The breathtaking bridges that connect Buda and Pest vol. 1 – Photos

Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. One of the most wonderful parts of the Hungarian capital is the Danube’s riverbank and the bridges connecting Buda and Pest.

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge spans the western and eastern sides of Budapest. The designer was an English engineer, Adam Clark. It was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Hungary. The bridge was opened in 1849. It is anchored on the Pest side of the river to Széchenyi (formerly Roosevelt) Square, adjacent to the Gresham Palace and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and on the Buda side to Adam Clark Square, near the Zero Kilometre Stone and the lower end of the Castle Hill Funicular, leading to Buda Castle. The bridge has the name of István Széchenyi, the major supporter of its construction, attached to it, but is now commonly known as the “Chain Bridge”. At the time of its construction, it was regarded as one of the modern wold’s engineering wonders. It has asserted an enormous significance in the country’s economic, social, and cultural life, much as the Brooklyn Bridge has in New York in the US.

Margaret Bridge

Margaret Bridge is a three-way bridge connecting Buda and Pest and linking Margaret Island to the banks. It is the second-northernmost and second-oldest public bridge in Budapest. The designer of the bridge was a French engineer, Ernest Goüin. It was built between 1872 and 1876. Its two parts enclose 165 degrees. The reason for this unusual geometry is that the small extension to connect to Margaret Island was hastily inserted into the original design but not built until two decades later due to lack of funds. The bridge’s two ends are Jászai Mari Square in Pest and Germanus Gyula Park in Buda. Reconstruction was needed because of the Second World War and also between 2009-2011.