arches and lion statues. Count István SzÉchenyi commissioned the Englishman responsible for London's Hammersmith Bridge, William Tierney Clark, to design a bridge and the Scotsman, Adam Clark, to oversee construction. Completed in 1848, the bridge was inaugurated in 1849, allowing for the integration of Buda, Pest and Óbuda in 1872. The Nazis having done considerable damage, the bridge was repaired and re-inaugurated on 21 November 1949. Adam Clark is honoured in a small square at the foot of the bridge. The kilometre zero, the point from which all distances from Budapest are measured, is located here. 1 Clark Ádám tÉr Transport: Bus 4, 16 or 105; tram 2 or 19. Budavári Palota (Buda Castle Palace) First inhabited by King BÉla IV after the 1241 Mongol invasion, the Royal Palace had its heyday during King Mátyás's reign (1458-90). In the late eighteenth century, Empress Maria Theresa rebuilt and enlarged the palace. The Royal Palace has risen Phoenix-like from the ashes of repeated warfare: the Turkish siege (1541) and invasion (1686), the 1848-49 War of Independence and the latter stages of World War II. The result is a hotchpotch of styles from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, ranging from Baroque to Gothic. Within the palace's walls lies a vast museum complex, including the Budapest History Museum and Ludwig Museum, the Hungarian National Gallery and the National SzÉchenyi Library. Transport: Bus 5, 16 or 78; tram 18; Várbusz from MoszkvatÉr; funicular from Ádám Clark tÉr. Cars forbidden. Opening hours: Varies according to the museum. The Budapesti TörtÉneti Múzeum (Budapest History Museum), in the southern part of the palace, traces the city's history from Buda's liberation from the Turks in 1686, to the 1970s. I. Budavári Palota (Wing E), Szent György tÉr 2 Tel: (1) 375 7533. Fax: (1) 355 8849. Opening hours: Wed-Mon Mar-mid-May 1000-1800; mid-Sep-Oct 1000-1800; Nov-Feb 1000-1600; mid-May-mid-Sep daily 1000-1800 Admission: Ft400 (concessions Ft200). The Ludwig Múzeum (Ludwig Museum), in the palace's northern wing, is named after its patron Peter Ludwig whose donations include Picasso, Warhol and Lichenstein. Eastern European paintings and sculpture provide a fascinating critique of crumbling Communism. I. Budavári Palota (Wing A), Dísz tÉr 17 Tel: (1) 375 9175. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1800. Admission: Ft300 (concessions available); free Tues. Magyar Nemzeti GalÉria (Hungarian National Gallery) is situated in the core of the palace. The encyclopaedic collection of Hungarian art from the tenth century to the present day portrays battles both victorious and disastrous, romantic rural scenes and religious medieval altar paintings, providing a valuable insight into the Hungarian national identity. Tours with an English-speaking guide can be booked in advance. I. Budavári Palota (Wings B, C, D), Dísz tÉr 17 Tel: (1) 375 7533. Fax: (1) 375 8898. Opening hours: Tues-Sun mid-Mar-Oct 1000-1800; Nov-mid-Mar 1000-1600. Admission: Ft400 (concessions available). Mátyás Templom (Matthias Church) The Zsolnay pyrogranite tiles of Matthias Church are as colourful and richly patterned as snakeskin. Inside is a melange of styles from the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries. It is thought that a church was first built on this site in 1015 by King István. The Renaissance King Mátyás Corvinus was crowned here in 1458 aged 14 years, and married twice within its walls. When the Turks occupied the Castle District in 1541, the church was turned into a mosque, and the walls painted with extracts from the Koran. The building suffered in the 1686 siege of Buda and was restored in the nineteenth century by Frigyes Schulek, who uncovered remains of medieval wall paintings, vaulting and statuary, adding his own gargoyles for good luck. Beyond the altar is the entrance to the Church Museum, which gives access to the underground crypts, chapel, jewels and the skull of the wife of King Mátyás's brother. High Mass takes place on Sunday at 1000. There are frequent summer concerts on Friday at 2000. I. Szentháromság tÉr 2 Tel: (1) 355 5657. Opening hours: Daily 0700-2000 (Church); 0930-1730 (Treasury). Hotel GellÉrt and Thermal Baths Prudes are not advised to try out the GellÉrt Baths, valued for their medicinal qualities since the Turkish occupation, or any other thermal spas in the city. Upon entrance, a strip of cloth is given to men and a tiny apron to women. Massages last 15 or 40 minutes - a vigorous experience not to be embarked upon by the faint-hearted. Bathing suits are donned before entering the main mixed swimming pool, an Art Nouveau beauty surrounded by columns. There are separate thermal pools of varying temperatures, steam rooms and sauna; one side for men and the other for women. XI. Szent GellÉrt tÉr 2-6 Tel: (1) 385 2200. Fax: (1) 466 6631. Website: www.danubiusgroup.com/danubius/gellert.html Transport: Bus 7 or 86; tram 18, 47 or 49. Opening hours: (open-air swimming pool) May-Sep daily 0600-1900, (Fri and Sat evenings 2000-0000); (medicinal bath) Mon-Fri 0600-1900, Sat and Sun 0600-1700. Admission: Ft1500 (baths and pools only; concessions available). Országház (Parliament) Imre Steindl's design for Budapest's Parliament, inspired by London's Houses of Parliament, won first prize in a competition to celebrate the thousandth year of the Hungarian nation. Work commenced in 1885 and was finally completed in 1902. The parliament building opens onto Kossuth Lajos tÉr, named after the revolutionary leader of 1848. The edifice, with its elegant neo-Renaissance dome topped by a pointy neo-Gothic spire, stretches for over 250m (820ft) along the River Danube. It was here that the crowds assembled on 23 October 1989 and Mátyás Szurös declared the Hungarian People's Republic from the balcony on Kossuth Lajos tÉr. The red star, perched on the dome during the Communist era, was abandoned in 1990. Guided tours allow entrance to a wealth of marble and gold, columns and statues within. Although the wait may be long, it is worth being patient if only to see the numbered cigar holders outside the former upper house, where members left their havanas burning during debates. V. Kossuth Lajos tÉr 1-3 Tel: (1) 441 4904. Fax: (1) 441 4801. Transport: Metro 2 to Kossuth tÉr; bus 15; tram 2; trolley bus 70 or 78. Opening hours: Guided tours only (subject to parliamentary sessions). The parliament also organises tours that depart from gate 10, Mon-Fri at 1000 and 1400, Sat and Sun at 1000. Admission: Ft1300 (concessions available). Szent István Bazilika (St Stephen's Basilica) St Stephen's Basilica, Budapest's largest church designed by József Hild, was built in 1845, but not consecrated until 1905. A storm destroyed the original dome in 1868. The building was rebuilt from scratch in neo-Renaissance style but suffered damage during World War II. The church is currently undergoing restoration, begun in 1980 and set to continue for the foreseeable future. Inside, Gyula Benczúr's painting of Szent István offering the Hungarian crown to the Virgin Mary symbolises the alliance between Hungary and Western Europe. The church's undisputed highlight is a glimpse of Szent István's mummified hand, which lights up when Ft100 is slipped into a slot. The basilica's tower offers excellent views of the city. V. Szent István tÉr 1 Tel: (1) 317 2859. Fax: (1) 338 2151. Transport: Metro 3 to Arany János utca. Opening hours: (Church) Mon-Sat 0700-1900, Sun 1300-1900; (Stz Jobb Chapel) Apr-Sep Mon-Sat 0900-1700 and Sun 1300-1700, Oct-Mar Mon-Sat 1000-1600 and Sun 1300-1600; (Cupola) Apr and Sep-Oct daily 1000-1700, May-Aug daily 0900-1400; (tower) daily 1000-1800. Admission: Free; (tower) Ft400-600. Városliget (City Park) Városliget, Budapest's largest park, was designed by the French landscape-designer Nebbion, and today, is where the locals go for leisurely strolls. Attractions include the botanical gardens, artificial lake (used for ice skating in winter) and Vajdahunyad Vára, a castle that displays Hungary's varied architectural styles right up to the nineteenth century with the Magyar Mez?gazdasági Múzeum (Museum of Hungarian Agriculture) housed in the Baroque-style part. A statue of George Washington stands in the park, erected by grateful Hungarians who had been allowed to settle in America. The park also houses the city zoo and SzÉchenyi fürd? (SzÉchenyi Baths), famed as much for its giant floating chess boards as for the medicinal power of its waters. VI. Dózsa György út Tel/Fax: (1) 321 0310. Transport: Metro 1 to SzÉchenyi fürd? or H?sök tere; bus red 4, 20, 30 or 105; trolley bus 70, 72, 75 or 79. SzÉchenyi Baths opening hours: (medicinal bath) Mon-Fri 0600-1900, Sat and Sun 0600-1300; (open-air swimming pool) May-Sep daily 0600-1900; Oct-Apr Mon-Fri 0600-1900, Sat and Sun 0600-1700. Admission: Ft1000. Nagy Zsinagóga (Central Synagogue) Europe's largest synagogue was designed by Lajos Föster in a Byzantine-Moorish style and completed in 1859. Liszt and Saint-Saëns are among the famous musicians to have played the synagogue's grand organ. Desecrated by German and Hungarian Nazis, its two Moorish domes gleam afresh after ten-year restoration project financed by the Hungarian government and Tony Curtis' Emmanuel Foundation. 724,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and their lives are remembered in the Jewish History Museum annexed to the synagogue and at Imre Varga's memorial to the side of the synagogue, where a family name is inscribed on each leaf of a metallic tree. VII. Dohány utca 2 Tel: (1) 342 1335. Fax: (1) 342 8949. Transport: Metro 1, 2 or 3 to DÉak tÉr; tram 47 or 49; bus 7, 7A or 78; trolley bus 74. Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 1000-1600, Fri 1000-1500, Sun 1000-1400; closed Sat and Jewish holidays. Admission: Ft600. H?sök tere (Heroes' Square) and Millenniumi EmlÉkm? (Millennium Monument) Heroes' Square was built in 1896 to celebrate the millennial anniversary of the Magyar conquest. Here the Archangel Gabriel at the top of a 36m (118ft) column (winner of the Grand Prix at the Paris World Exhibition in 1900) is half-encircled by statues of the seven victorious Magyar tribal chiefs on horseback and Hungary's most honoured rulers from King Stephen to Kossuth. VI. Andrássy út, corner of Dózsa Dyörgy út Transport: Metro 1 to H?sök tere; bus red 4, 20, 30 or 105; trolley bus 75 or 79. |
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