Under the Austrian police and military regime however, stagnation set in, in all branches of public life; the national aspirations could only come into force in the sphere of theatres, literature, music and charity; every other development of national force was relentlessly suppressed. Little by little however the Nation awoke from its lethargy, and its wise ruler reconciled himself -- after many vicissitudes -- to the Hungarian nation. With the 8th of June 1867, the day on which the triumphant nation set the Crown of St. Stephen on Francis Joseph I's head, began a new, brilliant period of development for Budapest.

Since the reunion of the sister towns and Altofen, such a mighty advance has begun in Budapest, as cannot be equalled in all Europe. The three towns on the banks of the Danube, which hardly half a century ago did not rise above the modest level of provincial towns, have developed into a powerful metropolis, which according to its population ranks ninth among the capitals of Europe, and stands already on the threshold of a million.

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Adapted from Illustrated Description of Hungary and its Capital