Budapest- General Information

The Danube may not really be blue, but apart from that Budapest doesn’t disappoint – particularly since it offers two cities for the price of one. The twin settlements of Buda and Pest were only unified into a single municipality in 1873. The low-lying Pest, on the east bank, comprises wide boulevards and leafy squares, while the older Buda, on the hilly west bank, features palaces, museums, churches and government buildings overlooking the river.

Budapest began its existence as the Roman trading centre of Aquincum. The Romans were routed in 530 AD by Attila the Hun, who was in turn routed by the Magyars (now thought of as the ‘true’ Hungarians.), who swept in from the Volga and the Ural Mountains. Magyar King Stephen became the first Christian Monarch of Hungary on Christmas Day 1000AD. But the Magyars were then usurped for many hundreds of years by the Turks and the Hapsburgs, before regaining control of the city in the mid-19th century. Its most prosperous period came in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it was the Danube's premier port and twin capital (with Vienna) of the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Then came the catastrophe of World War I. After losing two-thirds of its territory in reparations, Budapest struggled through various, unsatisfactory identities: from large capital of a diminished Hungary, to Cold War Soviet satellite, to the epicentre of the cruelly suppressed anti-Communist uprising in 1956. Since 1990 it has been the capital of a post-Communist state trying to adapt its old command economy to the demands of aggressive, free market Capitalism. Today, much of Budapest’s appeal lies in the incredible legacy of influences – European, Asian and Oriental – that have created it, mingled with the entrepreneurial zeal that democracy has unleashed.Chinese and Arabic communities have sprung up, adding to its ethnic mix. The architecture spans the great European styles, from the busy Gothic of the Parliament Building and the Byzantine Central Synagogue to the fantasy medieval of the Fisherman's Bastion.

But these styles are complemented by the more exotic remnants of the Ottoman Empire, like the famed Turkish baths, whose low roofs loom like turtle shells from beneath palm trees. Added to these are the Soviet-era concrete blocks on the outskirts and the still-running Trabant cars, which may not be quite as aesthetically pleasing but are fascinating from an historical point of view.

Of the two halves of the city, Buda is more picturesque. Two hills, Várhegy and Géllert offer stunning views of the city. The former is crowned – appropriately enough – by Buda Castle. Though destroyed and reconstructed many times since the 15th century, it remains one of the most imposing Royal residences in Europe and clustered around it there is a maze of Baroque buildings and streets.

However, Pest is just as fascinating and quintessentially Hungarian. Turn off any of the main boulevards and you'll quickly find yourself in a quiet residential neighbourhood where the rich scent of a hearty gulyás wafts from a kitchen window, while a woman in a brightly coloured head scarf sweeps the pavement with a homemade broom and cigarette smoke wreathes the cave-like entryway of the corner pub. Rows of salamis hang in the windows of the grocery stores and old men play chess under the shade of chestnut trees. And, in addition to these atmospheric side streets, Pest also offers more traditional tourist attractions like museums, parks, spas and galleries.

Budapest’s magnificent waterfront and boulevards invite comparisons with Paris, Prague and Vienna – as do many features of its cultural life such as its coffee houses, its love of opera and its wine-producing tradition. But these aspects are overlaid with something altogether more exotic: a flavour of Asia which the citizens’ Magyar heritgae (of which they are intensely proud) keeps alive to this day. With Hungary now a member of the EU, it’s an ideal time to see how this great city and its two million-odd inhabitants will regain their rightful place in the heart of Europe.