Budapest

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. It was formed in 1873 by the merger of the twin cities of Buda, the smaller Óbuda and Pest, all of which still exist. It is known for its many beautiful old buildings and striking bridges across the River Danube, and is sometimes referred to as "Pearl of the Danube". The population of the city is 1,759,407 (2016) wich makes it one of the biggest cities in the European Union.[1]

Seven islands can be found on the Danube: Shipyard Island, Margaret Island, Csepel Island, Palotai-sziget (now a peninsula), Népsziget, Háros-sziget, and Molnár-sziget.

## Contents

* 1 Architecture
* 1.1 Fishermen's Bastion
* 1.2 Buda Castle
* 1.3 Parliament
* 1.4 Matthias Church
* 1.5 Széchenyi Chain Bridge
* 1.6 Dohány Street Synagogue
* 2 Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden
* 3 Transportation
* 3.1 Metro
* 3.2 Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport
* 3.3 Highways
* 4 Sports
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## Architecture[edit]

### Fishermen's Bastion[edit]

Fishermen's Bastion is one of the best-known sights of Budapest, and one of the symbols of the city. Its name can be explained by the tradition that its defense was the responsibility of the guild of fishermen, but it is more likely that it derived its name from the part of the town under it which was called the "Town of Fishermen".[2]

### Buda Castle[edit]

Buda Castle is located on the southern tip of Castle Hill, in the so-called Castle District (Várnegyed).

### Parliament[edit]

The Parliament building is located on the left bank of the Danube and the exterior of the building is influenced by the Houses of Parliament in London, however the building in Budapest is remarkable bigger.[3]

### Matthias Church[edit]

The Matthias Church, or Church of Our Lady of Buda, is the Roman Catholic main church of the city founded by Saint Stephen of Hungary.[4]

### Széchenyi Chain Bridge[edit]

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge is probably the most remarkable of all bridges in Budapest. It was the first permanent stone-bridge connecting Pest and Buda. There are stone lions situated at both abutments. Its length is approximately identical to that of the Chain Bridge, prompting anecdotes according to which the tunnel has only been built so that in rainy weather, the Chain Bridge can be shoved in and be protected from wet conditions. On the square at the Buda end of the bridge you can find the milestone 0, it marks the starting point for the counting of kilometers of all the main roads of Hungary. At the square there is also the Buda Hill Funicular which takes you up to Buda Castle.[5]

### Dohány Street Synagogue[edit]

The Dohány Street Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world.[6]

## Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden[edit]

The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden is one of the oldest in the world with its more than 150 years of history. The zoo has recently been granted a new territory for expansion for the first time in its history. Next to the Zoo there is a permanent city circus.[7]

## Transportation[edit]

### Metro[edit]

The Budapest Metro is the oldest electrified underground railway system on the European continent, and the second-oldest electrically operated underground railway in the world. Today there are four lines: Yellow, red, blue and green.[8]

### Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport[edit]

The Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport, the national airport of the country, is named after the famous Hungarian composer Franz Liszt.

### Highways[edit]

All of the major highways end within the city limits and are connected by ring road M0.

## Sports[edit]

Budapest is by far the biggest city of Hungary so it's logic that a lot of the best sports teams have their base in the capital city. A few of the top soccer teams are Ferencvárosi TC, Újpest FC, Budapest Honvéd FC, Vasas SC, and MTK Budapest FC.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ https://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/xstadat/xstadat_eves/i_wdsd001.html
2. ↑ http://budavar.btk.mta.hu/en/streets-squares-buildings/fishermen-s-bastion.html
3. ↑ http://latogatokozpont.parlament.hu/orszaghaz
4. ↑ http://www.matyas-templom.hu/THE_CHURCH.html
5. ↑ http://www.bridgesofbudapest.com/bridge/chain_bridge
6. ↑ http://www.dohany-zsinagoga.hu
7. ↑ http://www.zoobudapest.com/en
8. ↑ http://www.bkk.hu/en/main-page/news/

## External links[edit]

* Official Budapest Website