Buda and pest

There are strange people around with faces full of delight, hung with video cameras, two or even three cameras, who every now and then click them and look at maps of the city. Tourists are a separate nation. There are so many of them here that the local residents are almost invisible behind the video and photo anthill. Virtual spectacle! This is what one of the European capitals looks like today.

Budapest. This is not surprising, because not only individual houses, but also entire unique architectural quarters of the city, the center with bridges over the Danube in 1989 were recognized as part of the UNESCO world heritage.

Dossier on Budapest

Everyone probably knows that Budapest is made up of two cities located on both sides of the Danube - ancient Buda and commercial Pest.

Therefore, it was a peculiar discovery to learn that in reality and relatively recently, only in 1873, three cities were united into one: Pest, Buda and Obuda.

It was on the territory of Obuda at the beginning of the 1st century. The ubiquitous Romans took part in the creation of the modern “pearl of the Danube”. There they founded the city of Aquincum (that is, “a lot of water”; there are over 120 hot springs in this territory). In 896, the Magyars came here, creating their own state, headed by King St. Stephen (his name is still very respected today). And from 1541, the Ottoman Empire reigned here for 150 years. It is to the Turks that the city owes many of the baths built on thermal springs. In 1686, the rule of the Ottomans was replaced by the rule of the Habsburgs, followed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1867. Therefore, architectural masterpieces of different eras and styles are intricately intertwined in Budapest.

Shall we wander? Buda

...Morning. In the underground passage, we, as tourists, were simply masterfully played a wonderful mix of Hungarian melodies. Full immersion in the national!

Don't try to conquer Budapest right away. The main thing is your own priorities. The most outstanding beauties of Budapest can be divided into two main parts: the city center - both banks of the Danube and a little further away the part of Pest - Heroes' Square with the city park.
As with any Western city, it’s worth starting with its heart - the royal palace.

It rises pathetically on the right steep bank of Buda. The entrance to the palace is decorated with the Turul bird, which protected the tribes that came to the lands of modern Hungary.

The Buda Fortress was founded back in 1241 after Turkish raids. Then, as often happened, it was destroyed and rebuilt several times. And only at the end of the 19th century. the palace acquired its familiar forms.

This is a real city with numerous courtyards and courtyards, flower beds (the flower pattern is necessarily changed every month), monuments, fountains, the residence of the President of the Republic, in which, as befits a city, its own excavations are being carried out (the remains of a medieval castle have been discovered).

“Sit down,” the guide invites tourists. And there is no need to repeat it twice - those tired of the midday heat instantly clung to the fountain (even without water in it).

- And the little deer was left alone. And the poor girl Ilonka, who accidentally found herself in the forest there, took pity on him. The king was touched by this, and he invited Ilonka to the palace. To her grief, the girl did not recognize the king in the simply dressed man. And when she found herself in a magnificent palace, she realized that this was not her destiny. Shedding bitter tears, she walked away.

All the characters in the fountain are placed in a hierarchy: the king is at the top, the servants are below, and Ilonka, as befits the poor, is below the royal dogs.

The palace is beautiful not only externally. Its buildings include the Budapest History Museum, the National Gallery and the National Library. Széchenyi.
From the terrace of the royal palace there are beautiful panoramas of the left flat Pest bank, of numerous bridges (2 of which are railway, 7 are road). And, of course, to the Chain Bridge - the first bridge across the Danube, which in 1849 finally connected Buda and Pest.

It took 10 years to build on the initiative of Istvan Széchenyi, an outstanding reformer. The chains piercing the arched gates are secured on the shore underground in special rooms. Now it is one of the most popular symbols of Budapest.

To the side on the Buda shore is Mount Gellert (140 m above the Danube). At the top is the Citadel, the Freedom Monument and the monument to Bishop Gellert himself. According to legend, in 1046 he was thrown from the mountain by pagans for preaching Christianity.

However, the impressions will be doubled - walk about five minutes from the palace to the Holy Trinity Square. Suddenly a light white Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, or Matyasha, XIII century appears. Even through the forests (the cathedral is currently undergoing restoration), its beauty can be seen.

It was here that some of the Hungarian kings were crowned. Thanks to its excellent acoustics and organ, Franz Liszt and Zoltan Kodály gave concerts under its vaults. There's a real buzz around him! Several nuns from the tourist group, recklessly using their mobile phones, at least leave the cathedral “as a souvenir.”

The building is very appropriately surrounded by the towers of the Fisherman's Bastion, 1895. As light as a sand castle, they blend harmoniously with the cathedral.

And at the Fisherman’s Bastion I was struck by a small model of the square itself. Nothing special, but there are texts nearby in Braille. Layout for the blind! For those who, having felt the shapes and fonts, will thus “see” the beauty and “read” about it...

In the middle of the spacious square is the Holy Trinity Monument in memory of the victims of the plague epidemic in 1713.

Are the first signs of heat and fatigue making themselves felt? Nearby are spectacular horse-drawn carriages. Go for a walk!

Along narrow streets, past the Hilton Hotel, built on the remains of historical buildings, to the Vienna Gate Square - a luxurious palace in the neo-Romanesque style (now the State Archives).