4. Capital of Hungary
Buda (hill side) + Pest (flat side)
The river Danube divides the city
1.6 million people (2.5 million in
Budapest Metropolitan area)
One out of four Hungarians lives in
this metropolitan area!
Political, cultural, commercial, ind
ustrial hub of the country
Language is Hungarian
(surprise!!!)
Time difference: 6 hours ahead of
US ET, 9 hours ahead of US PT
The currency is Forint (HUF)
The city is divided into 23 districts
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5. Before 1 AD - First
settlement built by the Celts
106 AD - Roman settlement
‘Aquincum’ - Pannonia
Seal of the
City:
Crown
9th century - Hungarian
Buda
settlement (Magyars)
Danube
Pest
1361 - Buda becomes capitol
of Kingdom of Hungary
1873 - Buda, Obuda & Pest
merged as Budapest
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6. Historical Population of Budapest
3,000,000
2,500,000
Population
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
-
Metropolitan
2001
2010
1920
1870
1930
1970
2005
1910
1941
1960
1980
1990
1900
1949
1880
1890
Area data
Year
Budapest, Hungary 6
7. Budapest is the cultural epicenter of Hungary with enormous
range of cultural entertainment & abundance of programs
Classical Music
Classical & Folk Dance
Opera, Operetta & Theaters
Galleries & Exhibitions
Libraries & Museums
Universities & Colleges
Festivals & Events
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8. Food is hot & spicy (I love it)
Breakfast is sizeable, lunch is the
major meal (3-4 courses), dinner
is less significant
Examples of dishes
Chicken Paprikash (paprika stew)
Goulash (Soup or stew)
Wiener Schnitzel (becsi szelet)
Fisherman’s Soup (Halaszle)
Stuffed Pancake (Palacsinta)
Dobos cake
Stuffed cabbage (toltott
kaposzta)
Winter salami (teli szalami)
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9. Don’t drive, it’s tough to drive & park
Public transportation is
fast, affordable – you can get
anywhere
Subway (Metro) is the fastest , hard to
beat (4 lines, 1.2 million daily rides)
Buses are blue (local & regional)
Trolleybuses are red and quiet
Trams are yellow, very efficient and
popular with tourists (The busiest in
the world)
Railway (3 termini) to anywhere
Suburban rail (HEV) to nearby towns
Cogwheel on a steep slope (try it)
Tourist sightseeing bus (open top)
Funicular (short ride up to the Castle)
Waterway (Side trip to Vienna? Use
the hydrofoil on the Danube)
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10. 1. Parliament building 1. Walk the Castle district
2. Fisherman’s bastion 2. Cruise on the Danube
3. Buda Castle district 3. Sample Hungarian food
4. St. Stephen’s Basilica 4. Stroll on the Promenade
5. Heroes' Square 5. Listen to gypsy music
6. Chain Bridge 6. Enjoy a classical concert
7. Gellert Hill Citadel 7. Experience thermal bath
8. Opera House 8. View Budapest at night
9. Vaci Street 9. Sit and watch people
10. Synagogue 10. Discover Central Market
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13. Romans ‘discovered’ natural thermal springs, established baths 2k years ago
Turkish period (16th century) built baths (medicinal use) – many still in use!
1934 Budapest was chosen as ‘City of Baths’ aka City of Spas
More than 100 thermal springs feed about 50 baths (first in the world)
Most famous baths: Kiraly, Rudas, Gellert, Szechenyi, Lukacs
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14. Besides their birthdays, Hungarians have nameday as well!
Namedays are commonly known, popular and widely celebrated
Each first name is assigned to one or more days of the calendar
Tibor is celebrated on April 14 , I do celebrate mine on that day
There are ‘official’ first names to choose from – the list is very long
Namedays are celebrated in work places, among friends and in the
family.
While in general birthdays are more ‘private’ & discreet, namedays
are much more shared with others even at public settings
People usually give flowers, desserts, drink or small gifts as
presents
There are smaller or larger parties to celebrate this day
Imagine if YOU had a nameday to celebrate. What would you do?
By the way, in Hungary, the first name is the last and the last name
is the first. My name in Hungary is Nagy Tibor
The are 14 vowels in Hungarian: a, á, e, é, i, í, o, ó, ö, ő, u,ű
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