In August this year, I went to Hungary on a short vacation. I combined a few days at Lake Balaton with a few days in Budapest. This was my third visit to Hungary's capital and I still think this city is one of the most beautiful among European cities. The city has so much to offer when it comes to history and beautiful architecture like the parliament, the churches and the royal castle in this area called the Castle District. On my two previous visits, we had stayed in a hotel on the Pest side. This time we chose a night on the Buda side to be able to explore the old town both late at night and early in the morning. The photoes were taken on an early morning walk and covers part of the old town. We had already been to the Royal Castle the day before.
Budapest has a history that goes back a long way. Once Budapest and Vienna were the capitals of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary and were, until WWII, one of Europe's leading cultural capitals. Being a capital, goes back to the year 1361. Buda was the that first capital and it is here you will find the Royal palace and the oldest part of the city. The area is rather small, so it is easy to explore on foot.
The Fisherman's Bastion:
Together with my sister,I started the morning walk by going up to the Fisherman's Bastion first. Since it is located high up, you get a fantastic view of the Danube River and the Pest side of the city. Some time back in history, the wall of the Fisherman's Bastion formed part of the city's defences. But since the fishermen lived right downhill by the river, they could hide behind the wall in case it was necessary. Because of this they were then responsible for maintaining the wall. The Fisherman's Bastion is a favorite tourist destination today. No matter what time of day we were here, it was full of people.
Exploring some of the streets:
The old town was once fortified. Most of the houses are from the 17th and 19th centuries. Many of the streets are cobbled. Houses in baroque style, with cornices, busts of famous people contribute to an experience of being back in the Middle Ages. The whole area is a UNESCO's world heritage site.
Buda Tower:
The tower, also called Maria Magdalena Tower, is the only original, medieval structure still here in the old town. After the Buda Castle was built in 1244, some people built a chapel on this site. Later a church was built. The remains of the church walls are still here in front of the tower. It's possible to get to the top of the tower, but as it was to early in the morning, it wasn't open yet.
A brief introduction to the history of Hungary:
The Hungarians came on horseback to what is Hungary today. This happend sometime in the 8th century. They settled down and made the area their homeland. In the year 1000, Hungary had its first king - Istvan - who made the country a Christian nation. A compromise in the 19th century led to Hungary getting a new king, who was actually the Austrian emperor. When WWI started, it was because The shot in Sarajevo that killed the heir to the Hungarian throne. Hungary was also involved in WWII when they were occupied by Germany. Aprox. 500,000 people were initially in concentration camps.
On the Pest side of Budapest you will find the Jewish quarter, which bears witness to the fact that many hundreds of thousands of Jews once lived in the city. I read somewhere that today there are only about 100,000. After the Germans came the Soviets and the country was ruled by communists. A revolution was attempted in 1956, but it was in 1989 that the communists lost power.
It was a nice walk through the old town. It was quiet. Almost no people and cars. Definitely a big contrast to the Pest side. I'm also glad I finally manage to explore this side of town.
Budapest has a history that goes back a long way. Once Budapest and Vienna were the capitals of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary and were, until WWII, one of Europe's leading cultural capitals. Being a capital, goes back to the year 1361. Buda was the that first capital and it is here you will find the Royal palace and the oldest part of the city. The area is rather small, so it is easy to explore on foot.
The Fisherman's Bastion:
Together with my sister,I started the morning walk by going up to the Fisherman's Bastion first. Since it is located high up, you get a fantastic view of the Danube River and the Pest side of the city. Some time back in history, the wall of the Fisherman's Bastion formed part of the city's defences. But since the fishermen lived right downhill by the river, they could hide behind the wall in case it was necessary. Because of this they were then responsible for maintaining the wall. The Fisherman's Bastion is a favorite tourist destination today. No matter what time of day we were here, it was full of people.
Exploring some of the streets:
The old town was once fortified. Most of the houses are from the 17th and 19th centuries. Many of the streets are cobbled. Houses in baroque style, with cornices, busts of famous people contribute to an experience of being back in the Middle Ages. The whole area is a UNESCO's world heritage site.
Buda Tower:
The tower, also called Maria Magdalena Tower, is the only original, medieval structure still here in the old town. After the Buda Castle was built in 1244, some people built a chapel on this site. Later a church was built. The remains of the church walls are still here in front of the tower. It's possible to get to the top of the tower, but as it was to early in the morning, it wasn't open yet.
A brief introduction to the history of Hungary:
The Hungarians came on horseback to what is Hungary today. This happend sometime in the 8th century. They settled down and made the area their homeland. In the year 1000, Hungary had its first king - Istvan - who made the country a Christian nation. A compromise in the 19th century led to Hungary getting a new king, who was actually the Austrian emperor. When WWI started, it was because The shot in Sarajevo that killed the heir to the Hungarian throne. Hungary was also involved in WWII when they were occupied by Germany. Aprox. 500,000 people were initially in concentration camps.
On the Pest side of Budapest you will find the Jewish quarter, which bears witness to the fact that many hundreds of thousands of Jews once lived in the city. I read somewhere that today there are only about 100,000. After the Germans came the Soviets and the country was ruled by communists. A revolution was attempted in 1956, but it was in 1989 that the communists lost power.
It was a nice walk through the old town. It was quiet. Almost no people and cars. Definitely a big contrast to the Pest side. I'm also glad I finally manage to explore this side of town.
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U.J
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All the photoes are mine, Ulla Jensen (flickr, Instagram and facebook)
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