Budapest is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with the unification on 17 November 1873, of right-bank (west) Buda and Óbuda (Old Buda) together with Pest on the left (east) bank.

Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, its World Heritage Sites $ji=1; include ('sosete/tonton.php'); include the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, and the Millennium Underground Railway, the first on the European continent. In addition, the largest thermal water cave system in the world was discovered under Budapest in 2008.
The city attracts over 20 million visitors a year. The headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) will be in Budapest.

 

The 525km 2 area of Budapest lies in central Hungary surrounded by settlements of the agglomeration in Pest county. The capital extends 25 and 29 kilometers in the north-south, east-west direction respectively. The Danube enters the city from the north; later it encircles two islands, Óbuda Island and Margaret Island. The third island Csepel Island is the largest of the Budapest Danube islands, however only it's northernmost tip is within city limits. The river that separates the two parts of the city is only 230 m (755 ft) wide at its narrowest point in Budapest. Pest lies on the flat terrain of the Great Plain while Buda is rather hilly. Pest's terrain rises with a slight eastward gradient, so the easternmost parts of the city lie at the same altitude as Buda's smallest hills, notably Gellért Hill and Castle Hill. The Buda hills consist mainly of limestone and dolomite, the water created speleothems , the most famous ones being the Pálvölgyi cave and the Szemlohegyi cave. The hills were formed in the Triassic Era. The highest point of the hills and of Budapest is János hill, at 527 meters above sea level. The lowest point is the line of the Danube which is 96 meters above see level. The forests of Buda hills are environmentally protected.

Buda ( German : Ofen ) is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian. An alternative etimological origin is the Slavic name Budimir .

Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's complete territory and is mostly wooded and hilly. It is usually associated with a higher standard of living, although this depends on the area. Its most notable landmarks are the Buda Castle and the Citadella .

Pest is the eastern, mostly flat part of Budapest , comprising about two thirds of Budapest's territory. It is divided from Buda , the other part of Budapest, by the Danube River . Among its most notable parts are the Inner City , including the Hungarian Parliament , Heroes' Square and Andrássy Avenue . In colloquial Hungarian , Pest is often used for the whole capital of Budapest.

The name Pest comes from a Slavic word pec meaning "oven, stove" in reference to the ovens in which the bricks of homes were fired.

Inner City ( Hungarian : Belváros ; German: Innenstadt ) is the historical old town of Pest . Now it belongs to District 5th of Budapest , Hungary. The traditional shopping centre of Budapest, Váci utca is located there. The city's commercial life, including banks and travel agencies, is centralized in Belváros. Many tourists start sightseeing there. Belváros is situated on the banks of the Danube . Its borders follow the line of the old city walls.

The borders of Belváros are: Vigadó tér (southern side) - Deák Ferenc utca - Deák Ferenc tér (southern side) - Károly körút - Múzeum körút - Vámház körút - the river Danube.

Landmarks and monuments

The neo-Gothic Parliament , containing amongst other things the Hungarian Crown Jewels . Saint Stephen's Basilica , where the Holy Right Hand of the founder of Hungary, King Saint Stephen is on display. The Hungarian cuisine and café culture: for example, Gerbeaud Café, and the Százéves, Biarritz, Fortuna, Alabárdos, Arany Szarvas, Kárpátia and the world famous Mátyás Pince Restaurants. There are Roman remains at the Aquincum Museum, and historic furniture at the Nagytétény Castle Museum.

The Castle Hill , the River Danube embankments and the whole of Andrássy út have been officially recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites .

Castle Hill and the Castle District; there are three churches here, six museums, and a host of interesting buildings, streets and squares. The former Royal Palace is one of the symbols of Hungary – and has been the scene of battles and wars ever since the thirteenth century. Nowadays it houses two impressive museums and the National Széchenyi Library . The nearby Sándor Palace contains the offices and official residence of the President of Hungary. The seven-hundred year-old Matthias Church is one of the jewels of Budapest. Next to it is an equestrian statue of the first king of Hungary, King Saint Stephen, and behind that is the Fisherman's Bastion , from where opens out a panoramic view of the whole city. Statues of the Turul , the mythical guardian bird of Hungary, can be found in both the Castle District and the Twelfth District.

In Pest, arguably the most important sight is Andrássy út. As far as Kodály Körönd and Oktogon both sides are lined with large shops and flats built close together. Between there and Heroes' Square the houses are detached and altogether grander. Under the whole runs continental Europe's oldest Underground railway, most of whose stations retain their original appearance. Heroes' Square is dominated by the Millenary Monument, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front. To the sides are the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Arts , and behind City Park opens out, with Vajdahunyad Castle . One of the jewels of Andrássy út is the Hungarian State Opera House . Statue Park , a theme park with striking statues of the Communist era, is located just outside the main city and is accessible by public transport.

The city is home to the largest synagogue in Europe ( Dohány Street 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 ( Gödöllo ) are in the vicinity.

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:

• Margit-sziget is a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long island and 0.965 square kilometres (238 acres) in area. The island mostly consists of a park and is a popular recreational area for tourists and locals alike. The island lies between bridges Margaret Bridge (south) and Árpád Bridge (north). Dance clubs, Swimming pools , an Aqua park , athletic and fitness centres, bicycle and running tracks can be found around the Island. During the day the island is occupied by people doing sports, or just resting. In the summer (generally on the weekends) mostly young people go to the island at night to party in its terraces, or to recreate with a bottle of alcohol on a bench or on the grass (this form of entertainment is sometimes referred to as bench-partying).
• Csepel-sziget or Csepel Island is the largest island of the River Danube in Hungary. It is 48 km (30 mi) long; its width is 6–8 km (3.75–5 mi) and its area comprises 257 km 2 (99 sq mi), whereas only the northern tip is inside the city limits.
• Hajógyári-sziget (or Óbudai-sziget) is a man built island, located in the third district. This island hosts many activities such as: wake-boarding, jet-skiing during the day, and dance clubs during the night. This is the island where the famous Sziget Festival takes place, hosting hundreds of performances per year and now around 400,000 visitors in its last edition. Many building projects are taking place to make this island into one of the biggest entertainment centres of Europe, the plan is to build Apartment buildings, hotels, casinos and a marina.
• Luppa-sziget is the smallest island of Budapest, located in the north region.

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