Gellért Thermal Bath

XI. Kelenhegyi út 4.

We find records about the "miraculous" springs spurting up o n the territory of the Bath from as early a date as the 15th century. These springs were later favoured by the Turks as well, as they were larger and hotter than the Buda baths of the period. In the 17th century, the site was named Sárosfürdő (Mud bath) because of the fine spring silt that was pushed up together with the spring water and settled at the bottom of the pools. The Gellért Thermal Bath and Hotel, known world-wide and highly favoured by foreigners, built in a secession style, opened its gates in 1918 and was expanded in 1927 by the wave-bath and in 1934 by the effervescent bath. In the course of the modernisation accomplished in our days, the sitting-pool in the swimming complex, the outdoor sitting pool and the children's pool were renovated; they were equipped with a state-of-the art water filtering and circulation device. At present, nearly all healing facilities may be used in the Gellért Thermal Bath. The Bath includes a department offering complex thermal bath acilities (daytime/outpatient hospital), it also has an inhalatorium.

Photos

Gellért Hill

XI. district

Gellért Hill is Budapest’s most centrally located hill, the favourite of visitors, due to the glorious view of the city from the hilltop. It is a part of the World Heritage since the year 1987. It is named after Bishop Gellért, who was killed by rebellious Hungarians in 1046 who opposed Christianity. His statue, facing Elizabeth Bridge, was erected in 1904. As a consequence of the 1848-49 Revolution, the Habsburgs had built a citadel (fortified castle) on top of Gellért Hill. Later, during World War II it was used as an anti-aircraft defence base. Today it gives home to a museum, a hotel, a waxworks exhibition, a famous disco and a restaurant, as well as many shops. The Statue of Liberty on top of the hill is visible from everywhere in the city. The statue was built following World War II, commemorating the liberation of the city from German occupation. The most famous cave of the hill is the St. Stephen's Cave on the southern side, which was rebuilt as a rock chapel in 1926, modelled after the Lourdes Sanctuary.

Photos

Rudas Thermal Bath

I. Döbrentei tér 9.

The centerpiece of the bath today, the Turkish bath, was built during the 16th century in the period of the Turkish occupation. Below the 10 m diameter dome, sustained by 8 pillars, there is an octagonal pool. The swimming pool, operating as a therapeutic swimming facility and with a sauna, was built in 1896. In its drinking hall, the water of the springs Hungária, Attila and Juventus can be consumed for the purposes of a drinking cure. In the bath, there is a daytime outpatient hospital operating with a complex physiotherapy department.

Photos

Statue of Liberty

XI. district

The 36-meter tall Statue of Liberty was originally built in commemoration of Budapest’s 1945 Soviet liberation from under Nazi rule. It was designed by Kisfaludy Stróbl Zsigmond. The statue was built in 1947, but the decision to erect it was born as early as January 1945, within just weeks following the liberation of the city, and a separate law was passed by the Parliament, ordering its construction, in September 1945. The monument on top of the 235-metre-high Gellért Hill dominates the skyline of Budapest. There were quite a few changes made to it after the change of the regime in 1990: the huge statue of the Soviet soldier, stylishly holding a machine gun, was ousted to the Statue Park, where all Communist statues were exiled. Moreover, the Cyrillic script which glorified the "Soviet heroes" was promptly removed, along with the list of names of Russian war casualties, to be replaced by the text "To the memory of all of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and success of Hungary." The nicest one of the side-statues is the figure killing a dragon that represents Fascism. The Mayor's Office originally planned for the statue to be built in the much less significant Haydn Park in Buda, and the planned height was to be just 8-10 metres. However, Soviet Marshall Voroshilov, who was in charge of post-war Hungary following the liberation of Budapest, has objected, and has chosen the Gellért Hill location personally.

Photos

Erzsébet Bridge

XI. district

The bridge, named after popular Habsburg queen Elizabeth (Sissi) was the only one which could not be reconstructed after World War II, so a new one was built to replace it. Today’s bridge structure links the foot of Gellért Hill with the downtown of Pest. The bridge, built in 1903, takes the heaviest vehicle traffic out of all the other bridges in Budapest. The bridge, which was blown up by the retreating German Army in 1945, was the only bridge in Budapest beyond repair. The construction of the new Elizabeth Bridge began in 1960, to be handed over in 1964. The new cable bridge was built in exactly the same place, under the supervision of architect Pál Sávory.

Photos

Liberty Bridge

Constructed in just 2 years, between 1894 and 1896, the bridge was originally named after Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. At a first glance, the structure resembles a chain-type bridge, as per the trends of the age in which it was built, but its core structure is radically different.

Photos

Petőfi Bridge

The bridge links the southernmost part of the Grand Boulevard with Goldmann György tér, the heart of the university district of Budapest. Built between 1933 and 1937, the length of the bridge is 514 metres, and the width is 25 metres.

Photos

Citadel

XI. Citadella sétány

The Citadel was built as a military fortress on the highest point of Budapest’s city centre by Habsburg Austria, following the 1848-49 Revolution. The construction was finished in 1854, and the main function of the building was to present a constant threat to rebellious.

Photos

Statue park

XXII. Balatoni út

A short bus ride from downtown Budapest will take the visitor to a unique museum – or, if you like – to a whole different world. By displaying mementoes of the communist era, this unparalleled theme park is a powerful reminder of the fall of tyranny. This stunning historical sight presents a collection of public statues and memorials that were removed from the streets of Budapest after the collapse of socialism in 1989-90.

Photos