Széchenyi Chain Bridge is a suspension bridge that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest, the western and eastern sides of Budapest. It was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Budapest, and was opened in 1849.

In 1832, count István Széchenyi, “the greatest Hungarian” began to organize the construction of the bridge. While travelling in England, Széchenyi became personally acquainted with William Thierney Clark, who was commissioned to draft the plans for the bridge, and his namesake Adam Clark was asked to direct the construction, which was finished in 1849.

At the time of its construction, it counted as a wonder of the world. Its decorations made of cast iron, and its construction, radiating calm dignity and balance, raised it among the most beautiful industrial monuments in Europe. It became a symbol of advancement, national awakening, and the linkage between East and West.

In January 1945 the retreating German troops blew up the Chain Bridge. This vital element of Budapest’s cityscape was restored on the 100 the anniversary of its inauguration.

At the ends of the bridge are sculpted 4 lying lions. There is a popular anecdote which says that the lions were sculpted without tongues and the sculptor was mocked so much that he jumped into the Danube in shame. The lions do have tongues, but they are not visible from below, which is the usual point of view, as the lions are lying on a stone block some three meters high. The sculptor lived into the 1890s, and the only message he sent to mocking people was “Your wife should have a tongue just as my lions have, and woe will be unto you!” He jumped into the Danube when a little boy asked him about it.

After a nice walk over the bridge you arrive at Adam Clark Square, with the Zero Kilometer Stone and the lower end of the Castle Hill Funicular, leading to Buda Castle.

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The original construction of the bridge between 1897 and 1903 was carried out according to the plans by Aurél Czekelius. Many houses and squares had to be destroyed at the Pest end of the bridge, today’s Kossuth Lajos Street was straightened, and the bridge-gate and the two Eclectic “Klotild-Palaces”, were also built.

The bridge was designed in such a way because a wealthy nobleman, a member of the City Council owned the particular area of the riverbank. He wanted to make a fortune by selling the piece of land for bridge construction purposes, bribing the other councilmen and engineers on purpose.

The beautiful bridge, the world’s longest chain-bridge until 1926, was blown up in 1945 by the retreating German troops.

The novel design, planned by Pál Sávoly, was rebuilt as a cable-bridge in 1963 and first in Central Europe and not without weaknesses. Tram traffic and its heavy tracks had to be removed from the bridge in 1973 after signs of cracks appeared in the structure. The 2×3 lane Erzsébet bridge is relatively well maintained because it is part of the route where foreign dignitaries are being taken from Ferihegy Airport to the government quarter.

At one end of the bridge you can find the March 15 Square, with the oldest church in Pest, Inner City Parish Church, built in the 13th century, and the famous Mátyás Pince restaurant, while at the other end is Döbrentei Square in Buda with the monument of Saint Gellért on the Gellért Hill, a sculpture of Queen Elisabeth and the Rác Baths and Rudas Baths nearby. A luxury spa hotel is currently being built in the area.

Is one of the greatest places for a walk across Danube. Comming from March 15th Square you have easy access to the bridge and from it you have one of best views of surroundings. On the right side you have a good view on the Széchenyi Chain Bridge and Parliament. While passing on the left side of the bridge you have a good view on Rudas Bath or Rudas fürdő which  is a thermal and medicinal bath that was first built in 1550, during the time of the Turkish occupation of Hungary. To date, it retains many of the key elements of a Turkish bath, exemplified by its Turkish dome and octagonal pool.

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We have visited Budapest and we found it magnificent. On short we’ll try to go over the geography and history of this beautiful city.

Budapest covers 525 square kilometers, is considered the pearl of the Danube, and one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and the world.

The “good” points of Budapest are many. It has a strikingly beautiful location, on the two sides of the Danube, spanned by bridges (the Budapest reach of the Danube is 28 km). On the right side lies hilly Buda, majestic and impressive, while on the left side we have Pest, spread out on a plain, but all the more of a bustle. The Hungarian capital, scarcely more than a century old, is at once an individual and international place, unmistakable and open to the world. Out of every 100 visitors to Hungary, an average 75 to 80 pay a visit to the city, which has a population of 2 million.

The city is steeped in history to the maximum, with a past that goes back 2000 years. It has been the chief town of a Roman province, a crossing-place on the Danube, a coronation town. It has been under Turkish, and then under Habsburg rule. It has seen the Reform Period, the emergence of the bourgeoisie, with its values and customs, and it has seen two world wars, destruction and construction.

The residents are devoted to their city and home district, and make every effort to prevent the loss of these monuments, so that posterity can also delight in them. The examples include columns from the Roman period, the Gothic Matthias Church, the Király Baths from the Turkish period, the Castle Palace of Buda, mainly Baroque in its exterior, the neo-Classical Hungarian National Museum, the neo-Renaissance Opera House, the Museum of Industrial Art, built in a Hungarian historical style, the modern Elizabeth Bridge, the Budapest Convention Center and the new hotels, which have earned international prizes.

The Parliament Building, the Castle of Buda – designated as a museum centre, the Fishermen’s Bastion, the Citadel, the Chain Bridge, and the Heroes’ Square are potent symbols of Budapest.

Budapest is a city of contrasts too. It looks on the City – the Urbs hungarica – from a height of 235 metres above sea level. To take you still higher, there is a chair-lift, while in the depths runs the metro (the continent’s first underground railway is still in operation). Budapest has an island – Margareten Island , whose area covers 94 hectares – and it has a castle too – a replica, in the City Park, of the Castle of Vajdahunyad, eclectic in style. In Budapest, there are treasures to behold, such as the crown – from the beginning of the 11 th century – of St. Stephen, Hungary’s first king, or – in the Museum of Fine Arts – one of the world’s most valuable collections of Spanish painting and graphic art. And there is no shortage of seductive knickknacks either.

It is a meeting point of North and South, East and West. The intercrossing cultures are blended into a unique synthesis, while remaining characteristically Hungarian. You may acquire maximum firsthand experience of this every March, at the Budapest Spring Festival where in 100 venues, there are 1000 events to be seen and heard, from concert to traditional fairs, from exhibitions to mime shows, from computer competitions to folkdancing parties.

Budapest provides maximum relaxation with its parks, esplanades, the promenade on the Danube Embankment. Budapest is a venue of World Cup competitions, European and world championships, and at the Hungaroring, near Budapest, the Hungarian Grand Prix Formula One race is held. In Budapest, you have the opportunity for horseback riding and, in winter, for skiing. You can angle and practice karate, play tennis and bowling.

Time is something that is always in short supply. Prices in Budapest, as against other large cities, are reasonable low.

As a sign of maximum recognition of all this, UNESCO has added the Danube panorama, with the Castle of Buda, to the World Cultural Heritage List.

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