Budapest History, Hungary

Budapest is a historical city of Hungry and was created with the unification of separate towns like Obuda, Pest and Buda in 1873. It is ranked among the most beautiful cities of the world. Budapest has vibrant culture and fascinating history.

The city is the geographic and transportation hub of Hungry. It is also known for its unique values of traditions, history and culture. The city is bisected by the River Danube and it is also known as the City of Spas. Budapest is divided into the 23 districts.

The area of Budapest has been inhabited from early times by the Celts in the 3rd century BC. In the Christian era, the town was conquered by the Romans who incorporated it in the Roman Empire. In 106, the town became the capital of province Pannonia.

From the eighth century, this region was inhabited by different tribes and ethnic groups.  The archeological findings in this area indicate that this area was densely populated and it may have been a trading center for the people of different regions.

In the 9th century, the Hungarians appeared in this region.  The Hungarians established their settlement in Csepel.  They also established the seat of their prince near Danube River. The Mongols invaded Buda in 1241. The Castle of Buda was fortified in this period.

In the 13th century, Buda took over the major roles. Castles were enlarged and churches were reconstructed.

After the invasion of Tatars, significant fortification work began all over the country. During this period, the royal castle and the walled city were built on Castle Hill. In the middle ages, Budapest emerged as the economic and cultural center of the country and at the beginning of the sixteenth century the city reached its peak.

During this period, Hungary extended over a large territory and united with Poland and Lithuania. The rule of Hungarian crown extended from the Baltic to the Adriatic Sea. A strong Hungarian empire came into existence in Eastern Europe and Buda became the economical, political and cultural hub of the country.

The economic role of this region enhanced when the trades started here and linked Eastern and Western Europe. Greeks, Germans and Arabs were active participants in the trade.

Buda is greatly influenced by Italian Renaissance and its cultural role got significance during the reign of King Matthias.

In the eighteenth century, the population of the city continued to grow. In the nineteenth century, Buda witnessed major developments and economic boom.

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• Sailing on the Danube in Budapest
  review by angel posted more then 30 days ago
  Szentendre is a little city very close to Budapest. We found on the internet that there are little ships or pleasure-boats which depart from Budapest and travel to Szentendre. We decided to buy tickets to one of them but only one-way, because on our way back we planned to take the train. This...
• Visiting the Budapest Tropicarium
  review by angel posted more then 30 days ago
  If you are in Budapest, Hungary I advise you to visit the Tropicarium. This is like a zoo but here you will see only tropical animals and plants. The Tropicarium is located in a shopping center called Campona. I can't really give directions to it, because we used our GPS to find it but it's on...
• One Night in Budapest
  review by MadSuh posted more then 30 days ago
  Budapest is a cool town. I had to get back to Germany as my sister had a motorcycle accident (she is ok now!). I had to go back to Germany to take care of my family's house. I heard from a friend that he would be in Budapest for a convention, so that we could meet up there and he would drive to...

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Read our members' travel tips about Budapest

• Matthias Church
  travel tip by Sayuri87 posted more then 30 days ago
  The Matthias Church or Church of Our Lady is a 700 years old Catholic temple. It was named after the great king of Hungary, Matthias Rex. It's building style is a mixed one because of the changes that were made on it throughout the...
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  travel tip by stef posted more then 30 days ago
  It's the most realistic, accurate and also depressing museum I've ever seen about communism and nazism. Th building itself was the headquarter of the hyngarian political police in during the fcism and also during the comunism. With a lot...
• The Hungarian Parliament
  travel tip by blackangel_66 posted more then 30 days ago
  The Parliament of Hungary is one of the most beautiful parliaments in Europe so don't miss to visit it if you are in Budapest. The entrance is not very cheap, it is 20$ per person, but it really worth it. For that you get a 1.5 hour...

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