Budapest:
In 1873 2 towns on the west of the Danube, Buda and Obuda, were unified along with the town of Pest on the east side of the Danube. All three of the towns had originally grown through the 12th century and Buda was the seat of Hungary's rulers from 1247. The area was under Turkish rule from 1541 to 1686. In 1686 and army called the Holy League, containing over 74,000 men, reconquered Buda and within a few years almost all former Hungarian lands were taken from the Turks. The territorial changes were officially recognized with the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699. In 1788 the entire Hungarian Kingdom was removed from Ottoman rule. The city was destroyed in a battle and was then incorporated into the Hapsburg Empire. Throughout the 19th century, Hungarians struggled for independence and modernization. 1867 was the year of reconciliation that brought the birth of Austria-Hungary which made Budapest a twin capital of a dual monarchy. After losing the war in 1918 Austria-Hungary collapsed and Hungary declared itself an independent republic. In 1920 Hungary lost over 2/3 of it's territory as a result of the Treaty of Trianon. The city suffered intense damage caused by American and British air raids during WWII in 1944, and also suffered major damage from attacking Soviet troops in defense of German and Hungarian troops. The country was declared communist in 1949 but was followed by the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 collapsing the leadership on October 23rd.
St. Stephen's Basilica:
This basilica is named after Saint Stephen I who was the first King of Hungary (975-1038). At 96 meters it is one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest. The building took 54 years to complete, largely due to the collapse of the dome in 1868 which required complete demolition of the completed works and starting over from the ground up. It was finally finished in 1905.
This building is one of Europe's oldest legislative buildings, the largest building in Hungary and the third largest parliament building in the world. 7 years after the unification of Budapest, the national assembly decided to establish a new Parliament building expressing sovereignty of the nation. Construction began in 1885, was inaugurated in 1896, and completed in 1904. Sadly, the architect went blind before it's completion and was never able to see the final result. At the same height as St. Stephen's Basilica it is the other of the two tallest buildings in Budapest.
Named after Szechenyi who took the initiative to build the bridge making it the first connection between Pest and Buda. The bridge sparked economic revival and lead to Budapest's golden century. The bridge serves as a symbol of Hungarian liberty.
Vajdahunyad Castle:
Built between 1896 and 1908. It is a copy of a romanian castle by the same name. It was originally made from cardboard and wood for the millennial exhibition but because it became so popular it was rebuilt from stone and brick.
Hero's Square:
One of the major square's in Budapest and is full of historic and political symbols. In the center of Hero's square is the Millennium Memorial that has statues of the leaders the 7 tribes that founded Hungary in the 9th century. Construction on the monument began on the 1000th anniversary of the country in 1896 but wasn't finished until 1929.
This Royal palace was originally built in by King Bela IV and was replaced by a Gothic palace around 1400. It was again remodeled by Kind Matyas in 1458. Under Turkish rule it was completely destroyed in 1686 but later the Habsburgs began construction on a new palace in 1719. This too was destroyed in 1849 and had to be rebuilt in the second half of the 19th century. Remains of the 15th century Gothic palace were found during the reconstruction of the latest one and were incorporated into the restored palace that we see today. Today the palace is home to many important nation collections, includeing the Szechenyi Nation LIbrary with over five million books and manuscripts.
Fisherman's Bastion is a neo-Gothic/new Romanesque terrace that sits on the Buda band of the Danube. It was designed and built between 1895 and 1902. It consists of 7 towers that represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896. It takes the name of a fisherman that defended that particular stretch of the city walls in the middle ages. From the towers you can look out over almost the entire city.
This church was built originally in 1015, reconstructed in the late 14th century and extensively restored in the 19th century. It was the 2nd largest church in medieval Buda. The church's 700 year history is looked at as a symbol of the city's rich yet tragic history. The church held many coronations including the one of the last Habsburg king, Charles IV. It was also the location of Kind Matyas' (Matthias) two weddings.
Me on Chain Bridge with Parliament in the background.
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