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/