The history of Budapest is filled with tales of bravery, sacrifice, and war. So get ready to embark on a thrilling journey through the history of this marvelous city. The fascinating past of Budapest dates back to the primitive age. Believe it or not, the limestone caves of Buda were used as accommodation by humans over 50,000 years ago, first by the Neanderthal and then 40 000 years ago, also the modern Homo sapiens appeared in this area. This fact is proven by the findings of Csillaghegy and Farkasrét. But the first group of people who settled here for a more extensive period of time is dated to the Bronze Age (3000-1000). These settlers were followed in 400 BC by the Celts, who settled on Gellért-hegy, where the Citadella still amazes visitors with its grandeur.
When, in 89 AC, a Roman garrison with a civilian entourage established Aquincum, the Celts´ fortress and settlement (oppidum) were replaced. Thus, in 106, the center of the bipartite province of Pannonia became Aquincum. But, in 376, the Huns arrived, and the Roman rule ceased as they couldn´t resist the nomadic Huns. With the ever-growing migration and barbarian attacks, the Romans gradually retreated and even created a fortress on the side of the current Pest. This step marked the founding of the predecessor of Pest. Despite that, the Crusaders brought new mass immigration to the area, and in the upcoming period, several other people settled in the region, such as Germans, Avaras, and even Slavs. Hence, upon the arrival of the conquering Hungarians in 896, they found Slavic-Bulgarian peoples on both banks of the Danube. The Csepel Island (Csepel sziget) served as the accommodation for the Hungarian Árpád family, and the island was also their first seat. However, the antecedent city of Budapest was destroyed by fire in 1223. Nonetheless, during the time of the Hungarians, both cities prospered until it was once more demolished by the Mongols in 1241. While little is known about the history of the city before the Mongol invasion, according to a chronicle, Pest was already the wealthiest German town during the invasion.
During the 13th century, Budapest was a place of great turmoil and conflict. During this era, many churches were established, and it was from here (from the Pest side of the current city) that in 1241, King Béla IV set out against the Mongol invaders. Determined to defend his kingdom, while holding the Easter Lent in Óbuda, the king called the country’s mobilized forces to Pest. Despite their valiant efforts, however, they lost the battle at Sajó, and the Tatars burned Pest to the ground. But with the return of the king, in 1244, he renewed the privileges of the hospes of Pest. Also, in 1255, on the news of another Tatar attack, he ordered the construction of a stone castle on the steep rocks of the castle hill, and on the Buda side, he established a new town, called “pesti új hegy“(novus mons Pestiensis/ “new mountain of Pest”) (/Újbuda). Now on, this new town on the present-day Várhegy, together with the Buda Castle, became a permanent royal seat of power. The choice fell for this place because the qualities of the landscape here made deep moats and tall towers unnecessary. Parallel with the establishment of the town, even the construction of the Church of the Blessed Virgin, which is today mistakenly called the Matthias Church, began. Over the years, Budapest experienced many political turmoil and upheaval. Buda, an already civil town with a significant Latin, German, and Jewish population, gradually lost its royal central importance. After the death of III András, which marked the extinction of the Árpád house, strife for the throne arose. Upon the king´s death, those few lords who supported Károly Róbert to ascend the throne brought him to Esztergom from Zagreb, where he was staying at that time. However, this conflicted with the treaty concluded with Árpád, which granted the nation the ancient right to elect a king. Thus, opposing the Pope, the civil order of Budavár gave their support instead to the Czech heir, II Wenceslas (King of Hungary, 1301- 1305), to the throne. Upon hearing this, the Pope wrote in 1301 to the Papal Envoy of Hungary, Cardinal Bishop Miklós Boccasino, that the Roman Pope had the right to pronounce judgment on this matter since Saint Stephen (Szent István), in all his rights and powers, offered the country to the Roman Church. Following this, the papal envoy declared Wenceslas’ coronation illegal and invalid. Next, challenging II Wenceslas and his supporters, the son of Márk Csák (István Csák) and the sons of Baron Jakab Cseszneki (Miklós and Lőrinc) unsuccessfully besieged the castle in 1302. Yet, in the end, the city had to accept Károly Róbert as the new king. Nonetheless, Buda was not Károly Róbert´s favorite place of residence and hence, from 1314 until his death, he rarely appeared in the city. Notwithstanding, while living in Visegrád in the first years of his reign, his son, Louis the Great (I Lajos), later chose Budapest as his permanent seat and in 1361 he made Buda the capital of Hungary. In 1355, he also gave Budapest the right to stop goods and freed the town´s citizens from the guardianship of the chapter. Nonetheless, after the death of Louis the Great, turbulent years were to follow since with his death, the last male offspring of the Hungarian House of Anjou also perished.
Sigismund of Luxemburg (Zsigmond király, 1387-1437), who despised cities, ascended the throne in 1387. But the throne came with a high price because the deterioration of royal power did not allow a sovereign and independent engagement in politics anymore. To strengthen his power, the king raised new people to the rank of barons, increased the number of walled cities, and favored the trade of the cities´ by leveeing protective duties on foreign merchants while allowing domestic merchants to trade freely. In addition to churches, even residential houses of nobles and citizens were built in Buda. The streets were named after street crafts, and it was evident that the city was bustling with industrialists, craftsmen, and merchants. Moreover, during the reign of Sigismund, the royal castle in Buda became more flamboyant, and its reputation soared to new heights. He even brought in French builders to add a new part to the old small castle. However, as a consequence of his generosity, Sigismund was often in money shortage, which, in turn, further increased the dependency of the royal power. Nonetheless, as you might already read in the history chapter of Hungary, in 1389, King Sigismund also founded a university in Óbuda, and it was during his reign that the German-language legal code of the city of Buda was compiled. Nonetheless, elucidating the king’s position, while half of the population in Buda was Hungarian, the officials were all German. Hence, following the death of King Sigismund in 1437, riots caused by ethnic rivalry broke out between the German and Hungarian residents of Buda. However, the rivalry was not only observable among the residents, but also affected other areas of life.
Even though Ladislaus V Postumus (V László, the son of Albrecht II of Habsburg) was crowned king in Fehérvár in 1440, the actual king became the one whose possession the Buda Castle was. During this time, János Hunyadi (Governor, 1446–1453) owned most of the castles in the country, including the Buda Castle. Hence, considering the low age of the little king, in 1446, János Hunyadi was appointed as the regent for the country, and with this Budapest became increasingly dependent on the powerful noble. Nevertheless, in 1453, the young Ladislaus seemingly took over the governance. But with the approach of the Turks, in 1456, in the companion of his advisor, Count Cilley, Ladislaus V left Buda. In the absence of instructions, the royal castle guard, just like the lords of Buda, followed the example of the king. As a result, the citizens became also terrified. However, the reason for the king’s departure was not flight, assumed by people, but the spread of epidemic diseases and famine caused by poor harvest. Ladislaus V died in November 1457 in Prague. Nevertheless, despite the brilliant victory of Hunyadi over Muhammed II (/ Mehmet II) at Belgrade in 1456, the escalating famine, intense party feuds, and a nationwide plague epidemic (which incidentally was even the reason behind the death of János Hunyadi) caused an increasing dissatisfaction. This, in turn, prevented János Hunyadi´s son, László, who often accompanied his father to the battlefield, from taking over the governance of the country from his father. In addition, after the death of János in 1456, Ulrich II Cilley (count of Celje) held László responsible for the family´s debts to the state. Subsequently, László Hunyadi was executed in 1457 and in 1458, his younger brother, the 17 years old Mátyás (King Matthias) was elected king.
As a sign of his right to pardon, King Mátyás first act was to release the prisoners. Likewise, he also raised the rank of the Hungarian residents of the town to the same level as the German residents´ and, according to legends, he often walked around in simple clothes around the country to learn about and remedy the problems of the deprived. Hence, he became known as “Mátyás the Just”. The city itself was also flourishing as never before. During his reign, Mátyás, the man of the new age, erected one of the towers in front of the main church in Buda, raised the town of Pest to equal rank with the royal cities and built walls around it. In addition, the Renaissance humanist court of King Mátyás attracted many of the educated of the time, thus raising the cultural standard, as well as the significance, of the city and the royal court. In accordance, on the Danube side, King Mátyás erected a new northern wing for the royal residence and embellished its rooms with paintings. Moreover, he bestowed the royal castle with a magnificent library, arranged stunning ornamental gardens, and provided it with decorative statues. Under Mátyás, the castle was enriched with red marble windows and half-doors, and in the middle of the dining room, stout columns were erected. The new glow and splendor of the royal court and all the improvements attracted many to obtain a permanent house or a palace in Buda. Around 1470, Pest finally became a free royal city, and in 1473, in the first printing house of Buda, the Buda Chronicle was produced by András Hess. Notwithstanding, the strong and determined King Mátyás was not liked by his subjects during his lifetime because of the many wars and after 1485, he chose to live in Austria. He died in 1490 in Vienna. Opposing a wish of King Mátyás, in September of the same year, in Fehérvár, instead of Mátyás’ extramarital son, János Corvin, Ulászló was crowned. By this time, the management of Budapest was divided between the German patricians and the Hungarian citizens, and the national assemblies held in the city had already become regular. While the noble public order camped in the Pest area, the homestead of German, Italian, and Jewish bankers, the “treasured Buda”, served as the accommodation for the nobility and the high priesthood. The revenues generated during the assemblies made possible the further growth of Pest. In Buda, on the other hand, the members of the noble order and the high priesthood, who acquired private residences there, increased the number of those exempted from the city’s burdens. Nonetheless, whereas the cultural life of both Pest and Buda continued to grow in the following years, the country itself encountered many difficulties, such as feudal disputes and economic crises. In addition, Buda had also gradually lost its cultural importance to Vienna. On top of these, the peasant uprising of György Dózsa (commander-in-chief of the crusade against the Turks) further hardened the situation. While the peasant uprising did not affect the entire kingdom and lasted only for a few months, it was one of the most ferocious elements in the history of Hungary.
By occupying the nearby castle of Srebrenik in 1512, the Ottomans badly violated the border of Hungary. Hence, in 1514, in the church of the royal Castle, Tamás Bakocs, papal envoy and archbishop of Esztergom, declared a crusade against the Turks. Notwithstanding, although the Crusaders’ camp attracted a vast number of peasants, the crusade was suspended due to a shortage of men in the army. In their anger, the previously ´recruited ´ serfs turned against the feudal aristocracy and began to voice their grievances against landlords. The goal of the rebellion was to overthrow the nobility and end oppression. However, the anti-feudal rebellion was defeated, and its leader, György Dózsa, was captured and executed. The peasants themselves became permanently ´bound to the soil´ and they were imposed with heavy taxes. After the death of Vladislaus II (II Ulászló / King Dobže) in 1516, his now ten-year-old son, Louis II (II Lajos[1]), already crowned in 1508, took over the management of the Buda castle. Given the King’s minor age, the nobility gathered on the Rákos field in the matter of the organization of the administration. While the people of Buda wanted a government council comprised of many, the people of Pest wanted a governor. As a compromise, the country´s affairs became the responsibility of the royal Council. However, while the talented Louis II spoke six languages fluently (Latin, Hungarian, German, Czech, Polish, and French) and led the negotiations brilliantly, substantially, he was the puppet of the magnates. In 1520, under the rule of the magnates, the king’s finances were a disaster and Hungary was in a state of impending anarchy. Because of the lavish and frivolous spending of the king, fortresses fell into disrepair, and the declining morale of the unpaid border guards weakened the country’s defenses. The destabilized country provided an opportunity for new attacks. However, after the 1456 triumphant battle of János Hunyadi, the Turkish sultans did not want to enter the territory of Hungary, and it was therefore surprising that in 1521, Sultan Selim (Selim I) attacked Belgrade (Nándorfehérvár) and Šabac (Szabács). Despite the sacrifices made by Buda and Pest for the defense of the most indispensable Hungarian fortress, the Turks still managed to capture Belgrade. Help was delayed due to the emptiness of the Royal Treasury. Thus, in 1522, the goal was to fill the Treasury. In February 1522, Louis II went to Bohemia and stayed there until May 1523. While in Bohemia, he tried to get help in the fight against the Turks. During this time, the country imposed two new taxes on certain urban citizens; ´smoke money´ and the ´head tax´ on Jews. Yet, the king released them from these taxes. But, as a kind of counteraction, the National Assembly of 1523 required the king to punish with capital loss and loss of property the preachers of Luther’s doctrines. The royal court, however, supported Luther’s followers, and despite the prohibitions, Lutheran influence grew stronger, and the reformation took root even among the citizens of Buda, whereupon, it also began to spread rapidly throughout the whole country.
In April 1526, when the army of Suleiman I (Szolimán / I Szulejmán) departed from Constantinople against Hungary, the barely 18-year-old Louis II set out at the head of four thousand armed men from the camp under Gellért Hill to the Mohács battlefield. The much-needed money for the campaign was collected through the ´harvest´ of church treasuries and the taxation of churches. Louis II sought help from European princes, but only Henry VIII of England provided assistance. Neither the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Habsburg nor Charles V responded since their armies were still fighting on the Italian battlefields. The Pope contributed 50,000 gold to the battle, which was enough for the enrollment of 5,000 mercenaries. Facing the army of Suleiman I, the Hungarian army, which had been waiting for weeks on the battlefield, was divided on whether to wait for help or begin the combat. The stakes were high, and the odds were against them. The premature formation of the army, the order of battle, and the features of the Mohács terrain had equally immense influence on the outcome. Hence, after the first cavalry charge of the barely two-hour clash, the result of the battle was definite. Following the overwhelming Ottoman victory in the Battle of Mohács in August, the queen left the castle. The more respectable part of the German citizenry, loaded with their treasures, also fled, followed by the Hungarian citizenry. Only the poorest class and some of the Jews did not leave the city.
At the end of the battle at Mohács, after a short rest, the Turkish army began towards Buda. When the Turks reached the city, Suleiman I accommodated the royal residence and his men looted the palace and burned the city. Subsequently, the Sultan took everything precious on a ship jointly with all the Jews of Buda, who did not flee, and brought them to his kingdom. The emptied city burned for three whole days. However, it did not take long before the city once again became the scene of new battles. In 1529, when the Turks started against Vienna, Hungary was already considered a vassal state. Buda, occupied by the Habsburgs at this time, was besieged by the Sultan. The German mercenaries who were protecting Buda surrendered on the sixth day due to the overwhelming force of the Turks and the lack of gunpowder and bullets. This was the second time that Buda became under the control of the Sultan, but not even then occupied the city. Instead, he handed it over to János Szapolyai (King John). Concurrently, even the Germans-controlled Pest surrendered to the king. Following the battle, the country itself was divided into three parts, the Turkish and Habsburg-occupied regions and the areas under the rule of Szapolyai. However, while the Ottomans´ military presence remained, it did not pose any threat. The two kings, King János Szapolyai and King Ferdinand I Habsburg, and their followers, on the other hand, were in constant fight, and the power struggle continued.
Hence, in 1530, the general of Ferdinand I, William Roggendorf, was sent to Buda with the aim of recapturing the city. However, because of harsh weather conditions, an outbreak of the plague in the army, and a successful defense strategy of the defenders, he retreated after an intense, fifty-day-long siege. Subsequently, Szapolyai had the defenses rebuilt. Nevertheless, the struggles were far from over, and the city was constantly under threat. Upon the death of Szapolyai, Ferdinand sent his troops against Pest, which at this time took it without resistance. Then, in 1541, the Turkish sultan returned, but this time with the intention that by trickery and without human sacrifice, to occupy the city permanently. However, the city was not to be defeated easily. A valiant defense forced the Turks to retreat until the Ottoman reinforcing army, led by Sultan Suleiman, arrived. After three weeks of ruthless battles, first Pest and then Buda came under the leadership of the Turks. Since the city of Buda played a central role in the western part of the Ottoman Empire, the former seat of the Hungarian kings, the Buda castle, became the most prominent western frontier castle. Later, in 1542, the Christians tried to retake Budapest but they were defeated. Thus, from now on, another culture and a different way of life were rooted between the walls of the two cities, in which the Pasha of Budin, Begler Bey, was the chief military commander. He was in charge of the Eyalet (the highest administrative unit) of Buda, and all the other Eyalets (that from 1860 was replaced by Vilayets) belonged under his rule. He was also the head of civil administration and was authorized to conduct diplomatic negotiations with the Habsburgs. The new seat of the Turkish province had flourishing industry and commerce. But the Christian population was just tolerated and taxed heavily. However, they were not compelled to convert to Islam. Pest remained a commercial center for a while, but the country reminiscent of a battlefield did not favor such a peaceful livelihood for long. Hence, shortly it began to decline and gradually sank into an insignificant small town. The Turks destroyed most of the Christian churches, and instead, they built mosques and baths. Accordingly, even the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary was converted into a mosque. Soon large-scale emigration began in which the wealthiest of the population, lords, landed nobles, well-off merchants, and industrialists left the city. Some Jews and Greeks who were able to negotiate with the Turks remained. However, the frequently alternating pashas of Buda had neither the interests nor the incentive for development and to build. In 1555, a traveler portrayed the poor conditions of the city and wrote that the houses in the city seemed to be ownerless and were gradually collapsing and that there was not even a trace of new constructions. According to his description, the city was congested and dirty, where even the wine cellars were filled with garbage. In addition, due to the Turkish occupation, in 1536 the capital was moved from Budapest to Pozsony (Bratislava), which later also became a coronation town and the seat of the Hungarian Parliament. It seemed as if there was no hope for Budapest’s future.
The Turks had been peacefully coexisting with the Viennese court for decades until Mehmed IV sent his general, Kara Mustafa, to besiege Vienna in 1683. Since the capture of Vienna would have opened a way into the heart of the German territories, the Emperor, Leopold I (I Lipót király), had recognized that the attack was an assault on the German-Roman Empire itself. Hence, the Emperor could not leave the siege of Vienna unanswered. Thus, the expulsion of Ottomans began in 1683 when the Christian army of John III Sobieski, King of Poland, triumphed over Ottoman armies in Vienna. At the same time, however, even the European political situation was also to the disadvantage of the Turks since, by this time, the evolution of a more than a century-old anti-Turkish European alliance had already begun. Accordingly, in 1684, Pope Innocent XI (XI Ince), the embodiment of the Universal Church and the representative of the general interest of Christianity, founded the Holy League (a branch of the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire) with the sole aim of expelling the Turks from Europe. This marked the beginning of the Great Turkish War, a war that would change the course of history forever. The Habsburgs tried on several occasions to reclaim the city of Budapest, but in the beginning, their attempts were unsuccessful. However, by now, the Christian rulers recognized the need for a united force against the conqueror. While the first attempt resulted in a defeat, a turning point occurred in 1686 and after the second defeat of the Ottomans, the Emperor, Leopold I, saw a unique opportunity even for the recapturing of Hungary. Under the leadership of Károly of Lotharingia, the Habsburgs expelled the Turks from their strongholds first elsewhere in the country, thus opening up the way for reconquering Budapest. The 78-day-long battle to recapture Buda and Pest was a success, but the victory came with a high price since the city was razed to the ground. By this time, what remained intact during the subjugation had also been destroyed. Following the war, when the Turks lost Buda, even the principality of Transylvania lost its independence, and the right of succession to the Hungarian crown passed onto the Habsburgs. In the early 1690s, Budapest was sparsely populated, and only a few hundred German settlers lived in the ruins of the city. However, later on, Serbs and Greeks also settled in the area. The Serbs (Ráks) lived in the Tabán district in Buda and near the Orthodox Church in Pest, on today’s Szerb utca. While Pest represented a new beginning and the future, Buda and Óbuda became insignificant. In 1699, the Habsburg Empire further extended its control, thus consolidating its position as a European superpower. In this, the Hungarian crown played a major role, since the Eastern questions in European politics were under the influence of the Hungarian king.
In general, Leopold I did not hold strong national sentiments, and his courtly lifestyle and personal affairs seemed to follow the rule of simplicity. However, in reality, his court was quite expensive compared to the public revenues. When he ascended the throne, he followed his father’s footsteps in many ways. Thus, although Hungary was independent, in practice, it was in the hands of ´foreigners´. Nevertheless, in 1703, Leopold I elevated Pest among the ranks of royal cities and granted it the right to freely elect its officials, laying the foundation for Budapest´s future. When the noise of the battle died down, a significant portion of Budapest’s population consisted of soldiers, officials posted here, and settlers. The remaining foreign citizens, such as Germans, Bavarians, Swabians, Austrians, Serbs, Croats, Spaniards, French, and Turks, inhabited the castle area of Buda, where Hungarians, however, were forbidden to enter. Real estates, such as townhouses, were owned by residents with civil rights, who engaged in various handicrafts or trades. However, the city remained under military control. Nonetheless, due to the Rákóczy revolution (1703-1711), the country’s trade began to decline, just like the number of the city’s inhabitants. However, this latter was caused by an epidemic. Then, after the death of Leopold I in 1705, his son Joseph I (I József) became the King of Hungary. Yet, since Joseph I also died in 1711, and in the absence of the new king, the widow of Leopold I and the mother of Joseph I, Empress Eleonora, became an Interim regent of the country. Previously, Empress Eleonora already had a profound influence on his husband´s politics, and in 1711, she fully restored the free royal city rights for both Pest and Buda. The streets of Pest’s suburbs named Lipót, József, Mária Terézia, and Ferencz, had already hinted at the city’s future importance. Notwithstanding, while Budapest already bloomed and prospered, the broader development was still about to come. From the second half of the 1700s, Budapest witnessed many significant events, including numerous new constructions and the relocation of older ones to the city. The royal palace in Buda was built after Mária Terézia visited Pest in 1751. The Ráczváros of Buda was 1767 connected by a permanent pontoon bridge to Pest and, in 1772, the first permanent German-language Theater opened. However, in 1775, both Pest and Buda suffered a relapse caused by the devastating flood of the century, which almost completely demolished both cities. Whereas in 1777 Mária Terézia, the supporter of enlightened absolutism, moved the University of Nagyszombat to the castle, her successor, Joseph II (II József), moved it to Pest in 1784. In the same year, Joseph II established an engineering training institute and relocated the country’s government, the Governor’s Council, and the Hungarian Chamber to Buda. In 1790, Archduke Sándor was elected palatine in the Bratislava parliament. In 1784, the king also issued the forbearance decree, which helped the enlargement of the city, since henceforth not only Catholics would be permitted to the civil order. In 1792, Francis I (I Ferenc) became the first Hungarian ruler crowned in Buda, and in 1795 the ´civilian´ Rochus hospital was built. From the end of the 18th century (1700), the population also began to increase, but at this point, Budapest was still relatively small. While Buda entailed the Castle and its immediate surroundings, Pest practically extended to the current Kiskörút. During the 18th century, Óbuda was rebuilt with a more cosmopolitan character, and with the support of the many foreign (mainly Jewish and German) settlers and merchants attracted here with various benefits, it once again became an important market town. Today´s Òbuda still reflects its medieval town plan from the 18th century. For instance, the Baroque-style manor buildings from 1746-56, which belonged to the Zichy family, still stand as a testament to the city’s history.
During the Age of Enlightenment, the cultural life of Buda boomed again. The watchwords of the French Revolution of 1789, “liberty, equality, fraternity” which shed light on the values of the Enlightenment, reached even Hungary and, just like in other parts of Europe, brought about progress and development. The economic processes that took place strengthened the citizenry. The libraries of our high priests and lords facilitated the prosperity of libraries and later played a prominent role in the flourishing of Hungarian culture and scholarship. Almost every Roman Catholic archpriest of the time had a library in their court, and their palaces were enriched by a collection of money and antiquities, a natural history museum, and usually even a picture gallery. In 1808, the “Beautification Committee” was created, whose main task was to monitor more planned construction work. The same year, from public donations in which the princes of the time, such as Duke Grassalkovich, played an immense role, the military Hungarian educational institute, the Ludovika Academy, and the Hungarian National Museum were also founded. But, in 1810, a fire ravaged Buda, in which part of the Víziváros and Ráczváros turned to dust. 1814, an observatory tower (Gellért-hegyi Csillagda) designed by Mihály Pollack adorned the Gellért Hill, which, however, was destroyed during the War of Independence. At that time, this was one of the most modern observatories in Europe. Then, in 1817-18, famine encumbered Budapest, and the otherwise particularly cheap city, became very expensive. However, actual development and expansion began during the reform era (~1830-1850), when the wealthiest members of the nobility one by another built their palaces in Pest and Buda and the city became the vibrant center of literary- and intellectual life. The predecessor of the Hungarian National Museum was the vast library founded by Ferenc Széchényi. His son, Count István Széchenyi, was dedicated to the national movement aimed at restoring the glory of the city of Budapest. His significant contribution to the city’s history is evident in the successful movement, which once again made Budapest attractive to new settlers from both Hungary and abroad. Count István Széchenyi founded 1825 the Academy of Sciences and the National Theatre in 1832. In his writings from 1830 and 1831, Széchenyi put forward far-reaching proposals for economic development and, for this sake, much-needed social reforms. From 1830, Pest attracted more and more talents with the founding of the “Hungarian Society of Scientists” and thus became a permanent center of science and literature. Many contemporary writers moved to the capital at that time. Our first literary institute, the Kisfaludy Society, was founded in 1838. Besides, Budapest was also the center of the country´s commercial life. Correspondingly, with the cooperation of István Széchenyi, the Danube steamboats also started, and the lords of Vienna were attracted by the horse races and casino, equally founded by Széchenyi, to the bubbling and dynamic Pest.
Budapest got its present structure during the reconstruction after the flood of 1838 when two-thirds of the city was flooded by the large-scale melting snow that fell during the winter. On the first day of the flood, in some parts of the city, such as in the Ferencz and József suburbs, the houses, built from poorer materials or on less solid foundations, began to collapse one by one. The water from the wells became unsuitable both for drinking and cooking. The number of victims was estimated to be around one hundred and twenty, but the financial loss was incalculable. A week after the flood, three-quarters of the houses were either partially or completely damaged. Many lords and nobles took part in the rescue. For the hungry, each day 1,500 loaves of bread were prepared in the royal palace, and 36 rooms awaited the refugees. Following the flood, a lot of aid arrived from Vienna as well as from Germany which paved the way for the construction of new, sturdier, and more attractive buildings. Budapest experienced a thrilling resurgence. Entirely new streets with new associations and companies were established, and new material and spiritual goals were created for Budapest. The most prominent architect of the era was József Hild, whose many residential buildings still captivate visitors today. In addition, among the most well-known works of Hild, we find the Basilica of Esztergom, the Cathedral Basilica of Eger (1831), and the plans of the Saint Stephen´s Basilica (1848) in Budapest. Thus, the baroque cityscape was gradually replaced by the classicist style. Industrial and commercial developments brought about a wave of new opportunities and transformed the city landscape. Two of the oldest industries in Óbuda, the textile industry (with roots in the 18th century) and shipbuilding (from the 1830s), are excellent examples of this igniting progress. Nevertheless, the appearance of a feverish upswing became more and more noticeable when, under the management of Count István Széchenyi, a joint-stock company began the construction of the chain bridge (Széchenyi Lánchíd), and with the foundation of the savings bank by private entrepreneurs in1840. The ´40s saw the establishment of many famous cultural and educational organizations and institutions in Budapest, such as the University of Arts, the “Budapest Royal Medical Association” and the Society of Natural Sciences. The “Josepinum” orphanage, which currently houses the institute for the blind, was also built during the 1840s. In addition, this was the time when the real ´publicistica´ was born and the first railways began operating. In 1841 and 1843, national industrial exhibitions were arranged in Pest, and in 1846, the first railway line between Pest and Vác was opened. In 1848, the completion of the world’s first suspension bridge held by giant iron chains of this size, the Széchenyi Chain Bridge, finally facilitated the permanent connection of the two cities. Then, on 15th March 1848, the Pest revolution broke out, which led to the establishment of the Batthyány (the first constitutional prime minister of the country) government, thus setting the stage for a new era of progress and change. The Austrians banned almost everything, exceedingly limiting not just the rights for the citizens of the country, but for the citizens of Pest and Buda. Equality before the law did not exist. Not even the streets and squares in Budapest could bear their Hungarian names, but the old German names were restored instead. Therefore, at the parliament meeting in Bratislava in 1847, the opposition presented a firm program with their demands. The goal was to win individual freedoms and create national self-determination. The rebellion first broke out in Paris in February 1848 and then reached Hungary at the beginning of March. The desire for reform was even stronger in the radical revolutionary youth of Pest, who feverishly followed the parliamentary events. For centuries, the first public assembly was held on 14th March, where the first speaker was József Irinyi journalist. Then, the demands of the intellectual youth were formulated in the Declaration of Independence, which on the 15th Mars was passionately presented together with the poem of Sándor Petőfi, the National Anthem, in the Pilvax café. The poem brought the young people into real ecstasy, who in the following went to the medical university and then to Ferenciek Square. This breathed new life into the revolutionaries, whose numbers were increasingly growing to an unimaginable extent. The revolutionaries were united by thought and feeling, and their hearts were burning with the desire for freedom. Even the class boundaries were as if blown away. However, the previously peaceful revolution developed over time into an open war. In the siege of Buda in May 1849, Artúr Görgei (commander-in-chief of the Hungarian Insurgent Army) occupied Buda amidst bombardment and shooting. As a result of the war, a fraction of the royal palace burned down and many buildings were damaged. During this time, the Austrian general and Habsburg loyalist, Heinrich Hentzi von Arthurm, desperately shot Pest with the aim to discourage the Hungarians and the people of Pest had to flee. The poorer people sought refuge in the City Park (Városliget). The leadership of the War of Independence held Pest and Buda for a total of two months, and then in July 1849, the military leadership began building Pest-Buda into a fortress. Although the Hungarian army recaptured Pest and the Buda Castle, but after the War was defeated, the city returned to imperial hands. Nevertheless, the revolution and freedom struggle have become one of the cornerstones of modern national identity. It was during this time that Pest and Buda, also by law, became the capital of Hungary and when the modern parliamentary government was born. After the revolution, the city was soon restored and revived.
[1] INTERESTING FACT: Louis II (II Lajos) was born premature, and for that reason, his temperature had to be kept stable. Hence, to keep the heir to the throne alive, he had been placed in the split stomach of freshly killed pigs.
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Written by Gertrúd Windberg on 27-28 Mars 2024, Sundbyberg
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