Yella to Hungary

08/12/2023

Miért és hogyan épült a Várhegy keleti oldalán, a Duna-parton hosszan elnyúló impozáns, neoreneszánsz épületegyüttes? Sétánkon megismerjük a „főváros ékszerdobozának” nevezett Várkert Bazár tervezőjét, Ybl Miklóst, miközben alkotásának lenyűgöző részleteiben, csillogó Zsolnay-kerámiákban, művészien megformált kovácsoltvasakban, tökéletesen megfestett üvegablakokban és illatos rózsakertekben gyönyörködünk. Utunk során elmeséljük az épületegyüttes sorsát a születéstől a pusztuláson át egészen a rekonstrukcióig. Bemutatjuk, hogyan vált a helyszín középkori védműből szobrászgenerációk alkotóhelyévé, majd az Ifipark hangos évtizedei után a kultúra és művészet központjává és a főváros egyik legszebb panorámájú pihenőhelyévé.

15/11/2023

Discover Budapest's Beauty from the Blue Danube

Discover Budapest in Luxury: Experience Budapest's wonders - welcome drink, gourmet menus, live music, and dancing

27/05/2022

10/09/2021

HÉVÍZ
In the town Hévíz, Mid-Western Hungary lies a geological curiosity. Lake Hévíz, Europes largest thermal lake. You can bath in it all year round and but it’s not just the warmth that is the wonder but the property of its water and mud and the effects they have on the body.

10/09/2021

10/09/2021

BUDAPEST NIGHTLIFE - GOZSDU UDVAR

Let's have fun together! Party with us!

09/09/2021

BUDAPEST

Budapest, is the capital and most populous city of Hungary.

The River Danube enters the city from the north; later it encircles two islands, Óbuda Island and Margaret Island.

The River Danube that separates the two parts of the city is 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.

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08/09/2021

MARGARET ISLAND

Margaret Island is the green heart of Budapest. It lies in the middle of the Danube between Margaret Bridge and Árpád Bridge. Apart from a couple of hotels and sports facilities, there are no buildings on the island – it’s a huge recreational space with promenades and benches, cycle paths and a jogging track, great for a date or a picnic. Here is where you’ll find the Hajós Alfréd National Sports Swimming Pool, the popular Palatinus lido, a petting zoo, a musical fountain and a Japanese Garden. Few cars are allowed – the island is served by the No.26 bus from Nyugati station, and it has its own stop on the frequent 4/6 tram route, halfway along Margaret Bridge. All kinds of bikes, tandems and pedalos can be hired. Towards the north end of the island, in the shadow of the Water Tower, an open-air concert venue operates in summer for mainstream entertainment. Close by, the ruins of a medieval Dominican convent are historically linked to former resident Margaret, daughter of Béla IV, after whom the island is named.

08/09/2021

FAMOUS BRIDGES OF BUDAPEST

08/09/2021

Budapest Legenda Sightseeing Cruises on the River Danube

08/09/2021

ST STEPHEN'S BASILICA

St Stephen’s Basilica is the largest church in Budapest. Planning and construction took 54 years, involving three chief architects and the collapse of the entire dome nearly two decades into the project. It was around this time that Miklós Ybl of Opera House fame took over the reins, though his death in 1891 meant that József Kauser saw the Basilica through to its completion. Deliberately designed to reach an exact height of 96 metres, the same as Parliament, the Basilica wasn’t ready for the 1896 Hungarian Millennial celebrations, only seeing the light of day in 1905. Today, accommodating 8,000 worshippers, characterised by rich ornamentation and huge windows radiating light and dignity, it provides a suitable setting for state funerals.

The public can observe the somewhat macabre sight of the preserved right hand, the Holy Dexter, of Hungary’s first king, St Stephen, kept as a relic in the main aisle. His mummified body is buried in the undercroft.

While one lift takes you to the treasury, the other goes up to the dome, with marvellous views over the city. The Basilica also hosts recitals and concerts.

07/09/2021

LIBERTY BRIDGE

Liberty Bridge, linking Fővám tér and Szent Gellért tér, carries main tram lines 47 and 49 between the central transport hub of Deák tér and Buda. It’s also remarkably photogenic, with its criss-cross metalwork and symbolic Hungarian design features such as turul birds and the bright red-and-white national coat of arms. Built between 1894 and 1896, it was opened as Franz Josef Bridge in the presence of the Habsburg emperor himself – he bashed the last silver rivet into the iron structure, an event commemorated by a plaque at the Pest abutment. In the summer of 2016, the bridge was closed to traffic because of reconstruction, allowing it to be taken over by locals for grill parties, yoga classes and communal relaxation. This led to the more formalised Liberty Bridge picnics, an annual series of casual get-togethers on specific weekends, with informal performances and activities.

07/09/2021

HEROES' SQUARE

One of Budapest’s largest squares, Heroes’ Square is located in the 14th District. Construction began in 1896 to commemorate the Millennium celebrations (the Hungarian peoples’ conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 896). The square is a memorial to Hungary’s hundreds of years-long history. Heroes Square, which is also the entrance to City Park (Városliget), is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Andrássy Road.
The square is bordered by three main attractions; the Millennium Monument (Millenáriumi Emlékmű), the Palace of the Arts (Műcsarnok), and the Museum of Fine Arts (Szépművészeti Múzeum), giving the square an enchanting facade. The central feature of the square is the Millennium Monument itself with a statue on its top depicting the Archangel Gabriel. On the left and right side the monument is lined with statues of Hungarian rulers who played a pivotal role in Hungary’s history.
Heroes’ Square can be found in Budapest, at the end of Andrássy Road, and on the right side of City Park.
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Built in: 1896
Designed by: Miklós Ybl

07/09/2021

LIBERTY BRIDGE

Liberty Bridge is the third southernmost public road bridge in Budapest, located at the southern end of the City Centre. It is 333.6 m in length and 20.1 m in width. The bridge was built between 1894 and 1896 to the plans of János Feketeházy. During the 2007-2009 complete reconstruction, all war damages of shape were repaired, added to the complete structure-reconstruction water discharge pipes held by the bridge were replaced, and noise and impulse-absorbing tramways were rebuilt.

07/09/2021

FISHERMAN'S BASTION

Fisherman’s Bastion
It is one of the best known monuments of Budapest. It is located in Buda Castle (Budai Vár) in the 1st District. Fisherman’s Bastion is hugely popular due to the unparalleled panoramic view it offers onto the city from its Neo-Roman design viewing terraces.
Its main facade runs parallel to the Danube and it is 140 metres long. The southern wing is 40 metres long, the northern wing is 65 metres long, while the ornate middle spandrel is 35 metres in length. The 7 pointy stone towers represent the 7 Hungarian chieftains who led the Hungarian peoples into the Carpathian basin in 896.
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Built in: 1902
Architect: Frigyes Schulek
Style: Neo-Roman

07/09/2021

RIVER DANUBE

The River Danube is Europe’s second longest river (after the Volga), and it is the longest river in the European Union. It is the world’s most international river, running through no less than 10 countries, with such cities on its banks like Budapest, Vienna, Prague, and Belgrade.
The Danube’s water basin is 817,000 km2, and its water comes from 19 countries’ waterways, making it the world’s most “successful” reservoir. It gathers water from more than 300 tributary streams. The river carries 7,000 m3 water per second on average. Due to its huge water volume, it is one of Europe’s most important drinking water sources, ensuring drinking water supply to about 20 million people.
Since the Danube runs through some diverse topography in Europe, you can enjoy spectacular views while sailing on the river. As you follow the river, you can get to know beautiful historical towns and cities, gorgeous river valleys, and deep, rocky gorges.

07/09/2021

GELLÉRT HILL

If you want to treat your camera to some amazing scenery, Gellért Hill is a must on your itinerary. A funicular journey from the Chain Bridge along the hillsides provides a fast connection between Buda and Pest, hoisting visitors to panoramic vistas. Once on top of the hill, you’ll find the Citadel dominate the landscape with its imposing 19th century construction, a site that’s hard to keep your eyes on without being distracted by the phenomenal view over the Danube and the eight bridges crossing. Once on Gellért Hill however, one mustn’t miss the famous Gellért Baths. Budapest is renown for its thermal waters and its baths, and the Gellért Baths are housed in an impressive art nouveau structure. Its interior design, with its many mosaics, recalls the preceding relationships the city has had with healing springs and saunas, traditionally used within this neighborhood since the Ottoman Empire.

07/09/2021

MARGARET BRIDGE

The Margaret Bridge was the second permanent span over the Danube in Budapest, connecting the southern tip of Margaret Island with Buda and the Nagykörút of Pest. Built some 25 years later, it was partly financed by crossing tolls collated from the Chain Bridge. Designed by Frenchman Ernest Gouin, by the time it opened in 1876, Budapest had become one city. The little extension off to Margaret island was later attached in 1900. On 4 November 1944, an accidental explosion destroyed the eastern section of the bridge. In 2011, renovation included the addition of new railings, decorative lights and the construction of a cycle path.

07/09/2021

10 interesting facts about the Parliament you may not know...

1. The architect’s misfortune

Construction on the building began in 1885 when architect Imre Steindl, 46 years old at a time, was living his most prolific professional years. The inauguration was 17 years later, on October 8, 1902 and he passed away 5 weeks prior to this day. The architect was not able to see the inauguration of the complete building. The first sitting of the Parliament was held 1896 in the dome, well before the architect’s death, and the final touches were finished in 1904, a couple of years after inauguration.

2. Hungarian-made

A very important aspect of the construction was to use only Hungarian products and materials. The only exceptions are the 8 massive 6-meter-tall marble monoliths near the main stairway which came from Sweden.

3. The magic of numbers

The dome of the Parliament is 96 meters tall, which is supposed to symbolise the year 896, the conquest of the Carpathian Basin by the Hungarian peoples, since the structure was meant for the millennium. There are also 96 steps on the main stairway which leads to the dome. The building has 365 various sized towers, representing the number of days in a year.

4. Three parliaments

Nineteen tenders were submitted for the construction of the parliament building, all excellent plans, so in the end not only one, but three plans were accepted, though not all three for the construction of the parliament. The other two plans were finally for the two other buildings that are also located on Kossuth Square. One is the Museum of Ethnography (Néprajzi Múzeum), the other one is the Ministry of Agriculture (Földművelési Minisztérium).

5. One-of-a-kind heating and cooling system

At the time of construction, the heating and ventilating system of the building was one of the most modern in Europe. Heating was supplied by a furnace located in a nearby building which circulated hot steam instead of water. Cooling was supplied by the cool air streaming in from the fountain with two pools on the square. Once the pools were removed, the cool air was ensured by ice blocks stored inside underground pits from the 1930s all the way to 1994.

6. Golden building

The building is decorated with 22-23-carat gold. Though gilding is light as air, the substantial amount of it used was so great that it weighed about 40kg. Today’s value of this amount of gold is about HUF 400 million.

7. Bullet holes in the wall

As many structures in Budapest, the parliament building was not able to escape the historic fury of the 20th century, and for decades its walls bore the signs of bullet holes left behind from WWII and the 1956 revolution. After the 2013 renovations on its exterior were finished, the architects left a few m2 area of the walls in their original state, leaving the bullet holes visible around a window overlooking Kossuth Square.

8. Backdoors

The main gates of the Parliament open onto Kossuth Square but this was not always the case. Originally they used to open onto the Danube which means that the bronze lions eyeing the square are actually standing guard at the “backdoor”. The actual main gates are used for dignitaries and royalty.

9. Lion prey

One of the above-mentioned lions is actually not an original as it was shot to pieces in WWII and was completely destroyed. When facing the the main gate, the lion on the left is the “older” and original one, designed by Béla Markup. The lion on the right was designed by József Somogyi, using Markup’s original designs.

10. The price of construction

It is easy to say how much the construction of the building cost. According to records, the construction cost was 38 million Austrian-Hungarian corona. Today this would amount to about HUF 121.6 billion. These days we would hardly be able to work with this budget despite all the technical advances. All in all, construction lasted for 19 years.Hungary’s Parliament is the world’s third largest parliament. It is located along the banks of the Danube, and it is one of Europe’s oldest legislative buildings. Construction on the structure began in 1885, and it was inaugurated in 1896, on the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin, though it was completed only in 1904.
The Holy Crown is exhibited inside the building, along with other coronation emblems, except for the coronation cloak. The Parliament of Hungary has been a World Heritage Site since 1987.

07/09/2021

FERRIS WHEEL BUDAPEST - BUDAPEST EYE

View the city from top!
The new Ferris Wheel opened on Erzsébet Square in mid-march 2017 and it is operating throughout the year.
It looks different than the previous Eye and the 42 partially open cabins are simpler and look cheaper.
Still, if you aren’t scared of height, a ride on the new wheel will dazzle you with the fantastic view.
Take a ride on the Eye set up on Budapest’s popular park Erzsébet Square in the city centre.
With its 65 m height this is the largest ferris wheel in Europe offering awesome view from the top.
the ferris wheel illuminated in the national tricolor
In the National Tricolor on 15th March
Only the Basilica, which you can admire during a ride, is higher.

07/09/2021

LIBERTY BRIDGE

Liberty Bridge is the third and shortest bridge of Budapest. It was built for the Millennium World Exhibition in 1896, its original name being Francis Joseph Bridge.

07/09/2021

ELISABETH BRIDGE

This slender white cable bridge connects the city centre with Gellért Hill. Elizabeth Bridge (Erzsébet híd) is named after Habsburg Empress Elisabeth, wife of Franz Josef. Revered by Hungarians, she was assassinated around the time construction began in 1898. Destroyed during World War II, Elizabeth Bridge wasn’t rebuilt until 20 years later, in 1964. The new version, designed by Pál Sávoly, is wider than the original, and suspension technology replaced the earlier chains. Once cracks began to show, the bridge was no longer used by trams from 1973 onwards.

07/09/2021

ANDRÁSSY AVENUE

Andrássy út is Budapest’s own Champs-Élysées, a showcase boulevard of significant institutions, embassies, high-end boutiques and villas.

Construction began in the early 1870s as part of Pest’s significant urban development. In 1885, it took the name of Hungary’s first prime minister, Count Gyula Andrássy, who was instrumental in its creation.

When he died, in 1890, the city’s first metro running immediately below the boulevard had been planned but not yet executed. Its opening would coincide with Hungary’s millennial celebrations of 1896, connecting Erzsébet tér in the city centre with Heroes’ Square at the southern and northern ends of the avenue. Behind Heroes’ Square, the large recreational space of Városliget staged many of the millennial events.

Today the heritage-styled Millennium Underground forms part of the Budapest’s four-line network.

Andrássy út, meanwhile, can be divided into three main sections: the busy downtown stretch between Erzsébet tér and Oktogon is dominated by luxury brands, the Opera and the Paris Department Store, now an entertainment venue and elegant café. Nearby, immediately off Andrássy, Nagymező utca and Liszt Ferenc tér provide a cultural backdrop of theatres, photo galleries and Budapest’s prime concert hall for classical music.

From Oktogon to Kodály körönd, the avenue is expanded by a service road and a tree-lined walkway on each side. Here, you’ll find the House of Terror, a unique museum mainly focused on the horrendous aftermath of incarceration and torture after the 1956 Uprising, in the building where it all took place. On a lighter note, nearby stand museums dedicated to Franz Liszt and, by the rond-point named after him, Zoltán Kodály, in houses where each composer lived.

Between Kodály körönd and Heroes’ Square, the architectural tone changes from scenic to stately. The Russian, South Korean, Bulgarian, Turkish, Serbian and Albanian governments all prefer to be represented here rather than around the upscale residential districts of Buda, while cultural institutions tend to be niche – the East-Asian art collection of Oriental voyager Ferenc Hopp, the KOGART Gallery, the MagNet Community Center – rather than draw hordes of visitors. The Serbian, former Yugoslav, Embassy has a footnote in Hungarian history books as it was here that the deposed hero of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, Imre Nagy, sought sanctuary from Soviet forces. His stay barely lasted three weeks.

Beckoning from blocks away is the figure of the Archangel Gabriel, centrepiecing Heroes’ Square atop a 36-metre column, in perfect symmetry with arrow-straight Andrássy út.

07/09/2021

RIVER DANUBE

The Danube’s water basin is 817,000 km2, and its water comes from 19 countries’ waterways, making it the world’s most “successful” reservoir. It gathers water from more than 300 tributary streams. The river carries 7,000 m3 water per second on average. Due to its huge water volume, it is one of Europe’s most important drinking water sources, ensuring drinking water supply to about 20 million people.