The „intertwined history” of the bridges and the city of Budapest
Which ideas and events have shaped the fate of bridges of Budapest and the cityscape? Alongside many other interesting facts, this question is also answered this newly published book by the Budapest City Archives, which introduces the history of bridges in Budapest.
Domonkos Csaba
Air Parade in 1912 - When people had to pay to see the air show
August 27, 2022 at 11:32 AM
The air parade on 20 August of this year was cancelled, although the air shows on St. Stephen's Day now have a history of 110 years in Budapest. The first air show on 20 August was held in 1912, with the same purpose as today: to demonstrate the skills of the pilot and to show the capabilities of the aircraft. People had to pay for the big and spectacular event at the time, but it turned out afterwards that the spectators would have expected more for their money.
The establishment of the Pest Casino
August 25, 2022 at 11:28 AM
One of István Széchenyi's first creations was the Pest Casino, which was a kind of leisure club with cultural and economic development goals. The Pest Casino was opened 195 years ago, on 20 August 1827.
A ceremony in Pest 180 years ago: the laying of the foundation stone of the Chain Bridge
August 24, 2022 at 11:24 AM
The foundation stone of the Chain Bridge is located under the bridgehead in Pest. It was laid down 180 years ago, on the afternoon of 24 August 1842, and the entire "elite" of that time was represented at the ceremony. The foundation stone laying ceremony was a carefully composed celebration, where it was also stipulated which guest would carry the decorative trowel or the hammer for the symbolic blows.
The first building of the National Theatre was handed over 185 years ago - the County of Pest embraced the cause of Hungarian-language plays
August 22, 2022 at 11:10 AM
It opened as the Hungarian Theatre of Pest 185 years ago, on 22 August 1837, but three years later it was already operating as the National Theatre. The first permanent Hungarian-language theatre was made possible by the support of the County of Pest and the generous donation of Prince Antal Grassalkovich. The building was located at today's 3 Rákóczi Road, it was first built around and expanded, then closed and demolished in 1908.
The Planetarium opened 45 years ago
August 18, 2022 at 10:44 AM
The Planetarium is currently not operating in Budapest, as the building, which opened on 20 August 1977, has simply fallen into disrepair, and the projector is fatally outdated. The renovation has been delayed for years.
The silent laying of the foundation stone of the Parliament
August 15, 2022 at 10:11 AM
The Hungarian Parliament is one of the most beautiful parliament buildings in the world. The massive house, designed by Imre Steindl, began to be built in 1885, and the foundation stone was laid almost two years later, without much celebration.
When Rókus Hospital was almost demolished
August 14, 2022 at 7:00 PM
150 years ago, the Pest council discussed the idea of demolishing the Rókus Hospital. The plan was not born from the regression of healthcare, but rather from its development. The city fathers wanted a new, more modern hospital elsewhere.
The first Hungarian railway was built 195 years ago - the special structure delivered construction materials from Kőbánya
August 12, 2022 at 6:55 PM
The first Hungarian railway line led from today's Pest to Kőbánya. The 7.6-kilometeresection, built in 1827 and realized with a special technical solution, was not profitable, and was discontinued after 7 months.
Many people in Budapest were afraid of the polio vaccine, but in the end they managed to defeat the disease
August 8, 2022 at 3:47 PM
The polio epidemic took its toll in several waves in many parts of the country in the 1950s. The first vaccination campaign in Budapest and the country took place 65 years ago, at the end of July and beginning of August, 1957. But in the capital, far fewer people vaccinated their children than elsewhere, because many were afraid of vaccination. People finally managed to defeat this terrible viral disease.
The famous Hungarian inventor passed away 100 years ago - Donát Bánki stayed here to enrich his country
August 2, 2022 at 1:20 PM
He made the world's first atomizer engine together with János Csonka, his other invention, the Bánki Turbine, bears his name, and he also designed the mechanical equipment of the former Elevátor House on Boráros Square, the grain transfer building demolished after the war. Donát Bánki was a legendary engineer of the Ganz Factory and a renowned teacher at the University of Technology. He died in Budapest on 1 August 1922.
They wanted to call the first suspension bridge in Pest the István Bridge, eventually it was called Dróthíd (Wire Bridge)
August 9, 2021 at 3:00 PM
Wire bridge. It’s a strange name, though that’s how the little bridge, which was handed over 195 years ago, on 9 August1826, in the Városliget, near today’s George Washington statue, was called. The small footbridge was a new technology at the time, as it was a cable bridge and the first suspension bridge in Pest.
Only one-third of the apartments in Budapest had bathrooms in the 1930s
June 20, 2021 at 12:00 PM
In the first half of the 19th century, the facilities of apartments in Budapest did not even come close to what is usual today. According to statistics from 1930, 23 per cent of homes did not have plumbing, only a third had a bathroom, and just over half had a toilet.
Changing Chains – 12 elements of Chain Bridge to be modified during reconstruction
June 16, 2021 at 11:30 AM
Chain Bridge has been completely closed, and its renovation has begun in earnest. The 172-year-old bridge has been remodelled several times, first in 1914-1915, then it was rebuilt after World War II, and most recently, it underwent major renovations in the second half of the 1980s. So now the iconic structure of the capital is being renewed again. But what work will be done on the Chain Bridge over the next two years?
New bridges in Budapest
March 8, 2021 at 9:00 AM
PestBuda has reported on the largest railway development, the Southern Ring Railway, currently underway in Budapest several times. Recently, new renders appeared of an important element of the railway line, a new bridge. Take a look.
Where the No. 6 stops – The trams of Budapest have been numbered for 111 years
February 12, 2021 at 11:00 AM
For the modern commuter, the fact that trams and buses have numbers is obvious – but this was not always the case. In fact, numbers first appeared on trams in Budapest in 1910. Even the system's introduction had its bumps as trams often turned in different directions than what their number would have suggested, meaning not only passengers but drivers and conductors had to get used to the new solution.
A forgotten bridge on the Danube – Many forget the second road bridge under construction in Budapest
January 19, 2021 at 9:00 AM
Two bridges are being built as part of the Galvani Bridge development project. The cable-stayed structure spanning the main Danube branch has been discussed in detail but the other bridge planned to cross the Soroksár branch of the river has almost been forgotten, despite being a major and beautiful piece of infrastructure.
New bridge may be built near Aquincum
December 9, 2020 at 10:00 AM
The Budapest Transport Centre has begun preparations for the construction of a new bridge which would connect Aquincum in Óbuda with Újpest.
Fifty years in the works: Airport express road to become dual-carriageway
November 11, 2020 at 11:00 AM
Although not many people are travelling by plane during the pandemic, everyone agrees that better transport is needed between Liszt Ferenc International Airport and the Budapest city centre. A new rail connection to the airport is in the works, and now a design tender for expanding the expressway to the airport to two lanes in each direction has been announced. But how has Budapest grown out of the road that served the airport for decades?
Sixty years of articulated buses in Budapest
November 6, 2020 at 9:00 AM
There were not enough buses in the Budapest of the 1950s, and those that were in use were too small. Decision-makers expected a quick solution from Ikarus but the Hungarian bus manufacturer only promised to offer a large articulated bus in the middle of the 1960s. The Budapest bus workshop was unwilling to wait. They built over 300 articulated buses themselves.
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The „intertwined history” of the bridges and the city of Budapest
Which ideas and events have shaped the fate of bridges of Budapest and the cityscape? Alongside many other interesting facts, this question is also answered this newly published book by the Budapest City Archives, which introduces the history of bridges in Budapest.
The Bridge Report, which brought a turning point in the history of Budapest
A travel report that changed the history of Pest and Buda, as well as Hungary. The little book contributed to the change of half a thousand years of legal customs and the implementation of an investment of unprecedented size and technical quality. This book was The Bridge Report [Hídjelentés in Hungarian].
Drama on the university wall - The heroic monument was planned 95 years ago
In the constant hustle and bustle of the Egyetem Square in Pest, the students may not even notice the monument that decorates the short section of wall between the church and the central building of ELTE. However, it commemorates their predecessors, the heroes who fought for their country in World War I, and those who heroically helped them. The first design of the dramatically collapsing soldier was born in 1928, ninety-five years ago.