29 Places That Prove Budapest Is The Most Stunning City In Europe
The proof is in the pictures. H/T to visitbudapest.travel for providing great historical backgrounds on many of these sites.
posted on March 25, 2014, at 11:46 a.m.
1. Halászbástya (Fisherman’s Bastion)
One of several landmarks that were
built in the late 1800s to celebrate the 1000-year anniversary of the
founding of Hungary, the Fisherman’s Bastion is made up of 7 towers,
representing the 7 Magyar tribes that founded the nation. Sitting atop
Castle Hill, the Bastion provides some of the most spectacular views of
the Danube and city.
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2. Az Országház (House of the Nation)
The House of the Nation, or Hungarian
Parliament building, is the third largest parliament building in the
world. Finished in 1902 after nearly 20 years of construction, it was
built almost exclusively with Hungarian materials and contains 691
rooms. It also houses the Hungarian Crown Jewels.
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Gudella/Gudella
linux87/linux87
Flickr: epyon /Creative Commons / Via Flickr: epyon
3. Szent István Bazilika (St. Stephen’s Basilica)
The largest church in Budapest, St.
Stephen’s Basilica was built over the course of 50 years in the 1800s.
Originally the design of architect József Hild, it’s construction was
mostly overseen by the renowned Miklós Ybl, one of the leading
architects of the time who also designed the Budapest Opera House. At 96
meters high, its center dome is as tall as that of the Hungarian
Parliament.
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Flickr: jota_ce /Creative Commons
4. Dohány Utcai Zsinagóga (Dohány Street Synagogue)
The Dohány Synagogue is the largest
synagogue in Europe and second largest synagogue in the world.
Constructed in the 1850s, it’s style has influenced that of later
synagogues, most notably New York City’s Central Synagogue.
Flickr: 1yen /Creative Commons / Via Flickr: 62929416@N00
5. Mátyás-templom (Matthias Church)
Over 700 years old, Mátyás-templom
was the site of the coronation of Franz Joseph I of Austria and his wife
Elizabeth, which marked the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire in 1867. Its roof is tiled in ceramics from the renowned Zsolnay
factory of Hungary.
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Flickr: proimos /Creative Commons / Via Flickr: 34120957@N04
6. Budavári Palota (Buda Castle)
Also known as the Royal Palace, Buda
Castle sits atop Castle Hill on the Buda side of the city. The site of
lavish ceremonies during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is now home to
the Budapest History Museum, the Hungarian National Gallery, and the
National Széchényi Library.
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7. Iparművészeti Múzeum (Museum of Applied Arts)
Established in 1872, the Budapest
Museum of Applied Arts is the third of its kind in Europe. In addition
to its extensive collections of works largely originating from the
Hungarian National Museum and purchased through world fairs, it has an
entire treasury of objects once owned by one of Hungary’s wealthiest
aristocratic families, the Esterházys. Its roof, like that of the
Matthias Church, is made of Zsolnay tiles.
Flickr: redteam /Creative Commons
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8. Széchenyi Fürdő (Széchenyi Bath & Spa)
The Széchenyi Bath & Spa is the
largest medicinal bath, and one of the largest public baths, in Europe.
15 of its 18 pools contain spring-fed water.
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Flickr: proimos /Creative Commons / Via Flickr: 34120957@N04
Bernadett Szabo / Reuters
9. Széchenyi Lánchíd (Széchenyi Chain Bridge)
The Széchenyi Chain Bridge was the
longest suspension bridge in Europe, and the first permanent bridge to
connect the Buda and Pest sides of Budapest, when it was built in the
mid-1800s. Today, it is widely regarded as the most beautiful bridge in
the city. Rumor has it that its two guardian lions have no tongues— they
do, you just can’t see them from the ground.
FarkasB/FarkasB
Flickr: paolomargari /Creative Commons / Via Flickr: 97544179@N00
Laszlo Balogh / Reuters
10. Vajdahunyad vára (Vajdahunyad Castle)
Located in Budapest’s City Park,
Vajdahunyad Castle hosts various festivals and events throughout the
year, as well as the exhibitions of the Hungarian Agricultural Museum.
During the summer and fall, residents and tourists can boat leisurely on
the lake, while in winter it becomes an ice skating rink.
11. Hősök Tere (Heroes Square)
Located at the end of Budapest’s main
shopping street, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes Square is a Unesco World
Heritage site. Home to the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art,
its most prominent feature is the Millenium Memorial, built in 1900 to commemorate the 1000-year anniversary of the arrival of the Magyar tribes to the region that is now Hungary.
balti007/balti007
Emoke_Szabo/Emoke_Szabo
12. Párizsi Udvar (Parisian Arcade)
Built in the early 20th Century, the
Parisian Arcade was once an ornate and lavish shopping center. Modeled
after the Passage des Panoramas in Paris, the Arcade was built in myriad
styles, including Gothic, Renaissance, and Art Nouveau, and is now a
largely empty, but nevertheless stunning, work of architecture in
Budapest. It was also the filming location for part of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Flickr: gtps /Creative Commons
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13. Boscolo Budapest Hotel
Formerly the New York Palace, the
Boscolo Budapest’s greatest draw is the New York Café, a traditional
coffeehouse of muraled ceilings and gilded columns that was at the
forefront of Budapest’s café scene at the turn of the 19th century.
Flickr: dorottyak /Creative Commons
14. Magyar Állami Operaház (Hungarian State Opera House)
When it first opened in the 1884, the
Opera House was such a spectacle that eager crowds overran security
guards in order to catch a glimpse of the ornate architecture.
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15. A Cipők a Duna-parton (Shoes on the Danube)
Created by Hungarian sculptor Gyula Pauer and his friend Can Togay in 2005, Shoes on the Danube
pays tribute to Hungarian Jews who were killed by the river at the
hands of the Arrow Cross Party, one of Hungary’s most notorious fascist
organizations, in the 1940s. Because shoes were very valuable at the
time, victims were asked to remove theirs before execution. Each
sculpted pair is modeled after actual shoes of the time.
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16. Szépművészeti Múzeum (Museum of Fine Arts)
Dedicated largely to exploring the
visual and artistic history of Europe, the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts
houses an extensive collection of European, as well as Egyptian, works,
including an equestrian sculpture by Leonardo da Vinci. It also features
the second largest collection of Spanish artwork outside of Spain.
Bamboome/Bamboome
17. Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace
Divided into small apartments under
the People’s Republic of Hungary, Gresham Palace was returned to the
city in 1990, and contains beautiful art nouveau details, such as
stained glass, mosaics, and wrought iron.
Flickr: randyconnolly /Creative Commons / Via Flickr: randyconnolly
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18. Budavári Sikló (Budapest Castle Hill Funicular)
Originally constructed in the late
19th century as a way for workers on Budapest’s Castle Hill to commute,
the funicular now offers panoramic views for visitors to the city.
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19. Margitsziget (Margaret Island)
Perched in the middle of the Danube
River, Margaret Island has been, at various times in history, home to
several churches and cloisters, a harem under the Ottoman Empire, and a
resort for royal dignitaries. It was eventually declared a public park
in 1908, and features several swimming pools, a Japanese Garden, and an
Art Nouveau style water tower.
Juliane Jacobs/Juliane Jacobs
Leptospira/Leptospira
20. Gellért Fürdő (Gellért Spa & Bath)
Said to be the most photographed spa
in Budapest, the Gellért Spa & Bath features pools, spas, and steam
baths, bedecked with Art Nouveau style.
Flickr: theodevil /Creative Commons
21. Szabadság Szobor (Liberty Statue)
The Liberty Statue is one of the few
remaining relics of the Communist era in Hungary that has not been
removed. Sitting atop Budapest’s Gellért Hill, it is a soaring symbol of
the city.
22. Gerbeaud Cukrászda (Café Gerbeaud)
One of the biggest cafés in Hungary,
the Gerbaud Café serves delicious coffee, rich chocolate, and delectable
treats in lavish rooms of marble and dark-grain wood.
Flickr: theodevil /Creative Commons
23. Memento Park
Memento Park is an open air museum
devoted to exploring the Communist era, particularly its grand and
symbolic sculptures. One of the most popular attractions within the park
is the Grandstand and Stalin’s Boots, a 1:1 replica of of the
stand where Communist leaders would make appearances and the boots of
the Stalin Monument that was torn down during Hungary’s 1956 October
Revolution.
Flickr: tubaism /Creative Commons
24. Nagytétényi Kastely (Nagytétényi Castle)
A gorgeous example of Hungarian
baroque architecture, Nagtétényi Castle is now a part of Budapest’s
Museum of Applied Arts, showcasing works of furniture from throughout
European history.
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25. Danubius Szökőkút (Danubius Fountain)
Located in Budapest’s Erzsébet Tér (Elizabeth Square), the fountain is a common meeting place.
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26. Keleti & Nyugati Pályaudvarok (Eastern & Western Railway Stations)
Hungary’s two most important train
stations, the Keleti (pictured first) and the Nyugati connect Budapest
to the rest of Hungary, as well as major cities on either side of
Europe, including Vienna, Bucharest, Munich, and Moscow.
27. Fővám Tér Piac (Great Market Hall)
The Great Market Hall, or Central Market Hall, is the largest indoor market in Budapest.
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28. Villamos (Tram)
With over 96 miles of track, the
Budapest tram network is one of the largest in the world, as well as the
most popular source of transportation in the city. Tram No. 2 follows
the curve of the Danube River and provides gorgeous views of the Buda
side of the city.
william87/william87
29. A Duna (The Danube)
The Danube River is the longest river
in the EU and the second longest river on the continent of Europe. It
winds through Budapest, separating the two sides of the city—Buda, on
the West, and Pest, on the East.
Krisztian Miklosy/Krisztian Miklosy
*Bye*
James Farley - 2012/James Farley - 2012
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