Budapest (pronounced /ˈbu:dʌˌpɛʃt/ (AE), also /ˈbju:-/ (BE) or /ˈbʊ-/; Hungarian IPA: ['budɒpɛʃt]) is the capital city of Hungary and the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial and transportation centre[1]. In 2007 Budapest had 1,696,128 inhabitants[2] with an official agglomeration of 2,451,418 [2], down from a mid-1980s peak of 2.1 million. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube (Hungarians call it the Duna river) with the amalgamation on 17 November 1873 of right-bank (west) Buda and Óbuda (Old Buda) together with Pest on the left (east) bank.

Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement, was the direct ancestor of Budapest, becoming the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Magyars arrived in the territory around 900. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Tatars in 1241-42[3]. The re-established town became one of the global centers of Renaissance humanist culture in the 15th century. Following nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city after the 1873 unification[4] of its three constituents. It also became the second capital of Austria-Hungary, a great power that dissolved in 1918.

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world[5][6], Budapest is considered an important Central European hub[7] for business, culture and tourism. Its World Heritage Sites include the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue and the Millennium Underground railway, the first on the European continent[5][8]. Budapest attracts over 20 million visitors a year[9], making it one of the top destinations in Europe. The city ranks 74th on Mercer Consulting's 'World's Top 100 Most Livable Cities' list[10].

Residents of the city are called either Budapesters or Budapestians.

History

Geography

Budapest lies in central Hungary. The Danube is nearly 1 km (0.6 mi) wide when entering the city. The river later encircles two islands, Óbuda Island and Margaret Island[4]. The river that separates the two parts of the city is only 230 m (750 ft) wide at its narrowest point in Budapest. Pest lies on the flat terrain of the Great Plain while Buda is rather hilly[4].

Climate

Budapest has a temperate, transitional climate - somewhere between the mild, rainy weather of Transdanubia and the variable climate of the flat and open Great Plain to the east[11].

Districts

Population change of Budapest (1870-2007)

Originally Budapest had 10 districts after coming into existence upon the unification of the three cities in 1873. On 1 January 1950 Budapest was united with several neighboring towns and the number of its districts was raised to 22. At that time there were changes both in the order of districts and in their sizes. Now there are 23 districts, 6 in Buda, 16 in Pest and 1 on Csepel island between them. Each district can be associated with one or more city parts named after former towns within Budapest.

Islands

Seven islands can be found on the Danube: Hajógyári sziget (literal translation: Shipyard Island), Margit-sziget (Margaret Island), and Csepel sziget (the northernmost part of this island belonging to Budapest is a separate district of the city, the XXI., while the other islands are parts of other districts, the III. and XIII. respectively), Palotai-sziget (in fact, it's a peninsula today), Népsziget (connected to the above, but mostly surrounded by water), Háros-sziget and Molnár-sziget.

Notable islands:

Landmarks and monuments

The city is home to the largest synagogue in Europe (Great Synagogue), the largest medicinal bath in Europe (Széchenyi Medicinal Bath) and the third largest Parliament building in the world, once the largest in the world. The third largest church in Europe (Esztergom Basilica) and the second largest Baroque castle in the world (Gödöllő) are in the vicinity.

Panoramic view points

Sights and historic places

   Hunry's Olympic Stadium  

Media portrayals

Films

Shopping

Unique traditional folk art to look for in the Inner City and the Castle Quarter[16]: ceramics, embroideries, painted eggs, dolls in folk costume, hand-painted Herend and Zsolnay porcelain, crystal and Halas lace. Food: red paprika in gift boxes, goose liver, traditional salami. Spirits: apricot and plum brandy, Hungarian liqueur, famous regional wines (Tokaji, Badacsonyi, Egri). Other: cosmetic products and art books. Shops are usually open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Shopping centers on weekdays are open till 8 p.m. and most of them are also open on Sundays.

The Castle Quarter (or District) is the place to buy antiques and folk art items at the small shops and on the streets. The House of Hungarian Wines has an enormous selection of wine from the historical Hungarian wine regions[17].

The Great Market Hall is a large and rich indoor market, and a major tourist attraction. Built in 1890, it is the city's "pantry", a vast repository of Hungaricums such as paprika, brandy (pálinka), goose-liver (libamáj) and a wide variety of traditional sausages and salamis seasoned with paprika.

One part of the main pedestrian shopping street, Váci utca (street) begins on the opposite side of the Great Market Hall, at the foot of Liberty (Szabadság) bridge. The other part continues through the underpass at the entrance of Elisabeth Bridge and leads to Vörösmarty tér (Square). Several antique and folklore shops, galleries, designer boutiques, foreign-language book-shops, jewelry and wine-shops, restaurants, and cafés can be found on the neighboring streets. On Kígyó utca the two finest porcelain shops face each other. The Herend and the Zsolnay porcelain shops sell Hungary's most precious hand painted porcelain vases figures and dinner services.

The antique shopping street, Falk Miksa utca, runs from Szt. Istvan Blvd. to the Parliament. The shops offer the richest collection of antiques in Central Europe.

The Ecseri Flea Market in the 9th district has many treasures for collectors, browsers and anyone looking for an unusual souvenir to take home.

There are several shopping malls located close by major intersections and metro stations throughout the city. The WestEnd City Center, next to the Western Railway Station, is one of the largest shopping centers in Central and Eastern Europe containing 400 shops, a 14-screen cinema complex, entertainment centers, and a huge food-court. The Hilton Budapest Westend, which is the second Hilton hotel in Hungary, is integrated into the mega-complex. On the roof, a tethered balloon gives a view of the city. The newest shopping center in Budapest is the Arena Plaza (opened November 2007). It is located next to the Keleti Railway station.

On the Buda side, two new shopping complexes were opened consequently: MAMMUT shopping center at Széna square (along Margaret Blvd.) has more than 300 shops on 7 levels in two buildings connected with a covered bridge. The center also houses several restaurants, an entertainment center, fitness facilities and a health center. The other is MOM PARK with 70 shops, a restaurant and cinema (12th district, Alkotás út).

Transportation

Airport

Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, which has 3 different passenger terminals: Ferihegy 1, which tends to serve the many discount airlines now flying to and from Budapest, Ferihegy 2/A and Ferihegy 2/B. Terminal 2/C is planned to be built. The airport is located to the east of the centre in the XVIII. district in Pestszentlőrinc. Malév (Hungarian Airlines) began to change its aircraft in 2003, and by 2005 owned the most modern fleet in Europe.

Roads

Budapest is the most important Hungarian road terminus; all the major highways end there. Between, the city Street names were reverted from the names given under Soviet occupation back to their late-19th century names. Budapest is also a major railway terminus.

Ring road M0 around Budapest is currently under construction.

Commuting with public transport

Budapest public transport is provided by BKV[17], the company operates buses, trolleybuses, trams, suburban railway lines, the metro, a boat service, a cogwheel railway and a chairlift, called Libegő.

Budapest's tram network is extensive, and reliable despite poor track infrastructure and an ageing fleet. Routes 4 and 6 combined form the busiest traditional city tram line in the world, with the world's longest passenger trams (54-metre (177 ft) long Siemens Combino) running at 60 to 90 second intervals at peak time and 3-4 minutes off-peak and usually packed with people.

Day services operate from 4:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. each day. Night traffic (a reduced overnight service) is outstandingly good.

There are three metro lines and a fourth is currently under construction. The Yellow line, built in 1896, is one of the oldest subway lines in the world, following only the early lines of the London Underground.

Special vehicles

Beside metros, suburban rails, buses, trams and boats, there are a couple of less usual vehicles in Budapest:

The latter three vehicles run among Buda hills.

Railway

Hungarian main-line railways are operated by MÁV. There are three main railway termini in Budapest, Keleti (eastern), Nyugati (westbound), and Déli (southbound), operating both domestic and international rail services. Budapest was one of the main stops of the Orient Express until 2001, when the service was cut back to Paris-Vienna.

There is also a suburban rail service in and around Budapest, operated under the name HÉV.

Waterways

The river Danube flows through Budapest on its way to the Black Sea. The river is easily navigable and so Budapest has historically been a major commercial port (at Csepel). In the summer months a scheduled hydrofoil service operates up the Danube to Vienna.

International schools

Many embassies and transnational companies are located in Budapest. They bring many expatriate foreigners and their families to town, creating demand for private and international schools. These schools are usually quite expensive and are attended by the expatriates as well as some richer Hungarians.

International schools:

Sister cities

These are the official sister cities of Budapest[18][19]:

	Country		City		County / District / Region / State	Date
	Austria		Vienna		Vienna	1990
	Bosnia and Herzegovina		Sarajevo		Sarajevo Canton	1995
	Croatia		Zagreb		Zagreb	1994
	Germany		Berlin		Berlin	1992
	Germany		Frankfurt am Main		Hesse	1990
	Israel		Tel Aviv		Tel Aviv District	1989
	Portugal		Lisbon		District of Lisbon	1992
	United States		Fort Worth		Texas	1990
	United States		New York City		New York	1991

Some of the city's districts are also twinned to small cities or districts of other big cities, for details see the article List of districts and towns in Budapest.