Budapest's Glory Days

If I had a time machine, one of the times and places I would visit is Budapest, 1896, for its millennial celebration.  Where I live, we get excited at a bicentennial, but they celebrated 1,000 years since the mysterious and magnificent Magyars arrived and set up their kingdom.

The Maygars probably came from the area between the Volga River and Ural mountains, but the language they brought was unique.  Linguistically, Hungarian is still a mystery (and difficult to learn), as it is not a slavic or romance language and most closely resembles Estonian and Finnish (which are also outliers).

At the time of its millennium, Budapest went all out.  Bronze statues of the powerful Maygars and kings of Hungary were placed in Hero's Square, adjoining a 250 acre City Park.  The exquisite Houses of Parliament (largest parliament building in the world at the time) was built on the Danube.  The Opera House and elegant homes with beautiful facades were built.

The grand Central Market Hall (Vasarcsarnok) was formed.  A horse-drawn "metro" system was created under Andrassy ut (a main street) to take people from  downtown Pest to  Hero's Square. (The metro still runs through that tunnel, but not with horses.) Budapest was Europe's fastest growing city and becoming one of the wealthiest.  Tourists were attracted to this fascinating city, and Bram Stoker opened his tale of Dracula (1897) with the writer's arrival in exotic Budapest on his way to Transylvania.  (Vlad, the Impaler, had actually spent time in Buda).

In 2006, Jenny and I came to Budapest a few days prior to our Uniworld cruise of the upper Danube, staying in one of the grand homes  (now the Hotel Delibab) which faces  Hero's Square and the Art Museum, just off Andrassy ut on the Pest side.  We were not concerned about no air conditioning, because we had been told that summers are generally cool there.  Well, we hit a hot spell and hoped no one would climb the balcony to our windows, opened at night to catch a breeze.  (Four years later, Budapest was cold and rainy.)

In the City Park, we discovered lovely gardens; a summer lake/winter skating rink with the legendary restaurant Gundel; the delightful art deco zoo (started in 1866--one of the oldest in the world); and the Vajdahunyad Castle, built to resemble part of a fairy-tale castle in Transylvania (part of Hungary then).  The castle looks romantically real, but it was intended as a temporary building for the Millennial Exhibition.  It was so popular, though, they made it permanent.

We passed by the Szechenyi Baths, one of the several famous medicinal thermal baths in Budapest.  You can even play chess there while relaxing in the pool.  Instead, I enjoyed ice cream at the famous Gerbeaud Cafe (1857) in the heat and divine hot chocolate during my cold and rainy visit.

Even though it was a millennial celebration, Budapest has only been a united city since 1873 when the flat-land commercial city of Pest joined with the hilly, imperial city of Buda and the town of Obuda  (Old Buda) with, of course, its Roman ruins.  They say Nero was the first to bathe in their healing bath (but it didn't seem to improve his disposition).  The Chain Bridge, the first bridge to connect these sides of the Danube, wasn't built until 1849.  All of the bridges were bombed in WWII, but were rebuilt in the unique styles of their predecessors.

Looking up on the Buda hills, I was immediately struck by the massive Royal Palace ( now museums) which was started in the 1300s, but suffered neglect under the Ottomans and Hapsburgs and damage in WWII.  Winding up the hill, we came to the old town area and the Matyas Church which has had several  style changes (including becoming a mosque) since the popular Hungarian king, Matyas Corvinus Hunyadi, was married there in the middle ages.  King Stephen, the first Hungarian king who brought Christianity to the area, guards the church on his royal steed.  And behind the church and king are the fanciful turrets of Fishermen's Bastion, the favorite spot for photos.  Though it looks like a mighty, ancient fortress, it was only built around the time of their millennium on the site where poor, hardworking fishermen once defended the area in the 18th century. It was hard to get outside photos in the pouring rain this time, so we ended up sharing our shelter with a hooded eagle available for photo ops. In the sunshine, old Buda makes for a delightful stroll.

So are Budapest's glory days past? At the end of WWI, only about 20 years after their grand millennium,  the Austro-Hungarian Empire was defeated and dismantled.  Hungary lost large tracts of land, such as Slovakia and Transylvania.  In the dark days ahead, they would be ruled by the Nazis and Soviets (coming post).  Yet, I sensed a vibrancy and resilience in the new generation of Hungarians as they moved among the monuments of their past.

The old traditions, such as wonderful foods--gulyas (goulash which is a soup-- not a stew); paprika chicken (I never knew how flavorful good, fresh paprika could taste); cucumber salad (so refreshing); cold cherry soup with cream (delicious)--are readily available as well as beautifully embroidered cloths and brightly painted wooden ware.  Tourists have returned, and the city seems to be on the way back up.  At night, when the bridges and city are lit, golden waters flow in the Danube--a clear sign that Budapest's glory days are far from over.

Click link for slideshow:
Budapest Glory Days
Music:  Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsodie No.2 in C sharp minor, Complete Hungarian Rhapsodies (Michele Campanella)
More information: www.budapestinfo.hu/en/
http://www.danube-river.com/

Bratislava, Slovakia: a Coronation City

Before this trip, I confess I knew little about Bratislava--let alone that it had been the coronation city for 19 monarchs.  After the Hungarian Magyars conquered in 997, today's Slovakia became Upper Hungary and was not fully independent until the Velvet Revolution separation of Czechoslovakia into The Czech Republic and The Slovak Republic in 1993, almost 1,000 years later.  Bratislava or something like it is both the city's old and new name (Bretislav gave his name to the town in the 5th century).  The Hungarians called the city Pozsony;  the Austrians and Germans called it Pressburg.

When the Ottomans conquered  most of Hungary, the Hungarian kings and queens were crowned in Bratislava.  Under Austrian rule, several  Habsburgs were crowned there, including the Empress Maria Teresa and Joseph I.

It's easy to follow the coronation route through St. Michael's gate to St. Martin's cathedral by following the metal crown images embedded in the street.  However, don't forget to look up, as you just might not see the faces, probably turned to stone by some disapproving monarch, watching you or miss the narrowest building (one room wide) in Europe crowded against the arch.

It's a bit of a walk up the hill to the Castle (we used the bus), but I must say the sight blew me away (literally).  From the top, you can see across the Danube to both Austria and Hungary, but the wind was so strong that day, we had to huddle together to keep from being blown there. (A guide said Vienna and Bratislava are the two closest capitals in the world--only 35 miles apart)  They have just fixed up the castle's exterior and are now working on the interior, so it was closed and had to go on the "come back later" list.

Even higher than the Castle Hill, we  ascended to the Slavin Monument for a magnificent view over the city and a glimpse of the "Small" Carpathian Mountains.  A prominent monument stands there to honor the Red Army soldiers who were killed in battles against the Nazis.  Napoleon also conquered the city, leaving some cannon balls embedded in buildings.  Some residents found it a badge of honor to have suffered damage, so several homes along the coronation route subsequently had cannon balls added to their  exterior even though they did not face the direction of the attack.   There's at least one French soldier who decided to stick around that you just might find staring over your shoulder in the old market square while you check out the souvenir huts covered with historical facts, admire the grand architecture of the surrounding buildings, and head into a Schokocafe (Chocolate Cafe) for their specialty, hot chocolate.  My kind of town!


Bratislava has its share of beautiful churches (St. Martin's) and important Baroque (the pink Primate's Palace) and Neo-Classical (Opera House) buildings, but it was its fun and lighthearted atmosphere that really set it apart.  Around the squares, there were several quirky statues for photo-ops, mimes, a one-man band, lots of cafes, and people out and about enjoying themselves.  It was easy for tourists (they use Euros, lots of ATMs, many speak English), but it was not over-run with them.


We ended the afternoon with a performance in the tiny Ifju Szivek Dance Theater of the colorful Folkdance Bratislava dancers and musicians in their Carpathian Gateway performance.  The founder, Sally Cory, is an Australian woman who has devoted herself to going into villages to collect authentic music and dances from rural regions before they are lost.  The performances did not have that touristy polish, but brought the genuine flavor of a pleasant country gathering.  Having done some folk dancing in high school, I was pleased that the traditions are being kept alive.


 That evening, back on the boat, we had a remarkable performance of classical and folk music by the Pressburger Duo: Peter Ninaj (piano and accordion) and Robert Puskar who played the violin, sang, and made amazing sounds out of a variety of folk flutes--including a Slovakian Fujara flute.  In former years, our musician friends, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Liszt (see prior post), also made beautiful music in this delightful town.

Click link for slideshow:
Bratislava

Music: Fedor Poljakin, Le Canari, The Pressburger Duo
More information:
http://www.slovakia.org/bratislava.html
http://www.danube-river.com/

My Grandfather and the Habsburgs

July, 2010
I  learned at school that World War I started because the Habsburg Archduke  Franz Ferdinand, the intended heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo, Serbia in  1914.  But as I prepared to visit Central Europe in 2006, I realized I really did not not understand why this event should have led to a world war, the collapse of 3 superpower empires (Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman Turk, and Czarist Russia), and the early death of the grandfather I never knew--a bright engineering student at Stanford University in California, exposed to mustard gas in the muddy trenches in France.  There had been an earlier attempted assassination of the Emperor Franz Joseph, and his very beautiful and independent wife Elizabeth (Sissi) was assassinated in 1889, but no war followed.  (photo from building in Prague)

I found I was not alone in my puzzlement.  I discovered a helpful book:  Europe's Last Summer: Who Started the Great War in 1914? by David Fromkin.  I concluded (not doing justice to all the insights in the book) that the reasons were complex and multi-faceted--rising nationalism; old and weakening dynasties; opportunism; fear; revenge; defense against attackers; manipulative military leaders.  Most people in Europe were not anticipating a war that summer, and the leaders of the nations were mostly related through Queen Victoria or the Hapsburgs' political marriages.  But once the dominoes of World War I started falling, alliances had to honored, and there seemed to be no turning back.  However, for whatever reasons nations had for joining the war, no one foresaw the end:  in four years there would be 37 million casualties (16 million dead and missing; 21 million wounded) and the "peace" that would follow "the war to end all war"  held in it the seeds of more conflict.  Fromkin has written another good book on the division of the Middle East after WWI called "A Peace to End all Peace."


There were happier days for the Habsburgs.  They ruled Austria and various configurations of its empire for 640 years (1278-1918).  Twice they stopped the Ottoman Turks at the gates of Vienna in their efforts to conquer the rest of Europe (1529 and 1683).  Hapsburgs were Holy Roman Emperors and ruled in Austria and Spain with empires stretching around the globe in the 17th century.  Maximilian I, the brother of Franz Joseph, ruled Mexico from 1864-1867 when he was executed by Benito Juarez.  The Habsburgs found "marriage diplomacy" better than military might when it came to expanding their influence.  And many of these matters were arranged in the Vienna palaces of Hofburg, Belvedere, and Schonbrunn.

The Hofburg Palace was built in the 13th century, but used mostly as a fortress by the Habsburgs until shortly after the defeat of the Turks when Ferdinand I moved in.  It was in and out of favor with the rulers, though often renovated or added to.  Karl VI added the amazing Hofbibliothek (now the National Library) which we visited with its thousands of books and the Spanish Riding School with its magnificent Lipizzaner stallions (closed for renovations last summer).  There's a whole set of Hofburg Museums to be seen.

  I had thought the Schonbrunn Palace was further out from the city 40 years ago.  While my memory might be suspect, I also think the city has expanded to its gates in those years.  This was the favorite of the Empress Maria Teresa who managed not only to run an empire, but to bear 16 children as well.  Having just finished my studies in France, I was more focused in my first visit on her daughter Marie Antoinette, the similarities to Versailles ( the Great Gallery, Hall of Mirrors, and gardens), and the conquest by Napoleon who twice lived at the Schonbrunn and, after dumping his childless Josephine, married the daughter of the emperor, Marie Louise.  She bore him a son, Franz Napoleon, who was raised at Schonbrunn and died there in his early twenties.  This visit I appreciated the rooms more for their uniqueness ( the Porcelain Room, the Millions Room with its rare rosewood, the Chinese Room, etc.) and found greater warmth than I have felt in the massive Versailles.  There are needlepoints and paintings done by the daughters with the encouragement of their mother, Maria Teresa.

And this time I was more interested in the life of Franz Joseph and Sissi.  There was hardly a town I visited in the area of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire that didn't have something named after Franz Joseph.  He died in the middle of WWI, having ruled from age 18 to 86.  For all their worldly pomp, the Imperial Vault (Kaisergruft) where many Habsburgs  are buried is part of a rather unassuming church in Vienna.  It was left to the his successor, Karl, to surrender.  And coming full circle, I realized that it never occurred to me to ask my grandmother the reasons why my grandfather went to war.  History is full of never asked questions.
Click link for slideshow:
Habsburg Palaces
Music:  Joseph Haydn, String Quartet in B flat Op. 76 No. 4 Finale, Buchberger Quartet

More information:
 www.schoenbrunn.at/en/  www.hofburg-wien.at/en/

Vienna Part II: So you want to be a composer?

If you wanted to be a composer anytime from 1700-1900, you would probably have found your way to Vienna.  There must have been a truly remarkable blend of talent and opportunity, as I know of no other place or time that produced such a quantity of great musicians.  They were rivals and friends, teachers and students; appreciated and scorned; yet, in the end, each left us a piece of his soul.

In Vienna, Christopher Gluck changed the form of opera while serving as the orchestra director for the Empress Maria Theresa and teaching piano lessons to her daughter, Marie Antoinette, and Salieri (who was jealous, but did not poison Mozart).  Young Joseph Hayden sang in the Vienna Boys' Choir at St. Stephen's.  He returned in his later years, composing his Creation and Four Seasons and becoming a close friend to Mozart.

Six-year-old Amadeus Mozart delighted the Empress Maria Theresa with his musical talent.  He was married in St. Stephen's Cathedral and composed much of his music in Vienna.  I wanted to visit the  Figarohaus where he wrote 12 concertos, 5 sonatas, The Marriage of Figaro, and more pieces in just 3 years, but it was closed last trip and I didn't have enough time this trip.  Sadly, only 4 years later, he lived as a pauper on a nearby street, struggling to finish The Magic Flute and Requiem before his untimely death at age 35 after which his body was dumped in a common grave (by an unpopular edit, no funerals were allowed that year).  Yet, I have recently found Mozart alive and well.  I was in Vienna in 2006 when they celebrated his 300th birthday.  He has a statue, a museum, cafes, and a chocolate candy factory.  I even saw him helping to sell raincoats in one store.

At the age of 17, Beethoven visited Vienna and played in the Figarohaus for Mozart who recognized his talent.  The year after Mozart died, Beethoven met Haydn who invited him to study with him in Vienna.  However, their styles did not blend.  Beethoven was soon a favorite performer for the aristocracy and, during his happy years in Vienna, he wrote great sonatas, such as Moonlight and Pathetique.  But it was also here that he began to struggle with his oncoming deafness.  He moved outside the city to Heiligensatdt (now the Beethoven Museum).

Most of Beethoven's great impassioned symphonies were written during this tumultuous era.  One of my favorites, Eroica (Heroic), was initially dedicated to Napoleon, but when he took Vienna and later crowned himself Emperor, the disillusioned Beethoven violently crossed out his name.  Although Beethoven did not die in Vienna, in 1888 his remains were brought here to the Zentral-friedhof and placed next to those of his friend Franz Schubert.  Schubert had been born in Vienna and spent most of his musical life there.

There were others who found their way to Vienna:  Brahms, Liszt, Chopin, Mahler.  And in the final half of the 19th century, the Strauss family took center stage with Johann Strauss Jr. becoming known as the Waltz King, despite his father's disapproval that he chose to follow his father's footsteps in a musical career.  Monuments to composers are found throughout the city, especially in the Stadtpark.

To showcase their music, a great opera house (the Staatsoper) was built in 1869, but its architecture was criticized to the point that one of the architects committed suicide.   However, today it is beloved, though the season only runs from September to June.  However, there seems to be an endless array of musical and theatrical opportunities in the city.

As an optional excursion, Uniworld provided tickets to a Mozart/Strauss concert at the Kursalon (photo to right) in Stadtpark.   The old salon is beautiful (though hot in summer) and the music excellent, though it is primarily for music-loving tourists.  Jenny and I attended in 2006.  Having not gotten my act together to plan alternative entertainment, I returned again this summer  and was still delighted by the vibrant and soaring melodies performed by the chamber orchestra and opera soloists. (The attempt to add an element of ballet/waltz on that small platform seemed awkward.)  The performers were mostly young and led me to conclude that the musical talent pool in Vienna continues to be deep and strong.

Click on link for slideshow:
Vienna's Composers