petak, 17. travnja 2015.

Budapest II





Here I am again, I have to finish my story of Budapest, well, I was a little sick, a little lazy, and I see it's been over a month since my last post ..... hm .....
Here you go, what I most like in Budapest are Chain Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, St. Stephen's Church and spacious great avenue Andrasy which leads to the magnificent Heroes' Square.



Chain Bridge


The Chain Bridge is one of Budapest's most famous landmarks. The magnificent suspension bridge was built in the nineteenth century across the river Danube to connect Pest with Buda.
Construction of the Chain Bridge started in 1842 under the supervision of the Scottish engineer Adam Clark. This Bridge is 375 meter long and 16 meter wide and was opened on November 20th 1849. At the time the suspension bridge was the longest in Europe and a with just two towers supporting the spans with giant iron chains. The chains gave the bridge its name. The beautiful bridge towers are decorated with the Hungarian coat of arms. Imposing stone lions, the work of sculptor Janos Marschalko, guard the bridge on either side. According to legend, the sculptor threw himself in the river when, during the bridge's opening ceremony, a spectator proclaimed that the lions had no tongues. In reality the lions do have tongues and the sculptor lived on for several more decades.
The bridge is also a symbol of independence and was the site of demonstrations during the turbulent time of the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, when people demonstrated on the bridge.
The Chain Bridge survived an attempt by the Austrians to destroy it in 1848, during the War of Independence. In 1945 however, near the end of World War II, the bridge was blown up by the Germans in an attempt to halt the progress of the Red Army. The bridge was one of the first structures to be rebuilt after the war, and it reopened in 1949. The current bridge is an exact copy of the original.






House of Parliament


Hungary's Parliament Building is situated at Pest's riverbank. Built at a time when Hungary was still under Austrian influence, the magnificent structure is a symbol of Hungary's independence. After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise in 1867, in which a dual monarchy was created, Hungary received more independence and the country wrote its own constitution. It also initiated the construction of a parliament building. A competition for this project was officially launched by Emperor Franz Joseph and prime minister Kalman Tisza. The first thing you'll notice is the amazing similarity to British Parliament, and than you find out a fact that its desinger, Imre Steindl, was inspired by the Houses of Parliament in London.
The Building construction of the Parliament House started in 1885. and it was completed seventeen years later 1902. At that time it was the largest parliamentary building in the world with a length of 268 meters and a width of 118 meters. The impressive dome, visible from afar, reaches a height of 96 meters. The building's facade is magnificent, decorated with eighty-eight statues of Hungarian rulers, pointed arch arcades and numerous gargoyles, spires and Gothic ornaments.


 
 
 
St Stephen's Basilica


Basilica of St Stephen is Budapest's largest church. It is dedicated to St. Stephen, the first Christian king of Hungary. His right hand, the country's most important relic, is enshrined in one of the church's chapels. Construction of the basilica began in 1851. The first architect who worked on the design was Jozsef Hild, when he passed away, architect Miklos Ybl took over, adding his own touch to the basilica. After Miklis Ybl's death, in 1891. the layout of the interior of the basilica and the completion of the building was ultimately overseen by a third architect Jozsef Krausz.

The church was finally consecrated in 1905 and on December 8th.
Its center is crowned with a majestic dome, which reaches a height of 96 meters, exactly the height of the Parliament Building. The height refers to 896, the year of the settlement of the Magyar tribes in the Carpathian Basin, which led to the foundation of today's Hungary.
You can travel by elevator or walk up 302 steps to the terrace around the dome from where you can enjoy a panoramic view of Budapest. The wiev is fantastic, try!



 
 
 
There's a little bit more wait next post.......

4 komentara:

  1. This is a great blog and will come in very handy when I visit next year. If you're looking for a travel money guide this is a great read http://goo.gl/e5CUcX

    OdgovoriIzbriši
  2. Your post is a great guide of Budapest now! Well done and very good pictures. x

    www.travelera.es

    OdgovoriIzbriši