Located on the banks of the Danube River, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a famous ancient city in Europe, with the reputation of "Paris of Eastern Europe" and "Pearl of the Danube". Across the river, Buda and Pest have both a magnificent historical heritage and a leisure resort for warm literature and art, bringing people an experience like a spring breeze in the slow pace.
The first time I heard a friend mention Budapest, I knew it was a city that was good at color matching. Unfortunately, when my friend went, it was winter, and the city was silent and silent, missing many colors. So my friend decided to travel with me in the summer to visit the city again. This journey has both long-term longings and surprises of unintentional willow planting.
01
The bridge strings together past and present lives
We arrived in Budapest by overnight train from Prague, got off the train and headed straight for the danube river. The first thing that catches the eye is the famous Freedom Bridge (Szabadság híd). The bridge is green throughout, and the locals also call it the Green Bridge. The statue at the top of the bridge is the Turul bird from ancient Hungarian mythology, which is said to have led the Hungarians to the land. The retro temperament and unique colors make Liberty Bridge a postcard in Budapest, with visitors from all over the world flocking to take photos and punch cards.
Locals love to relax on the Freedom Bridge Photo by Shi Jingyi
The Liberty Bridge was built in 1896 when Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, visited Budapest to install the last screw to cut the ribbon for the delivery of the bridge. Originally named after him, the bridge was destroyed and rebuilt in World War II, and was renamed the Liberty Bridge on August 20, 1946, symbolizing Hungary's independence.
The Liberty Bridge became a symbol of Budapest
Freedom has another meaning. Although the bridge is hung with a sign of "no climbing", the locals still climb the bridge "willfully", or talk about the world in the sun, or lie flat for a nap, or have a picnic with three or five friends, which is really eye-opening. When the bridge is closed on the weekend in July, it's a small plaza – someone plays the guitar, someone hangs a hammock and closes their eyes, and some comedians laugh at passers-by... people release happiness as they please.
In the evening, sitting on the bridge and looking at the wide river and sky, the orange-red sunset gradually stains the sky red, accompanied by a refreshing evening breeze, as if a romantic movie picture, instantly let people unload the burden of life. At this moment, it was suddenly discovered that Budapest had a peace and quiet that is rare in the capital.
The Danube Divides Budapest in two, with Buda and Óbuda on the west bank and Pest on the east bank. There are a total of 9 bridges in Budapest, opening a window into the city's fusion, each with a unique charm. My favorite is the Erzsébet híd, which is simple, modern and has a cool temperament. Originally built from 1897 to 1903, the bridge is located on the north side of the Liberty Bridge, the bridge body is all white, without excessive color and carving, it is the only bridge in Budapest that does not have piers in the river, so it is known as "the most elegant bridge on the Danube". Its name is taken from Princess Sisi, the wife of Franz Joseph I, and appears to be more noble and elegant. During the day, the wild ducks under the bridge paddle leisurely, and at night, the Elizabeth Bridge shines like a diamond set in pearls.
The Elizabeth Bridge is located between the Liberty Bridge and the Szechenyi Chain Bridge
The "Green Bridge" and the "White Bridge" look at each other, and romantic Budapesters regard them as a symbol of the eternal love between the king and the queen. But when it comes to Budapest's most famous bridge, we have to mention the Széchenyi lánchíd. The bridge, built in 1849 as the first permanent bridge in Budapest, is of landmark significance.
Legend has it that in 1820, Count István Széchenyi was on his way to Vienna to visit his father, who was sick when the Danube was so full of ice floes that he could not cross by ferry or by pontoon bridge, and he waited for a week to cross the river, and finally did not see his father for the last time. Since then, he has decided to build a bridge over the Danube. In fact, the proven story is that Count Sechenyi realized early on the importance of connecting the danube banks to create a modern Hungary, and he donated a huge amount of money to set up a committee, inviting the famous British bridge engineer William Tierney Clark and several architects to build this classicist chain bridge on the Danube and name it after him. For the first time, the Chain Bridge connects cities on both sides of the Danube. In 1870, Budapest was officially born, and the Chain Bridge became the symbol of the city.
Szechenyi Chain Bridge Szechenyi Chain Bridge
Locals relax on the riverbank near the Chain Bridge
The Hungarians revere the Danube river as the mother river, and the chain bridge is like a beautiful necklace on the mother's chest. The bridgehead is home to two tall triumphal arches, beautifully carved retro and quite kingly. Huge steel cables lead out of the Arc de Triomphe and overhang the stretched deck, outlining the curves of the arc. At the head of the bridge sits the statue of 4 male lions, with resolute eyes, watching the people on both sides of the strait, and also representing the close connection between Buda and Pest.
Map of the banks of the Danube in Budapest
02
Buda, quaint and quiet
Opposite the Liberty Bridge is Gellért-hegy (also known as Gellért Mountain), at an altitude of 235 meters, the highest point in the center of Budapest. The statue of the goddess holding palm leaves proclaims the freedom of the whole city, hence the name Freedom Hill, which is also a great place to overlook Budapest. At the end of the day, rush to the top of the mountain as the sun sets and watch as the sky darkens and the lights go up, and the Danube becomes more deep blue. At this time, this tranquility was not easy for Budapest to spend thousands of years in the chaos of conquest, and the naming of bridges and statues shows the city's yearning for freedom.
As early as the 3rd and 4th centuries BC, the Celts settled in old Buda on the west bank of the Danube River, and then occupied by the Romans, establishing military camps and settlements called Aquincum, as well as well-preserved ancient Roman ruins, and built the Aquincum Museum on the site, dedicated to the prehistoric and Roman artifacts of Budapest. In 896 AD, the Madjars, a northern nomadic people from the Ural Mountains, conquered the land and established a kingdom, which is believed to be the ancestors of the Hungarians.
At the beginning of the 11th century, the first King of Hungary, St. Stephen I. István) moved the city settlement south to the area of what is now Castle Hill and named buda. Since then, the northern region has been renamed Old Buda to show the difference. In 1247, in order to resist the attack of barbarian cavalry, King Béla IV of Hungary began to build Budavári Palota Castle, which gradually became a royal powerhouse and prospered as a result. Originally a port on the other side of the Danube, Pest flourished in the 11th century due to its location at the crossroads of east-west trade.
In the following centuries, the three independent cities of Old Buda, Buda and Pest have been developing in parallel on different tracks, and have also encountered a bumpy fate - the invasion of the Mongols, the replacement rule of the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Habsburg Dynasty, which has put the three cities in constant struggle for power and made people eager for unity and independence. "Life is precious, love is more expensive, and if it is for freedom, both can be thrown away." The famous Hungarian poet Petofi's famous sentence can probably tell the Hungarian people's yearning for freedom. Thus, connected by the Szechenyi Chain Bridge, the three cities were officially merged in 1873, giving birth to Budapest.
Walk across the Chain Bridge and ascend Castle Hill, a hill at an altitude of 167 meters on the banks of the Danube. It is like a huge museum that showcases the history of Budapest and the past of the Hungarian nation. The lofty buda castle stands majestically on the hill and is full of grandeur. Originally in the Gothic style, the castle was rebuilt in the 18th century and converted to baroque due to repeated fires, earthquakes and wars.
In 1944, the ultra-fascist group Arrow Cross took a large number of Jews into captivity on the Banks of the Danube, ordered them to take off their shoes and shoot them. Due to the scarcity of supplies and the value of shoes, the executioners would make the Jews take off their shoes before execution and trade them. In 2005, film director Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer designed and poured 60 pairs of iron shoes on the site to honor the victims.
Up the hill, flanked by tall walls and pheasant mounds, which in the past served as a defensive function, now reveal the mottled and more secluded of time. I happened to see a group of cavalry up the hill, and I couldn't help but think of the royal style of Hungary. At the end of the road, I need to take the elevator to the terrace of the castle, and the moment the elevator door opened, my eyes suddenly brightened, and the panoramic view of the Danube River and Pest on the other side opened up suddenly. I have overlooked many cities in my past travels, but Budapest has shown a different look. The urban architecture does not give people a heavy sense of vicissitudes and history, and the use of color does not like to add to the sense of existence, and the scenery is particularly fresh against the background of the summer sun and blue sky. With the Danube as a buffer, the arrangement of buildings on both sides of the river is much more relaxed. From time to time, ships pass by, making the city more agile. My heart also calmed down to the rhythm of the river flowing, enjoying the moment.
Buda Castle, located on Castle Hill, is imposing
Buda Castle was once the residence of many Hungarian royal families, and Princess Sissi also lived here. Part of the palace has been converted into the Budapest History Museum (Budapesti Történeti Múzeum-Vármúzeum, also known as the Castle Museum) and the Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria) and is open to the public. Near the castle, you can also see the remains of fortifications such as circular fortresses and forts. Descending from the castle, you pass through the Várkert Bazár, a series of neo-Renaissance-style pavilions and arcades where visitors can rest, sometimes hosting small exhibitions, concerts and dance performances.
On the left side of Heroes' Square is the Museum of Fine Arts and on the right is the Palace of Fine Arts.
Budapest's classic yellow trams, paired with green parapets, showcase the city's unique colour aesthetic.
Budapest Keleti Train Station (Keleti)
All the way north, you will inevitably see the shining white pointed bell tower of the famous Mátyás Templom (also known as the Church of Santa Maria), which is intricately carved like a sharp sword pointing straight into the sky. Built in the second half of the 13th century by Beira IV, this 700-year-old church is mainly in the late Gothic style, and in the course of history, it incorporates elements of Baroque, Hungarian national style and even Turkish style, and the roof is made of five-color glass into diamond shapes and other different patterns. Matthias Church has a prominent religious status and was once the coronation church of many Hungarian kings. The columns on Trinity Square outside the church are carved with many angels and deities, erected by the inhabitants of the Old City in the 18th century to commemorate the elimination of the Black Death, and tourists often sit here to rest.
The statue on the right side of the Matthias Church is of St. Stephen I, the first king of Hungary, who led the Hungarians through the transition from nomadic to feudal dynasties and began to promote Catholicism, and was one of the most important monarchs in Hungarian history.
Not far from the church, there are 7 conical towers with white, arched doors and windows, resembling buildings from a fairy tale world. This neo-Roman-style castle is Budapest's most famous attraction, the Fisherman's Bastion (Halászbástya), built on an ancient fortress in the early 20th century. Legend has it that in the 19th century, the citizens guarded the area around the Danube River, where the royal city is located, hence the name of the castle, and the 7 towers represent the 7 Magyar tribes that founded Hungary. However, it would be more appropriate to call the castle an observation deck.
Fisherman's Bastion is a notable attraction in Budapest
The promenades and staircases connect the different towers, twisting and turning, staggered and superimposed, like a labyrinth. The arch is also carved with guards, which have different looks and are lifelike, resembling the style of the terracotta warriors. Looking out over the Danube River and the Parliament Through the arches, it is like a frame of cinema, which is beautiful, so there are many tourists who take pictures here. The cloister has excellent viewing locations, some of which are used as restaurants to enjoy the view while enjoying the meal. Suddenly, a burst of music sounded, and the restaurant band was celebrating the birthday of a lady, only to see her happy and enviable.
Artists have created and remodeled abandoned buildings in Budapest's old town, gradually flourishing ruin bars and becoming a carnival mecca for young people.
Leaving the Fisherman's Bastion to continue, there are still many surprises to find that the nearby houses are more than a hundred years old, the neighborhood is quiet and elegant; along the way, you will find 4 churches of different styles, Gothic, Baroque, brick red, light blue, and its appearance is impressive.
The Szent István Bazilika is a neoclassical church that houses the holy hand of St. István I and celebrates St. István's Day every year on 20 August. For hundreds of years, this dried limb has been a symbol of the Hungarian national spirit.
The Dohány utcai Zsinagóga was built in the Mid-19th century in the Byzantine-Moorish style. The church also houses a Jewish cemetery, a memorial to Jewish martyrs, and a tree in the backyard with artificial stainless steel leaves, each engraved with the names of Hungarian Jews and non-Jewish rescuers who were slaughtered by the Nazis.
03
Pest, cozy city atmosphere
The second half of the tour begins at Pest. Compared with buda, which is concentrated in tourists, Pest is more modern and can see more local life.
Whenever you come to the Danube, the Hungarian Parliament Building (Országház) on the east bank always shines. Hungarians often humbly say that they own the most majestic parliament building in the world, but it is far from commensurate with the size of the country.
From Buda on the other side of the Danube, look out over the Hungarian Parliament Building
The establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire gave Hungary a sigh of relief from centuries of oppression and made them eager to establish a parliamentary legislature symbolizing democratic equality, from which the Parliament Building was born and completed in 1904. The exterior of the building is designed in neo-Gothic style, with sharp symmetrical spires, all-over ivory facades, and a large Renaissance 16-sided red tapered dome that together make up this grand architectural treasure. The construction cost can also be seen in the Determination of the Hungarians to prove themselves: arches, domes, bell towers, etc. built of 40 million bricks, 500,000 precious stones and 40 kilograms of gold as building materials; the interior halls and corridors are full of golden decoration, transparent chandeliers and various intricate carvings, etc., and are also equipped with heating and ventilation systems, which are extremely luxurious. The entire Capitol, both externally and internally, exhibits precise symmetry. The domed hall in the center of the building is ringed with 16 pillars on which 16 Hungarian monarchs are sculpted. In the center of the hall is a glass cabinet guarded by soldiers, which houses the crown, scepter and sword of St. Stephen I, the first king of Hungary.
Crowns, scepters and swords treasured in the Capitol. Hungary has only one crown passed down from generation to generation, so the crown becomes the key to the battle for the throne.
The central hall connects the upper and lower houses. Today, the House of Commons is used for parliamentary meetings, and the Upper House Hall is open to visitors. Interestingly, the carpet in the House of Commons lounge was red and the House of Lords was blue, because in the past the members of the House of Lords were mostly nobles, blue was considered a noble color, and red represented commoners. There are also many famous paintings in the Reichstag, and important figures and major events in Hungary from various periods are reflected here. Another way to admire the Reichstag is to take a boat ride at night or on the other side of the Danube River and watch the glorious edifice point upwards into the sky and reflect down into the water, as if a palace floating on the water, forming a symmetrical beauty.
While walking down Andrássy út, the Hungarian State Opera House (Magyar Állami Operaház) caught my eye. According to her friends, Princess Sissi had always been deeply in love with Hungarian music, architecture and people during her lifetime, and Budapest was a breathing place for her brief escape from court life. Franz Joseph I built the opera house for Princess Sissi and left her the box in the very center of the theater. The theater belongs to neo-Renaissance architecture, with a Baroque style, decorated with paintings and sculptures by the top Hungarian artists of the time. Although the size and space of the opera house is not outstanding, it is recognized as one of the few opera houses in the world that ranks among the top in terms of aesthetics and sound.
As the capital, Budapest does not flaunt its rich culture and history, but blends in with the layout of the city and remembers the past in life. The Hősök tere in Pest is the largest and most emblematic square in Budapest and was built in 1896. The 36-meter-high Millenniumi emlékmű stands in it, commemorating the 1,000 years since the Hungarian nation settled in Europe. At the top of the monument is a golden statue of the archangel Gabriel, and the seven statues on the pedestal are of the Magyar tribal chief led by Prince Árpád. Two semi-colonnades are symmetrically arranged on either side of the monument, and the wide square shows its grandeur without superfluous buildings.
In the urban architecture of Budapest, you can always see the arc with straight line elements, and present the beauty of geometric symmetry, in the use of color matching is often a light or bright color, rarely see large areas of gilded and intricately carved buildings crowded together, leaving a sense of space and breathing. This is perhaps Budapest's unique urban aesthetic, as is its urban temperament, always unhurried. Visitors don't have to rush to the next attraction, and a leisurely stroll along the river is a romantic experience.
And the most relaxing thing is to soak in the hot springs. Budapest is a hidden hot spring capital that was used as early as the Roman Empire. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Turkish rulers carried it forward and developed more than 100 public baths, so much so that there is a saying in Hungary: "If you dig a well, you will eventually dig a hot spring." "Nowadays, after improvement, the spa industry in Budapest is thriving. The local hot spring water is said to be rich in calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate, which can relieve joint pain and arthritis and improve blood circulation. Several famous baths have different characteristics.
The Széchenyi baths in Pest are filled with the noise and hormones of young people. As the largest thermal bath in Budapest, there are many swimming pools and steam rooms, and visitors can enjoy a hot spring bath in a century-old neo-Baroque palace. In addition, Buda also has many hot springs. The Rudas Gyógyfürdő és Uszoda at the foot of Liberty Mountain, with its stone arcades, domes and octagonal pools, has a strong Turkish feel for the temperature changes. Gellért Gyógyfürdő és Uszoda on the Liberty Hill is known for its opulence, with Romanesque architecture, labyrinthine passages, medieval sculptures... as if you are in a luxurious scene that can only be found in a movie or television drama.
Szechenyi Baths
Perfect for a cup of coffee and a dessert after a hot spring, Budapest is known as the "City of Coffee". From centuries-old shops to novelly decorated internet celebrity shops, a variety of coffee and dessert shops are enough to retain the footsteps of tourists, and a strong coffee culture has been formed. Among the many cafes, the most famous is Pace's New York Café. Despite its name as New York, the décor is dominated by the Italian Renaissance style, with Italian crystal ceilings, frescoes, gold lacquer reliefs and grand marble enough to highlight luxury. Opened in 1894, this café is known as one of the most beautiful cafes in the world due to its ornate décor.
The interior of the New York café is magnificent
Due to limited time, my friend and I chose Café Gerbeaud nearby. When I asked the clerk if there was a tiramisu, she replied proudly: "This is Hungary, there is no tiramisu, only KRémes." "Only then did I realize my gaffe and bought a copy of Krémes. The store was already crowded, and my friend and I had to carry this cream cake to the side of the road to taste it. This dessert originating from the Austro-Hungarian Empire has multiple layers of thin and crispy dough, sandwiched between the light cream, sweet but not greasy, fragrant and delicious, it is indeed comparable to the tiramisu.
Dinner ended with a Hungarian national dish, Gulyás, which my friend and I casually ordered at a restaurant. The orange-red soup is seasoned with tomatoes and red peppers, and the crispy beef has been flavored, and I was surprised that it has a very similar taste to Chinese food, perhaps related to Hungarian eating habits and cooking methods. In order to survive the cold winter, Central and Eastern Europeans prefer high-calorie meat, mainly stewing and frying, Hungary is not spicy, often with fried onions, peppers, tomatoes as the base dish, enhance the taste. The Central Market of Budapest (Nagy Vásárcsarnok) is a basket of locals, with a wide range of chili peppers, sausages, meat sauces, etc., and is an important ingredient in Home Cooking specialties in Hungary.
Hungarian national dish beef soup
The Central Grand Market is located on the east side of the Liberty Bridge
Budapest makes me reminisce about the warmth of home with its food, and the city also greets every visitor with its unique charm, and what remains is the lingering nostalgia in the hearts of tourists.
This article is from the May 2021 issue