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B U D A P E S T

Budapest Parliament

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Budapest Parliament on the Pest bank of the Danube was built between 1884-1902. The architect Imre Steindl, influenced by London's Houses of Parliament, designed the building in Neo-Gothic style. A Renaissance dome crowns a Neo-Gothic facade, that lies on a Baroque base ground. The main cupola is decorated with statues of Hungarian kings. Fierce turul birds guard the main entrance. The interior decor is mainly Neo-Gothic.

Sándor Palace, which is the Hungarian President's official residence.

The Royal Danish Embassy in Budapest

The Buda Castle

The castle is the historical castle of the Hungarian Kings. Buda Castle is part of the Budapest World Heritage Site declared in 1987. The first royal residence on the Castle Hill was built between 1247-1265 by King Béla Bun IV of Hungary. The present Royal Palace, inaugurated in 1912, was designed by the architect Alajos Hauszmann, who in 1891 was named chief architect for the Buda Castle.

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The Hungarian National Gallery. The Buda Castle with its 203 rooms now houses several museums among them the Budapest Historical Museum and the National Gallery. The National Gallery shows the development of Hungarian art from medieval art till arts today.

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Fountain of King Mathias I, King of Hungary from 1458-1490, executed by the sculptor Alajos Stróbl and the chief architect Alajos Hauszmann and inaugurated in 1904.

Budapest National Theatre

Budapest National Theatre, 2002, designed by the architect Mária Siklòs.

1	Vigadó Concert Hall designed by Frigyes Feszl in 1859.
2	Cafe Gerbeaud was opened in 1858 by Henrik Kugler, a renowned confectioner, it was his business partner Emil Gerbeaud who ensured that the legacy of the cafe would continue through the 20th Century and beyond.
3	Hilton Budapest Hotel in the Castle district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, next to the Fisherman's Bastion and Matthias Church.

House of Terror Museum

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House of Terror Museum The Neo-Renaissance museum building designed by Adolf Feszty in 1880 contains exhibits related to the fascist and communist dictatorial regimes in 20th century. The museum's pamphlet says: "It was truly a house of terror. In 1944, during the gruesome domination of the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party, this building, known as the "House of Loyalty" was the party headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis. Then between 1945 and 1956, the notorious communist terror organizations, the ÁVO and its successor, the ÁVH, took up residence here. 60 Andrássy Boulevard has become the house of terror and dread."

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Memorial board at House of Terror Museum dedicated to 1956 uprising victims.

Budapest Palace of Arts - Ludwig Museum

Budapest Palace of Arts - Ludwig Museum, focuses on the last fifty years of modern art in general and on the last ten years of modern Hungarian art in particular. The museum displays the collection of Peter and Irene Ludwig. Peter Ludwig (1925-1996) was a millionaire chocolate manufacturer from Aachen, a connoisseur and a prominent patron of arts.

1-2	Budapest Palace of Arts - Ludwig Museum.
3-4	A Ziggurat, a staircase-stepped shaped temple tower, situated beside the National Theatre.
5	The Műcsarnok (Art hall or Kunsthalle) was founded in 1877 on the initiative of the Hungarian National Fine Arts Association.
6-7	Buda Castle District.

Museum of Applied Arts

This Hungarian Art Nouveau building, 1893-1896, is designed by Ödön Lechner and Gyula Pártos

Budapest Museum of Fine Arts

Exhibition of works by the Czech Art Nouveau printmaker Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939)
entitled "In Praise of Women" displays outstanding works from Mucha's oeuvre

St Matthew's Church/The Church of Our Lady

St Matthew's Church aka the Church of Our Lady located in the heart of the Castle District, was begun in 1255 and was the first parish church in Budapest. The name Matthew come from King Matthias, who ruled from 1458-1490. In 1541, when the Turks captured Buda, the Church of Our Lady became a mosque. When the Turks were overthrown in 1686, local architects made attempts to restore the church in the popular Baroque style of the era. The final major rebuilding to the church's original splendor took place from 1895-1903, and was lead by the architect Frigyes Schulek. The church received its present Neo-Gothic style and was decorated with frescoes by contemporary painters. Schulek added the diamond patterned roof tiles and gargoyles.

St Michael's Church

The Baroque Church of St Michael founded by the Dominica Order in the 1700s. The church hosts the Baroque Music Festival in autumn.

1-2	Pest Franciscan Church The current Baroque building was erected in 1727-43. A plaque in the church commemorates the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt (1811-1886), who lived in the monastery for a time.
3-4	The Lutheran Church on Deák Square (1799-1811) is the oldest Lutheran church in Budapest built by Mihály Pollack in Neoclassic Empire style.

1	The church of St Anne (1740-1762) designed by Kristóf Hamon in Baroque style and completed by Mátyás Nepauer.

St Stephen's Basilica

St Stephen's Basilica (1851-1905) is named in honour of King Stephen the Saint (István I), (1000–1038), the first Christian ruler of Hungary, whose mummified right hand is housed in the reliquary. The neoclassical church's architects were Jozsef Hild, Miklós Ybl and Józef Kauser. There are similarities between St Stephen's Basilica and St Pauls Cathedral in London.

1	"The Holy Right" is in the Chapel of the "Holy Right Hand". Every year the relic is taken in a procession around the downtown streets close to the basilica.

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The plaza in front of St Stephen's Basilica.

The Buda Castle district

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Statues and Fountains in the Buda Castle district.

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The Fishermen's Bastion, built between 1895-1902, was designed by the architect Frigyes Schulek in Neo-Gothic style. The Bastion is named after the fishermen's guild. According to customs in the Middle Ages this guild was in charge of defending this part of the castle wall. The seven towers symbolize the seven chieftains, who conquered the land for the Hungarians. The equestrian statue depicts the first king, St Stephen.

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King Saint Stephen of Hungary, 1926, by Alajos Stróbl.

Budapest’s Heroes’ Square

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Budapest’s Heroes’ Square stands in honor and memory of the great leaders in Hungary’s history. Inside the niches of the two semi-circles that make up the monument are statues of famous men of Hungarian history, such as kings, governors and King Stephen I, who brought Christianity to the country. Atop the semi-circles are symbols of War and Peace, Work and Welfare and Knowledge and Glory.
The centerpiece of the square is the Millennium Monument or Millennial Column, built in 1896 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Magyar conquest. It is topped with a statue of the Archangel Gabriel, meant to be a symbol of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II preached at the Heroes' Square in 1991. Around the base of the monument are a number of equestrian statues honouring Árpád (c. 845.-c. 907) and the seven chieftains of the Hungarian tribe, who settled their people in the area now known as Hungary. In front of the column is the Monument of National Heroes, also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, a tribute to Hungary’s nameless heroes of war.

1-3	Budapest's Freedom Square/Szabadság tér In 1848 and 1849 many Hungarian freedom fighters were executed at this location. In the very center of Freedom Square is one of the city's few remaining monuments to the Soviets. The monument with a star on the top remains as a reminder of the Red Army troops who liberated Budapest in 1944-45.
4	Ferenc Deák de Kehida (1803-1876), Hungarian statesman and Minister of Justice.

1	"Lock Happiness".
2	Statue of Elizabeth of Bavaria (1837-1898) Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary as spouse of Emperor Francis Joseph I. In the background the Elizabeth Bridge named after her.
3-4	Statue of the Hungarian writer and statesman József Eötvös (1813-1871).

1	Bust of Salamon Ferencz (1825-1892), Hungarian historian, translator and critic.
2	Statue of the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616) in front of Hotel InterContinental, executed by Andor Meszaros in 1960 - a replica of the original in front of Ballarat Civic Hall, Australia.
3-4	Memorial of Prime Minister Imre Nagy on Vértanúk tere (Martyrs' square).
5	The Gellert monument Gellert Hill in the Buda district, designed by Gyula Jankovits and erected in 1904 in honour of the 11th century bishop St Gellért who converted the Magyars to Christianity. According to legends Gellert was put to death at this spot by pagans. In a barrel he was rolled down the Hill and then thrown into the Danube.

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Monument of the Hungarian poet and dramatist Mihály Vörösmarty (1800-1855) considered by his contemporaries to be a romanticist. Vörösmarty is best known for his national epics, noted for their beautiful language, including "Zalan's Flight" (1825), "Erlan" (1825) and "Two Neighboring Castles" (1831). The monument, executed by Eduard Telcs and Ede Kallós, was erected in 1908. The poet is surrounded by figures representing various classes of society, including a farmer and peasant girl, people in traditional Magyar dress, a student and a worker with his wife and young son.

Water fountain with an obelisk, the plaza in front of St Stephen's Basilica.

Streets

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The Chain Bridge (1839-1850) designed by the English engineer T.W. Clark. It was the first bridge to span the Danube connecting the two halves of the cities Buda and Pest.

The Liberty Bridge inaugurated in 1896 by Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria (1848-1916) and King of Hungary (1867-1916), who in 1854 married Elisabeth of Bavaria in St Augustine's Church in Vienna. At the top of the two pillars is the mythological Turul bird. In "The Legend of the Turul Hawk" it says: "The Turul is a giant mythical falcon, a messenger of god in Hungarian mythology, who sits on top of the tree of life along with the other spirits of unborn children in the form of birds." The Legend tells the story handed down through generations about the origin of the dynasty and the event of unification.

1-2	Lagymanyosi Bridge (1992-1995) designed by Tibor Sigrai is the most southerly Danube bridge named after the south Buda district of Lágymányos.
3	The Margaret Bridge (1872-1876) was planned by the French engineer Ernest Gouin and built by his construction company Maison Èmile Gouin. The engineer in charge was Èmile Nouguier, who was famous for co-designing the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The bridge lead up to Margret Island (aka Rabbits Island) in the middle of the Danube river.

1	The yellow tram is a distinctive feature of Budapest’s urban landscape.
2	The Budapest Metro is the second-oldest underground metro system in the world dating back to 1896.
3	Buda Castle funicular railway.

1-3	The Elisabeth Bridge (1897-1903) is named after Queen Elisabeth (1837-1898), queen and empress of Austria-Hungary, who was assassinated in 1898 in Geneva by an Italian anarchist.
4	Petofi Bridge (1933-1937) named after the Hungarian poet and revolutionist Sándor Petőfi (1823-1949).