The newly built Komáromi Bridge over the River Danube is soon to be inaugurated and integrated into the traffic of Hungary, but before that, the lights and other visual elements of the structure were tested.
Magyar Építők reported that the lighting system of the 600-metre-long new bridge 170 metres away from the railway bridge is getting close to its finishing touches. Architects of the bridge have successfully tested the lights and other decorating elements of the structure.
The whole project cost approximately 91 million euros.
It has been reported that only a few steps are necessary for finishing the construction of the bridge, and after that, Hungarian and Slovakian authorities need to discuss further steps in terms of legal and traffic regulations.
Taking a relaxing and long stroll in the beautiful gardens of Hungarian castles is the best experience and summertime activity one should do.
Turizmus wrote about the top five Hungarian castles that have amazing gardens.
Eszterházy Castle, Fertőd
The garden of this Hungarian castle has approximately 8,000 roses with small French-styled houses, long trails and fantastic structure. Moreover, the interior design of the castle is an outstanding spot in Hungary; no wonder it is often referred to as the Hungarian Versailles.
Photo: Nóra Csécsei
Festetics Palace, Keszthely
After renovation works, the garden of Festetics looks exactly like it was originally built in the 19th century. The garden even features a bird park where some animals can be even held in hands.
This garden is the biggest and only English-styled garden in Hungary. The castle is currently being renovated, but its garden is open for visitors. While you are here, do not forget to visit its iconic Dutch house as well.
Photo: www.kastelyszirak.hu
Andrássy Castle, Tiszadob
With its blue towers and the view of the River Tisza, its garden features a complete labyrinth to walk in.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Károlyi Castle, Füzérradvány
The garden of the castle has the biggest and oldest Platanus trees in Hungary with long trails, a lake and a bridge over it.
Turkey and Hungary renewed the tomb together in 2018, and the building has received many awards since then. Now, it got a gold in the 2020 FIABCI World Prix d`Excellence Public Infrastructure category while a silver medal in the contest’s Heritage category.
We reported HERE about the story of Gül baba and his tomb. According to Magyar Epitok, the Ottomans built the tomb in the 16th century to hold the mortal remains of a Muslim dervish, Gül baba. We do not know when he was born, but Sultan Suleiman sent him to Hungary. Some say that
his name means Father of the Roses
because legend holds that he introduced the flower to the country. However, roses were already in Hungary by the time of the Ottoman invasion. His name can also be a corruption of Kel Baba, meaning ‘Bald Father’.
Gül Baba was an Ottoman philosopher, poet, and writer who was at the same time a Muslim monk and a Bektashi dervish. He took part in many Ottoman invasions in Europe from the reign of Mehmed II onwards. Reportedly, he died in Buda, in 1541, and, allegedly,
Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent was one of the coffin-bearers during his funeral.
The tomb is now Budapest’s oldest historical building since it is more than 450 years old. Authorities renewed it in 1962 and 1996, but by the mid-2010s, it became obvious that the building needed a complex renovation.
The main goal was not only to renew parts of the building but to renovate the neighbourhood of it as well, and to cooperate with the local government and Turkey in doing so. Magyar Epitok says that thanks to the project, Hungary could preserve one of its most important cultural heritages and was able to breathe new life into that previously neglected part of the city.
The park surrounding the tomb is open for everybody, and there is a Mediterranean hanging garden, a lot of benches, and a beautiful well. The constructor placed many new plants in the garden, including 400 roses. The compositions
offer different experiences for visitors in each terrace
of the hanging garden. Not surprisingly, the landscape architect of the project won the Best Landscape Architect Award of 2019.
Architecture is one of the most creative professions in the world. It is constantly evolving, reflecting the cultural context of the architect’s time. Buildings can catch our attention with their simplicity, magnificence, or even peculiar designs. We have collected 5 of the most unusual and interesting buildings in Hungary.
Csősz Tower (Budapest)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Csősz Tower is a free-standing tower attached to a 2-storey house. It was built in 1844 according to the plans of Lőrinc Zofahl and Ferenc Brein. The tower is placed on the top of the asymmetrically placed, square-based building that is connected to the pitched-roofed guardhouse. It was constructed for watching over the vineyard, and it was used by shepherds for decades.
Photo: Fortepan/ Geuduschek Tibor
ING Head Office Budapest
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The ING Head Office is one of the notable buildings of contemporary architecture in Budapest. It is situated on Dózsa György Street facing Városliget (City Park). The building was designed by Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat for ING Real Estate Development Hungary, whose philosophy is to offer additional value by creating distinctive yet functional architecture.
Observing the main façade on Dózsa György Street, the mass of the building is divided into three smaller parts, with the intention of following the measures of the villas from the neighbourhood. The outward-leaning main facades are similar on each part, dissected by vertical stripes made from stone, glass, or patterned glass. Despite the pronounced and striking design of the main façade, the other parts are a lot simpler, with plastered surfaces, holes and various shapes for windows.
The colourful, ship-like building is one of the main markets of the Hungarian capital. Located in District 13, the Lehel Market Hall was built on the site of the demolished Lehel Square market in 2002. The building was designed by László Rajk, and it has sparked numerous heated debates among architects, critics, and the general public. Nonetheless, it constitutes a significant part of Hungarian postmodern architecture and modern cityscape.
Visitors are surrounded by a cavalcade of colours throughout the building. With its steel frame and the glass roof structure, the building is reminiscent of market halls built at the turn of the century. The round windows (cabin windows) on the east side of the park and the flagpole at the main entrance of the hall evoke the shape of a ship. This effect is further enhanced by the stern-like design of the market hall’s corner.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Törley-Mausoleum
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Törley Mausoleumis located at the highest point of the Törley Mansion in Budafok, District 12. The building was designed by Rezső Vilmos Ray, and it uniquely combines features of traditional Orthodox mausoleum construction and Art Nouveau. It is one of the largest tombs in Hungary.
Church of the Holy Spirit (Paks)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
When you take a walk in the town of Paks, you must visit the Church of the Holy Spirit, also known as Makovecz church. The Roman Catholic Church, which was dedicated to the Holy Spirit, is located on Heroes’ Square. The fascinating building is beautifully embedded in the landscape. It was designed by Imre Makovecz and can be considered one of the most significant works of 20th-century organic architecture.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Despite its rather small size, the church looks monumental and offers a special sight from all angles. The willowy, peaky rooftop and arched gate lend a unique shape to the 34-metre tall building. The bell tower with three peaks stands separately in front of the building, and each peak has a symbol on top: a cross, a sun, and a moon. The layout plan was inspired by one of the essential symbols of Hungarian folk art, the ‘S’ symbol.
The history of Hungarian monasteries dates back to the 12–13th century when the first Hungarian kings began to found the first official buildings for monks. Since then, monasteries all across Hungary started to open, and the culture of monks became more and more common in Hungary.
The first monks arrived in Hungary in the 11th century from the South-West and built their own, first monasteries in South-Hungary. The first Western monks came from the area which today belongs to Germany and Italy. The Hungarian monks woke up at five o’clock every morning for the first mass, which was followed by another one after lunchtime. In the summer, they went to bed around six, in winter at five o’clock every day. All the Hungarian monasteries were built in quiet and abandoned valleys, away from public life. The monks avoided colourful and eye-catching clothes and tried to remain hidden from the public. All of their monasteries were built to serve the Virgin Mary. Most of the time, they prayed or copied old codexes.
Let us see the five monasteries in Hungary, the most well-known ones.
Szent Mór Bencés Perjelség (Győr)
The monastery/church was built between 1634 and 1641. The monks of the building arrived and moved in approximately at the end of the 17th century. The public had mixed opinions about them, but they lived in privacy and established excellent schools and other institutions for Hungarians in the later years helping the city of Győr and Hungary to move forward in education.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Domonkos Monastery, Margareth-Island (Budapest)
Founded by Béla IV, its official documentary dates back to the middle of the 13th century. The building was the home of nuns who lived inside the monastery until the Turkish Empire conquered Hungary and they had no choice but leaving to save their lives. Since then, only the ruins of the monastery can be observed as it has never been renovated or rebuilt.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by V.Mariann
Pálos Monastery (Nagyvázsony, Veszprém County)
It was built between 1480 and 1483, although historians still debate on the exact date. The monastery remained hidden from the public in the mountain area of Bakony, not far from Lake Balaton surrounded by a calm and peaceful environment. In 1543 — similarly to the Domonkos Monastery — the Turkish destroyed the building, and only the ruins remind people of its history and existence.
In 1985, historians discovered the ruins of a once existed monastery not far from the small village of Pilisszentlélek which only has 300 inhabitants. This was the home of the monks’ member of the Order of Saint Paul the First Hermiwhich, the only Hungarian founded order in history.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Civertan
Zirc Monastery (Zirc, Veszprém County)
The monastery was founded by Béla III in 1182 and was the most famous one in the Central-European region back in the 12th century with an incredible reputation. Although the monastery was abandoned when the Turkish arrived, in 1629 the monks started to move back and restored their homes. Today the monastery has its secondary schools where monks teach students.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Civertan
Pannonhalma Archabbey
The Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey or Territorial Abbey of Pannonhalma has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sights since 1996. It is one of the most monumental buildings in Hungary, which is worth visiting at least once.
The current state of Budapest’s most famous location, the Chain Bridge, is getting more critical day by day. It has been emphasised several times that the full renovation of the bridge is inevitable and must start as soon as possible, as the years, and especially the August 20 fireworks, caused severe damages to it.
Világgazdaság reported that it cannot be estimated when the corrosion of the bridge’s metal structure would worsen even more, but the idea that even walking on the bridge could be dangerous is not out of the question. Although the ban on 5-tonne and heavier vehicles crossing the Danube on the Chain Bridge has been introduced, experts still estimate that soon pieces of metal and concrete could fall from the structure.
This is extremely dangerous for pedestrians, drivers, cars driving under the bridge, and even to ships on the Danube.
The corrosion of the bridge’s metal structure has reached a critical stage, and with the upcoming summer season and the current heavy rains, it could turn worse. Euronews reported that the government of Budapest has 506 million EUR in government securities, but it is still questionable whether the money would be used for the August 20 firework celebration or the renovation of the Chain Bridge.
On September 21, 2021, the country will celebrate the 230th birthday of Count István Széchenyi, whose visions made the Chain Bridge a reality. For this reason, many politicians believe that the renovation of the bridge is a cause for the entire nation.
Magyar Hírlap reported that the mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, should have started the project eight months ago, but nothing has happened since then, not even negotiating or signing a contract. As corrosion is close to destroying almost 80% of the bridge’s structure, delaying the project makes it more expensive by the day.
Featured image: www.facebook.com/spiceofeurope
Renovation of Budapest Chain Bridge cannot wait any longer!
In 1949, the Hungarian capital celebrated the reconstruction of Budapest Chain Bridge, which had been dreamed up by the „greatest Hungarian”, István Széchenyi, 100 years earlier. Its renovation was indispensable 75 years ago after the retreating Germans blew up the bridge on 18th January 1945.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary is “winning again” in a speech at the inauguration of a monument in Satoraljaujhely, in the northeast of the country, to mark the 100th anniversary of the Trianon Peace Treaty on Saturday.
“There is not a single nation in the world that could have endured such a century, but we have not only endured, today we are winning again,” Orbán said.
“The era of a hundred years of solitude is over. It is uplifting that we have allies again, we have good neighbours, and we can prepare for the future together,” he added.
Orbán said the next decade will not be about eclipses and losses, but about prosperity and nation-building.
“It is our generation that can turn the fate of Hungary, that can complete the mission and bring the country to the gates of victory, but the decisive battle must be fought by the generation after us, they must take the final steps,” he said.
Photo: MTI/Czeglédi Zsolt
He added that it would not be easy, but it would be worth it: “great times are ahead of you”.
Speaking at the “Hungarian Calvary”, a monument to the cities lost to Hungary after the Trianon Treaty was signed, Orbán said Hungarians had not disappeared but had “established a homeland here, preserving our unique quality”.
“We defended ourselves against the attacks of the Western empires, we recovered from the devastation left by the pagans from the East, defining and maintaining our place in Europe. Hungary was a strong and independent state for 400 years, then we struggled against the Ottoman Empire for 300 years, then after 200 years of failed uprisings and fights for freedom we entered the gates of the 20th century as a partner nation of a great European empire,” he said.
“Although many Hungarians fell on the battlefields over the centuries, the whole world could see that if we are struck down, we stand up again and again,” he added.
Orbán said that women have a special place at the Hungarian Calvary, as they have “always made up for our losses”.
“We owe it to our women that the art of survival and nation-building is in our genes. We owe it to them that we are the European champions of survival,” he said.
Photo: MTI/Czeglédi Zsolt
“We did not become a German province, a Turkish vilayet or a Soviet republic. We Hungarians are a great, culture-building and state-organising nation,” Orban said.
He said that Hungary had later been “stabbed in the back by the conspiracies in Budapest” and “the country was handed over to our enemies, the government to the Bolsheviks”.
“The West raped the thousand-year-old borders and history of Central Europe. They forced us to live between indefensible borders, deprived us of our natural treasures, separated us from our resources, and made a death row out of our country. Central Europe was redrawn without moral concerns. We will never forget that they did this,” he said.
“After World War II we were thrown to the Communists without heartache. The reward of the Poles, the Czechs and the Slovaks was the same as our punishment. May this be an eternal lesson for the peoples of Central Europe!” Orbán said.
“There have been many who wished to bury Hungary,” he said, adding that “we were never willing to attend our own funeral”.
“Today, there is no Czechoslovakia, no Yugoslavia nor a Soviet Union. There is no British or French empire,” he said.
“We Hungarians, on the other hand, will remain….We remain because we are at home. We are at home and therefore we remain,” he added.
“Hungarians are contracting and expanding like the human heart, but we have been living for a thousand and a hundred years where our great state founders chose our place,” he said.
“We need to live with the self-confidence and attitude of a nation that knows it has given more to the world than it has received from it. Our performance entitles us to continue our history. And today we also need to know that we have had worse borders, yet we are here,” he added.
“We are happy to build the common future with Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, which are proud of their national identity. History has given the chance, perhaps the last, for the peoples of Central Europe to open a new era,” he said.
In the last ten years, Orbán said, we have proven to our neighbours that if the vitality of the Hungarian national fragments adds up, it is good not only for us, but also for them.
“Only the state has borders, the nation does not,” he said. “Those who have yet to understand it would do better to hurry because they’re running out of time,” he added.
“We haven’t been this strong in a hundred years. Our political, spiritual, economic and cultural gravitational force is growing day by day. The return of Hungarians has begun,” he said.
“Strength comes with responsibility, and we are aware of the weight of our responsibility,” he added.
“We express our heartfelt gratitude and our highest appreciation to our separated national communities for a century of endurance and loyalty to the Hungarian nation and their homeland,” Orbán said.
In 2016, everyone had the possibility to send in their vision about a brand-new Gellért Hill and Citadel in Budapest. From the middle of the 19th century, no other Hungarian place has had more renovation plans than Gellért Hill because of the complexity of its location and the hardships of renovating.
Origo reported that three years ago, all the plans sent in were about making Gellért Hill, especially the Citadel, a special lookout point in Budapest. Moreover, a museum, a visitors’ centre, and even a hotel could be built next to the iconic site of the capital, with additional transport – mostly trams – to make the hill easily accessible for everyone. Furthermore, sports locations would be strengthened in the location of Gellért Hill for people in the future.
The committee, which oversees the renovation of Gellért Hill, chose the three best plans to be sold to investors.
Photo: www.facebook.com/BarnaArchitects
One of the plans would like to make the Citadel a National Pantheon, commemorating all the great Hungarian heroes. Another one would build a place inside the building for Hungarian kings, placing their symbolic sarcophagus inside the building. The outside of the Citadel would also get a brand-new look with a similar structure as Bálna Budapest has on the other side of the Danube. The top of the building would be an observation tower while the Statue of Liberty would get a giant sun-disk behind it to light up the statue.
One of the plans would build stairs on the sides of the Citadel with waterfalls and benches to sit on admiring the beautiful panorama of Budapest. Furthermore, the idea of a swimming pool in front of the statue was also mentioned.
Other ideas include building an elevator which would take people to the top of the Citadel from the legs of the hill, an underground train between the top of Gellért Hill and Rudas Thermal Bath, a funicular – similar to the Buda Castle Hill Funicular -, and even slides taking you down to ground level. The committee emphasised that many exciting and marvellous plans came in about the renovation of one of the most famous points of Budapest, and all of them are incomparable.
The committee added that the complex renovation project and plans are not available just yet, but the portfolios that were sent in would allow them to collect great ideas and visions together.
HVG reported that once the plans arrive, the renovation of the Citadel and the area of Gellért Hill would be the government’s number one priority as the area is a historic and well-known location not just for Hungarians but for all tourists around the world.
Featured image: www.facebook.com/BarnaArchitects
Renovating the Buda Castle and its historical area continues
The Eastern part of the Buda Castle Hill is an ideal place for nice walks and admiring nature and the beautiful view of Budapest. Last year, due to the National Hauszmann Program, the unique Ellyps Promenade’s first part was successfully renovated, and this year, the second part would be completely ready.
The five office buildings, which were built in 1970, will be replaced by four new buildings, the visuals of which have now been released.
Thousands of people visit or pass the junction each day as it has a bus station nearby, and Metro line 2 goes right under it, which is used by 150,000 passengers daily. Upgrading the buildings is long overdue, according to 24.
The five buildings were opened at the same time as Metro line 2 was, in 1970. They originally housed the offices of the transportation company, and they were also used as storage for the workers’ uniforms. In 2008, however, the buildings started to go private, and eventually, they were all cleared out.
The government declared the vacant property’s demolition and development as a matter of priority for the national economy in December of 2017. Five days later, the property was purchased by Michael Gagel’s firm, Welt-Stadt Immobilien, which had already bought the parking lot of the office buildings in 2008, reported Zoom.
The investment will be a joint project of Magyar Építő and ZÁÉV and will cost €22,576,525. The site will host a new, multi-hectare park, the European Soccer League’s event spaces and media centre. Next to it, above the metro station, there will be an office and business centre.
The new build could provide 38-39 square metres of office space, retail, and shops, which will serve passengers passing by as well as visitors of the sports’ centres, offering a couple hundred parking spaces. After the old, vacant office building is demolished, a new five-to-six-storey office and retail building will be erected.
The competition for this was announced last year, and the winner, 3h architecture, released their visual plans for the new build. The expected date when construction will take place has yet to be announced.
The new Museum of Ethnography will not only have a unique shape but will also include new features, such as a conference room that can hold over 200 people.
The construction is being done as part of the Liget Budapest Projekt, in the City Park. The new building will have a conference room with 226 seats, children’s museum, among other exciting features, according to Magyar Építők.
The general contractor work of the new Museum of Ethnography and Visitor Center is being carried out by ZÁÉV Épitőipari Zrt and Magyar Építő Zrt. The building has already received a significant award. At the 2018 International Property Awards, it won the World’s Best Public Institution Award, one of the most prestigious acknowledgements.
An enormous conference room will be built as part of the new museum, as well as a children’s museum, visitor centre, library and operating offices, but museum pedagogy and artefact treatment will also take place inside.
The institute will host workshops, classes and games for children, as a way to gain more knowledge about the exhibitions, as we have reported before.
The permanent exhibition will be available in a 3,000 square meter room, while there will be a 2,200 square meter room for temporary exhibitions as well. Both will be accessible from the museum’s foyer, that will be in the heart of the building, in the basement.
Three Hungarian projects have won Europa Nostra awards, the European Union’s cultural heritage prize, the europanostra.org website said on Thursday.
The reconstruction of the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts was “an excellent recuperation of the splendour of an early 20th-century museum”, the jury said. The reconstruction has restored areas destroyed in the second world war, and corrected “inappropriate changes” undertaken in the decades since, they said.
Another prize-winning project, “The secret life of a palace”, presents a little known period of the Royal Palace in Gödöllő, near Budapest. Between 1950 and 1990, the now-beloved tourist attraction functioned partly as a nursing home and as barracks of the Soviet army.
The project worked with 12-18 year-old students, and “much communication was made with the original stakeholders of this history,” the jury said.
The Uccu Roma foundation offers educational modules in the cities of Budapest, Pécs, Miskolc and Ózd, “related to cross-cultural sensitivity and the intangible cultural heritage and history of Roma”, the website said.
Altogether 21 projects from 15 countries were awarded the prize in 2020, the website said.
The Centre for Budapest Transport (abbreviated to BKK in Hungarian) announced that the renovation of the Chain Bridge might be followed by the reconstruction of the Petőfi Bridge. The development of plans for the renovation of the bridge and its surroundings will be preceded by an extensive consultation involving residents. On 22 April 2020, they announced a public consultation concerning the reconstruction of the Petőfi Bridge and Boráros Square. The answers to the traffic-focused questions will be used by BKK during the final elaboration of the renovation plans.
People can submit their opinions and ideas concerning the renovation of the Petőfi Bridge, Boráros Square, and its surroundings to the bkk.hu/fejleszteseink/tarsadalmi-egyeztetes-petofi-hid-tersege/ website between 22 April and 12 May 2020, Portfolio reported. BKK will process the ideas and observations in connection with the current situation during the elaboration phase of the final plans that will serve as the basis for future construction plans.
The results of the consultation will be available on BKK’s website, and the renovation plans will probably be published this autumn.
The current structure of the Petőfi Bridge and its surroundings was developed in the early 1980s. At the time, Petőfi Bridge was the last crossing facility on the River Danube between the city and the eastern and western parts of the country, and the road network connected to the bridge was designed accordingly. The width of the roadway was broadened, and the tramway tracks were replaced.
Underpasses were constructed for pedestrian traffic at the bridgeheads, and motorway junction-like exits were built at Boráros Square. Thus, the connections and surroundings of the bridge do not meet the current requirements of urban planning and development. BKK also plans to reduce the traffic on Közraktár Street or develop the H6 and H7 HÉV (Budapest Railway of Local Interest) lines.
Despite the coronavirus epidemic, the construction project of the new Danube bridge in Budapest did not stop. The government and the capital already agreed on the venue and the support of the new bridge.
After the construction contracts were signed with the winners of the design contest (the Dutch Van Berkel en Bos U.N. Studio B.V. and the British Buro Happold Consulting Engineers P.C.), the Főmterv Ltd was entrusted to carry out the static tests of the project. The project’s coordinator is the National Infrastructure Development Company, and the government already agreed about the venue of the bridge with the leaders of Budapest, Magyar Epitok reported.
The new bridge is going to be half a kilometre long and will have 2×3 lanes. The next phase of its construction is supervising the plans and doing the static calculations. Seven Hungarian and foreign companies have participated in that element of the project, and finally, the winner became the Hungarian Főmterv Ltd, which
will receive a net of 58 million HUF for the work.
The so-called Galvani Bridge is going to have 4 pillars, between which the biggest distance will be 220 metres, while ships will have minimum 180 metres of sailing latitude.
According to the news yesterday, the European Union encourages huge state-financed projects as a tool to
deal with the economic depression caused by the coronavirus.
In order to accomplish this aim, the EU is going to widen the opportunities of the member states, and, thankfully, the bridge project can easily fall into that category.
Experts say that the new bridge can divert the traffic from the inner districts of the capital, so it can reduce congestion in the downtown of Budapest. Furthermore, it can help the economic growth of South Pest, North Csepel, and South Buda. On the new bridge, there will be a tram line, and it will be able to drive away as much as 55 thousand cars from the overcrowded bridges of downtown. Moreover, it can reduce traffic on Üllői Street by 6 thousand vehicles.
Fountains are important elements in every bigger town’s and the city’s image, and Hungarian ones are no exceptions. Almost every significant and important Hungarian town has some kind of fountain which you should definitely see at least once. Here are our top four picks!
Budapest, Liberty Square
Liberty Square (Hungarian: Szabadság tér) is a public square located in the Lipótváros neighbourhood of the Hungarian capital. The square is surrounded by a mix of business and residential buildings like the United States Embassy in Hungary and the Historicist style headquarters of the Hungarian National Bank on the west side of the square. It features a unique fountain with three meters high water wall which opens up in front of you if you want to walk through the fountain.
One of the country’s biggest music-fountain is located in Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar County in front of the Reformed Great Church, which is the main symbol of the city. The fountain was built in 2001 when the city decided to renovate its main square fully. In the centre of the fountain, the phoenix bird can be seen which symbolises the rebirth of Debrecen. The fountain is also decorated with the small replica of Árpád Feszty’s legendary painting the Arrival of the Hungarians.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Kossuthzsuzsa
Pécs, Zsolnay Fountain
This fountain is one of the main symbols of Pécs, Baranya County and also its most famous one. It is located in the southern part of Széchenyi Square and has been attracting many visitors since it was built. The fountain was completed in 1912 in Pécs’s Zsolnay factory, but the city could not decide where to put it. To save it from the suddenly outbroken World War I the city only revealed the fountain in 1930.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by RegasteriosPhoto: Wikimedia Commons by Regasterios
Szeged, Dugonics Square
The fountain was Hungary’s first music-fountain revealed on August 19, 1979, and was built within three months. The fountain commemorates the heroes and victims of the great flood which affected Szeged in 1879. One of the main symbols of the city was renovated in 2008, and since then it awaits visitors with spectral shows and unique music as well.
The Festetics Palace in Keszthely (Zala County, Lake Balaton) is the most visited historical palace in the country. Today it serves as a museum and exhibition place offering six permanent exhibitions in five buildings.
The construction of the Baroque-style castle started in the 18th century, and throughout 200 years it belonged to the noble family of Festetics. The family was one of the most aristocratic ones in Hungary for centuries, and the members of it played an essential part in forming the country’s economic, political, scientific and cultural life. It was Kristóf Festetics who first bought fields and yards in the area of Keszthely back in 1739.
Photo: www.facebook.com/csodasmagyarorszagPhoto: Wikimedia Commons by fm2
Construction works of the monumental Festetics Palace started in 1745 under the supervision of Kristóf Festetics. The first central part of the building complex was completed in five years and had thirty-four rooms.
The family had many plans about expanding the castle’s area with more buildings, but it never happened until 1792. Eventually, the second part of the constructions started and lasted until 1804. Between 1883 and 1887 the castle faced significant changes: its style was changed into neo-Baroque, the tower of the building was completed, and the whole structure got its own water and heating system.
The most remarkable part of Festetics Castle is its 42-hectare park which is a strictly protected area. Every year, approximately 70,000 flowers are planted in its area.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons by Béla BallaPhoto: Wikimedia Commons by reirezi
The park has its own palm house and outdoor exhibitions. The palm house features exotic and rare plants, an aquarium, a small pond and a bird park. The oldest plant in the garden is a 400-year-old Common European oak tree. The park also features an exhibition representing the biggest chariot collection of Hungary only featured in Keszthely.
The library of the castle is the only remained aristocratic collection in Europe with approximately 80,000 books.
Photo: www.facebook.com/nemcsakszallas
It is the perfect example and representation of the aristocrats’ educational and cultural life back in the 18th, which was restored to its original look to take visitors back in history when they enter. The library, named Helikon, features old and rare encyclopedias and many printed documents from the previous centuries.
In the northern part of the castle, a special room for events was built which gives place to weddings, balls, musical events, conferences and special dining occasions.
The Benedictine Pannonhalma Archabbey or Territorial Abbey of Pannonhalma has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sights since 1996. It is one of the most monumental buildings in Hungary, which is worth visiting at least once.
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict, first arrived in Hungary in 996 for the calling of Géza Grand Prince of the Hungarians the father of the first Hungarian king St. Stephen. In Pannonhalma, they first built small, simple sacred places out of wood, sand and clay.
By the time their first church was built in the country Géza had died and his son St. Stephen inaugurated the Benedicts first religious building in the country.
Their monastery burned down at the beginning of the 12th century and was rebuilt in 1137. The building of the new monastery in the centre of the building complex was born in the 13th century and was designed to protect the people against the Mongols who started their invasion in 1241. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the monastery began to grow with additional settlements and adding abandoned villages and fields to its area.
The monastery became an archabbey in 1541, and as a result of Ottoman incursions into Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was fortified.
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During the one and a half centuries-long Turkish Occupation, the monks, however, had to abandon the abbey for shorter or longer periods. Only later were they able to start the reconstruction of the damaged buildings. During the 17th and 18th centuries, precious Baroque adornments and extensions were added to the building.
The archabbey received its present form in 1832, with the library and the tower, which was built in Classicist style.
By the 19th century, the library of Pannonhalma had approximately 400,000 books which made it the most influential and important cultural centre in Hungary. Its oldest document comes from 1001 which is the state letter of founding the first monastery in Hungary.
The archabbey is still the home to some monks who besides teaching and practising the Christian religion also make excellent wine. Another interesting fact is that its garden gives place to rare herbs and unique bird species.
The building still serves as an important cultural place offering exciting historical programs and other events for visitors.
The project of Alba Airport aims to create an international trading airport at the location of Börgönd, which is a part of the Hungarian city of Székesfehérvár in Fejér County.
Portfólió reported that the Ministry of Innovation and Technology needs to receive a full plan of the airport until April 30 from the leadership of Székesfehérvár. The government of Hungary agrees with the project and turning the settlement into an international trading airport.
The airport of Börgönd lies 70 km away from Budapest and already got the necessary permissions in 2008 to build an airport by 2010.
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Budapest airport is going to have many changes in the future, which aim to make the airport into one of the leading airports on the European continent. For example, a brand-new security check-in system is on its way of being installed soon, which would allow passengers to get to their terminals quicker than before. Not so long ago, the airport also welcomed a new and modern passenger pier.
Besides the capital, the airport of Lake Balaton at Hévíz is also undergoing several changes and investments, including the arrival of a Norwegian pilot school, which would like to open an institution near the Hévíz Airport.
Constructions and road works are constant in the central parts of Budapest to form the city into a modern shape. In the past few weeks, a surprising idea came up regarding the budget of the renovation of the Chain Bridge.
Daily News Hungary reported before that the renovation of Budapest’s iconic bridge cannot wait any longer. It was reported at the beginning of the year that the bridge is in poor condition again. It is not surprising as bridges are usually designed for 100 years, whereas the steel structure of Budapest Chain Bridge was renovated more than 100 years ago.
Népszava reported that the original project would include the renovation of the bridge, the Buda Castle Tunnel, Clark Adam Square, Széchenyi Square, and the tunnel of tram line two under the bridge’s structure. It was reported that Budapest does not have the financial background to undertake these works, and although Gergely Karácsony, the major of Budapest, requested more from the government, the cabinet of PM Orbán rejected it. The only remained solution was cutting the project’s budget and the renovation of the Buda Castle Tunnel was removed.
The leadership of Budapest came up with an unexpected idea to decrease the budget which includes bringing the track of tram line two between Eötvös Square and Széchenyi Square (with a similar structure that Kossuth Square has) up to the surface and demolishing the tunnel under the Chain Bridge.
After leaving Eötvös Square, the tracks would turn at the building of the Ministry of Interior, heading towards in front of the Gresham Palace (Four Seasons Hotel Budapest), lead straight ahead and connect back to the old tracks by turning at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The tunnel would be demolished or revamped into a pedestrian zone.
The drawback of the plan includes that the tracks would cross the road leading to the bridge and cause more traffic congestions and slowdowns for the already problematic transportation in the city centre.
The leadership of Budapest only discussed and examined the plans regarding tram line two but have not decided yet whether to make it real or not. If the plans are accepted, the budget of the renovation of the Chain Bridge would decrease significantly.
The project was estimated to require approximately 8 to 10 billion HUF (23-29 million EUR) and would require careful and time-consuming work. The government of Hungary originally offered 7 billion HUF (20 million EUR) for the project.
