Budapest: A Tale of Three Cities

Budapest - Does the capital consist of one or three cities?

Budapest, a Tale of Three Cities - The history of the name of Budapest

Take a majestically flowing river with a hilly western bank and a flat one to the east, in the heart of a central European country, and you have Budapest, the "Paris of the East". Just like the name of the city, its territory is also divided into two - by the bluish ribbon of the Danube River. But there are actually three parts to it: the historical cities of buda, Buda and Pest, the former two occupying the western bank, the latter the eastern one. The most ancient urbanised form of today's bustling, modern Budapest was established by no other than the Romans in the first century AD. The Roman legions had conquered the region Pannonia (today's Transdanubia), and so the North Western part (buda, meaning Old Buda) of the present capital town became home of their military and civic settlement. Ruins of stone walls,

paved streets and sewers can still be seen in many places, further ones being excavated from time to time at building sites. In the Middle Ages it was Buda, a town just south of buda that played a central role in the administration of the Hungarian kingdom. The formidable royal castle towering above the Danube still breathes the air of this era. Today's administrative center has, however, been shifted to the flat Pest side, with the neo-Gothic Parliament as its main symbol. What ensures the connection between the three parts? Geographically it is the eight bridges spanning over the river, while from an administration point of view an 1873 act, which unified them under the name Budapest. Later several neighboring settlements were joined to the city, now altogether providing home for some 2 million inhabitants. Budapest airport transfer Budapest - History of the name Budapest Statue Park Budapest taxis Traffic in Budapest Parking in Budapest Parking permit in Budapest Parking in Budapest - Parking fines Parking in Budapest - Wheel locks Budapest synagogues reading list Caves in Hungary Szentendre Hungarian embroidery Hungarian wines An American prisoner in Hungary Americans in Hungary