The Danube Bend,
Castles in
Hungary
• The Danube is the second longest
river in Europe. Before reaching
Budapest it is forced through a
narrow twisting valley in the
pretty Carpathian Basin, known as
the Danube Bend, 8 miles from
Budapest.
• The cluster of towns on the bend
offer an amazing collection of
history, culture and architecture,
particularly the small towns of
Szentendre, Visegrád and
Esztergom.
• You can easily see
the delightful towns
along the snaking
Bend on daytrips
from Budapest,since
they are all within a
couple of hours of
the city. The great
natural beauty of the
area, where forested
hills loom over the
river, makes the
Danube Bend a
welcome heaven for
those weary of the
city.
Danube
The Citadel of Visegrad and the
Solomon’s Tower
• The Citadel and the Lower
Castle The Visegrád double
castle system is one of the
castles built by Béla IV
recognizing the consequences of
the Mongol invasion. The
fortress preserved its
significance until the Turkish
invasions.
• The Citadel had a multifunctional
role: it was protecting the valley
of the Danube, it was controlling
the main commerical route
between Buda and Esztergom,
and also served as a custom’s
house. The fortress consisted of
two parts.
• The tower of the
lower castle, known as
'Solomon's Tower',
was built in the 13th
century. It is a
virtually unique
construction of
Hungarian
architecture of its
day. It has been
damaged on numerous
occasions, but has
always been repaired.
It is currently a
museum.
The Buda Castle
• Buda Castle (Hungarian: Budai Vár, Turkish: Budin Kalesi) is the
historical castle of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, Hungary,
first completed in 1265. In the past, it was also called Royal
Palace. Buda Castle was built on the southern tip of Castle Hill,
next to the old Castle District, which is famous for its medieval,
Baroque and 19th century houses and public buildings.
Parliament
of Hungary
The
The Hungarian Parliament Building (Hungarian:
Országház) is the seat of the National Assembly
of Hungary, one of Europe's oldest legislative
buildings, a notable landmark of Hungary and a
popular tourist destination of Budapest. It lies in
Kossuth Lajos Square, on the bank of the
Danube, in Budapest. It is currently the largest
building in Hungary, and the second largest
Parliament in Europe.
History of Parliament
Budapest was united from three cities
in 1873 and seven years later the
National Assembly resolved to
establish a new, representative
Parliament Building, expressing the
sovereignty of the nation. A
competition was published, which was
won by Imre Steindl.
Construction from the winning plan
was started in 1885 and completed in
1904. (The architect of the building
went blind before its completion.)
There were about one thousand
people working on its construction in
which 40 million bricks, half a million
precious stones and 40 kilograms of
gold were used.
Similar to the Palace of Westminster, it was
built in Gothic Revival style.
It is 268 m long
and 123 m wide.
Its interior
includes 10
courtyards, 13
passenger and
freight elevators,
27 gates, 29
staircases and
691 rooms
(including more
than 200 offices).
With its height of
96 m, it is one of
the two tallest
buildings in
Budapest.
The Holy Crown of
Hungary, which is
also depicted in the
coat of arms of
Hungary, is in the
central hall since
2000 representing
the foundation of the
Hungarian State.
The Hungarian HolyCrown is one of
Europe’s oldest and
for the longest period
used hallow. It is part
of the Hungarian coat
of arms, and has
followed through
history since the 12th
century until today.
One of the reasons the Romans first colonized the area immediately
to the west of the River Danube and established their regional
capital at Aquincum (now part of Óbuda, in northern Budapest) is so
that they could utilize and enjoy the thermal springs. There are still
ruins visible today of the enormous baths that were built during that
period. The new baths that were constructed during the Turkish period
(1541-1686) served both bathing and medicinal purposes, and some of
these are happily still in use to this day.
Gellért Thermal Baths and Swimming Pool, also called Gellért fürdő or Gellért
Baths, are a bath complex in Budapest, Hungary, built between 1912 and 1918 in the
(Secession) Art Nouveau style.
The Gellért Baths complex includes thermal baths, which are small pools
containing water from Gellért hill's mineral hot springs.THE thermal baths are
decorated beautifully with mosaic tiles.
Széchenyi Thermal Bath
• The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath in Budapest
(Széchenyi-gyógyfürdő) is the largest medicinal
bath in Europe. Its water is supplied by two
thermal springs.
• The bath was built in 1913 in Neo-baroque style
to the design of Győző Czigler.
Rudas Bath
It is a genuine Turkish bath. Built in the 16th
century.
Lukács bath
•
In the 12th century, knights of
the order of Saint John
engaging in curing the sick
settled in the area of today's
Lukács Bath, followed by the
orders of Rhodos and Malta,
who built their monasteries
baths as well. The bath
operated through the time of
the Turks but the energy of
the springs were used primarily
to produce gunpowder and for
grinding wheat. After the
reoccupation of Buda,
• . In 1884 a series of
transformations
began. The spa hotel
was built, an up-todate hydrotherapy
department was
established and the
swimming pool was
transformed.
• In 1999, the open-air
pools of the swimming
pool section were
modernised.
• Most coutries with hot springs have
their spas in small towns or utter
wilderness, but Budapest is a thermal
metropolis.Among the classic hangouts:
the buble bath in the Gellért Hotel.
• You don’t have to be aching or ailing to
enjoy a dip.