Seven colors of Budapest. Continuation. color purple
The seven colors of Budapest. The color is red. Orange color. Home
The seven colors of Budapest. Continuation. Color yellow
The seven colors of Budapest. Continuation. Color green
The seven colors of Budapest. Continuation. Color blue
The seven colors of Budapest. Continuation. Color blue
Color purple - free.
And we have a "difficult" climb to Mount Gellert.
Historical note: The height of Mount Gellert (Gellé rt-hegy) is 253 m. It can be said that it is not a mountain at all, but a high hill. It was named after Saint Gellert (Gerard of Hungary, Gellé rt). In the 18th century, vineyards grew on the slopes of Mount Gellert. The Tabá n area at the foot of the hill was the center of winemaking in the city. Breathtaking panoramas of Budapest open up from the mountain.
You can climb the mountain traditionally: from the Rudash bath to the statue of St. Gellert and up to the Citadel.
Historical note: St. Gellert was born in Venice presumably in 980. He came from a noble family (a representative of this glorious family even became the Doge of Venice) and from adolescence devoted his life to God. At first, Giorgio Sagredo (that was the name of Gellert before his tonsure) studied at the monastery school for about five years. Then he took tonsure in a Benedictine monastery and was again sent to study. This time in Bologna. In 1012, Gellert returned to his native city, becoming the prior of his native monastery. Gellert's dream, like any clergyman of that time, was a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. And he even tried to fulfill it, but the Almighty prepared a different fate for him. On a ship that sailed to the future Israel, Gellert met an abbot from Hungary. The latter persuaded the priest before going to Jerusalem to visit his native country and get acquainted with King Stephen I. Gellert decided that a small detour would not play a big role, and as a result, he stayed in Hungary for the rest of his life.
The priest talked a lot with King Stephen I, who later was also canonized. The ruler even made him a mentor for his son. When he grew up, Gellert decided to retire to a Benedictine monastery. He spent about seven in it, but then King Istvan again asked him for help. He sent Gellert as bishop to his southern possessions, which were reclaimed from the pagans. The priest made a lot of efforts to spread Christianity not only in these lands, but throughout the country.
This story could have had a happy ending if Gellert hadn't lost his most powerful patron, King Stephen, in 1038. As soon as he died, the pagans began their offensive. Many adherents of the Christian faith were brutally tortured and executed. Among them was Bishop Gellert. The pagans put him in a barrel that had nails in it and let it go down the mountain. The mountain from which the barrel was thrown is Mount Gellert.
Gellert (as well as King Stephen and his son) were canonized in 1083. Since then, for almost a millennium, the priest has been considered one of the patrons of Hungary, although he had nothing to do with this country for the first part of his life.
Saint Gellert lived in the 11th century, and the monument in his honor was erected only at the beginning of the 20th. He appeared in 1904 at the site of the death of the bishop. The sculptural composition is a full-length monument to the saint, who holds a crucifix in his hands. At the feet of the bishop, a figure bowed low. It symbolizes the entire Hungarian people who converted to Christianity.
But my route for the old and infirm : )) starts from the intersection of Hegyalja and Sanc streets (we got by bus to the Sanc stop) a fairly smooth climb, and we meet Pest at the unusual Buda monument.
Literally from the Hungarian language Buda-kirá ly é s Pest-kisasszony, the title translates as "King of Buda and Queen of Pest". The sculpture designed by the architect Lesenyei Má rta appeared here in 1982. It is noteworthy that the monument is installed on the lid leading to the reservoir, which is located under Mount Gellert. The monument is not very large and from afar you can not even notice it. The composition symbolizes the two sides of Budapest, which are separated by the Danube. In the past, Buda and Pest were two separate cities. Many, having seen the monument, believe that it is dedicated to the formation of Budapest. This is not so, because Budapest was formed by the merger of not two cities, but three - Buda, Obuda and Pest. This event took place in 1873. Buda and Pest stretch out their hands to each other, and behind it stretch, embodied in bronze, the cities of the same name. The monument as a whole and its individual details can be looked at for a long time. It also offers a great view of the Hungarian capital.
Next, we climb 200 meters up and go to the Garden of Philosophers. The Garden of the Philosophers is not really a garden, but a sculptural composition. It is a small platform on which eight bronze sculptures are installed. Five of them - Abraham, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Lao Tzu and Akhenaten - are placed on a round pedestal with a small ball (it represents the Earth) in the middle. Mohatma Gandhi, Daruma (we are talking about Bodhidharma) and Francis of Assisi stand nearby on a pedestal in the shape of an arc. The Philosophical Garden in Budapest appeared on the slope of Mount Gellert in 2001, it was created by the Hungarian sculptor Nandor Wagner.
Abraham is a character from the Bible, considered the ancestor of the entire Jewish people.
Lao Tzu was a Chinese philosopher who lived in the 6th-5th centuries BC. e. , the founder of Taoism.
Akhenaton is an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who carried out a large-scale religious reform and introduced the cult of the god Aton in the country.
Bodhidharma is a follower of Buddhism who preached in China in the 6th century, the founder of the Chan teaching.
Mohatma Gandhi is the most famous political and public figure of modern India, the author of the so-called philosophy of non-violence.
Francis of Assisi, the founder of the mendicant order of the Franciscans, who lived at the turn of the 12th-13th centuries, was canonized two years after his death.
An exciting activity - guess where someone is. . .
We go up the winding paths to the observation deck Panorama of the Danube:
A little more up and go to the Citadel:
In the 18th century, there was no Citadel on the mountain. The Hungarians grew grapes and dreamed of independence from the hated Habsburgs. And in the middle of the 19th century, such an attempt was made. Alas, it ended in failure and went down in history as the Hungarian uprising of 1849-1850. After the suppression of the uprisings, Vienna decides to build a fortress in Budapest, which, in the event of another uprising, should become the stronghold of the monarchy. The top of Mount Gellert was chosen as the location of the stronghold, from which (if necessary) it was possible to fire at both Buda and Pest. So one of the first attractions appeared here - the Citadel.
The fortress was built in four years, and immediately after the completion of construction, it was occupied by the Austrian garrison. True, the citadel served its original purpose for only 17 years. In 1867, after the establishment of a dualistic monarchy and the formation of Austria-Hungary, the need for it actually disappeared. The joyful inhabitants of Buda and Pest, after leaving the fortress by the Austrian garrison, almost destroyed it, but limited themselves to only the gate. The most impressive Citadel looks from above.
Photo from Wikipedia
Now the Citadel in Budapest is closed and you can only look at it from the outside.
Literally 50 meters from the walls of the Citadel, a huge monument rises, which is visible from many points in the city. The Statue of Liberty (do not confuse it with the symbol of New York : )) - appeared on the top of Mount Gellert in 1947. Initially, a bronze monument was erected in honor of the liberation of Hungary from the Nazis by the forces of the Soviet Red Army. In the center of the sculptural composition is a 14-meter bronze statue raising a palm leaf above its head. The 26-meter pedestal makes it so high.
There are two more sculptures next to the main statue, although there were originally four.
Two others moved to Memento Park in the 1990s. After the fall of the socialist regime in Hungary, the purpose of the monument on the top of Mount Gellert was changed. If initially it was said that the memorial appeared as a gratitude of the Hungarians to the soldiers of the Soviet army, now it is dedicated to all those who died for the independence and prosperity of Hungary.
Let's go down the mountain in the direction of the Gellert baths. On the way, it is worth stopping by the Cave Church.
Historical note: The Cave Church (Gellé rthegyi-Barlang ) is part of the network of caves in Mount Gellert. This cave is also referred to as "Saint John's Cave" (Szent Ivá n-barlang) after the hermit who lived there, who is believed to have used the natural thermal water from the muddy lake next to the cave to heal the sick. It is likely that this is the same water that fed the pools of the old Sá ros fü rd? ("Mud Baths"), now called the Gellert Baths. In the 19th century, a poor family lived in the cave and built a small house here from sun-dried bricks. The entrance to the cave was closed with a deck and was used as a peasant's yard. This can be seen in a painting by Mihaly Mayr (done sometime in the 1860s) and a photograph by Gyö rgy Klö s in 1877. The first modern entrance to the caves was built by monks in the 1920s. The monks were inspired by similar structures they saw during a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. The architect in charge was Kalman Lux, a professor at the Technical University of Budapest. After consecration in 1926, the church served as a chapel at the monastery until 1951. During the Second World War, a hospital was located here.
After the war, services were held in the church for another six years. But in 1951, the secret police of the Hungarian Republic (Á llamvé delmi Ható sá g) raided the chapel as part of the intensifying actions against the Catholic Church. As a result of the raid, the cave was sealed, the abbot of the monastery, Ferenc Weser, was sentenced to death, and the rest of the brothers were imprisoned for more than ten years.
When the Iron Curtain collapsed, the chapel reopened on August 27.1989. The thick concrete wall sealing the entrance to the cave was destroyed. By 1992 the chapel was restored. Today the monks hold services, although the cave is also a popular tourist destination. The walls of the cave are decorated with natural stone, and all the wooden details are carved by monks. The terrace in front of the entrance is proudly guarded by a statue of St. Stephen standing next to his horse.
Another bridge in Budapest - Liberty Bridge:
Historical note: Freedom Bridge (Szabadsag hid) - the original name was: Jozef Ferenc Bridge. Built in 1896 in honor of the 1000th anniversary of Hungary. Emperor Franz Joseph I personally drove in the last nail using a serious technical innovation: the august lady did not touch a single tool - he pressed a button, and thereby set in motion a 45-ton hammer at the Buda bridge support. This is how the last silver nail of the bridge was driven in. Then this nail disappeared, today its copy, no longer made of silver, is guarded by a glass barrier. After the war, the bridge was reconstructed, retaining all the elements of decoration: the totem bird, the royal coat of arms, etc. Authentic structures had to be raised from the bottom of the Danube.
Across the Liberty Bridge we return to Pest to Fö vam Square (Fvá m té r) and enjoy a walk through the Central Market (Kö zponti Vá sá rcsarnok). Previously, the area where the market is located was called Salt Square, because huge salt warehouses were located here. And to be even more precise, then the square then... was not! Next to the salt warehouses was a tobacco warehouse. When the building of the tobacco warehouse fell into disrepair, it was dismantled and the current area was cleared.
Today's name - "Customs Square" was given in honor of the imposing building of the central customs office, built in 1874 on the Pest side of the Danube (now it is one of the buildings of the University of Economics). Later, in 1896, the Franz Josef Bridge was built nearby, later renamed the Freedom Bridge (Szabadsá g hí d).
Architect Samuil Pecz (Pecz Samu) brilliantly solved complex architectural and engineering problems and managed to design not only the most modern building at that time from a technical point of view, but also one of the most beautiful. Construction began in 1894. However, in 1896, a few days before the grand opening, a fire destroyed about half of the roof, and the building had to be repaired.
After repairs, the market was opened in March 1897. During the Second World War, the building was again significantly damaged. The last renovation took place in 1994. In 1999, the building was awarded the most honorable architectural award - FIABCI Prix d'Excellence.
The royal crown and the state emblem on the facade of the building. The curved roof, finished with special tiles from the famous Zsolnay ceramic factory, seems to float above the huge (10.000 sq. m. ) market area.
From Fvá m té r Square we go by tram to the Haller ut stop, we pass between the houses in the direction of the Danube to the embankment to the National Theater of Hungary.
The National Theater is the largest and most important theater in Hungary. The majestic, elegant building of the National Theater was erected at the beginning of the 21st century, the approaches to it symbolize the spiral construction of the Mespotamian sacred tower.
The history of the National Theater begins in the 30s of the 19th century, when the Hungarian parliament decided to build a building in which the works of domestic and foreign playwrights would be performed. The building, erected at the crossroads of Rá kó czi and Antala Grassalkovicha streets (Rá kó czi and Antala Grassalkovicha streets), was inaugurated on August 22.1837. It was the residence of the National Theater until 1908, when, after a fire, the theater group was forced to move to another building of the XIX century , on Blaha Lujza street. In the second half of the XIX century. performances of local writers were staged at the National Theater: Michal Vö roshmart, Jó zef Katon, Imre Madach, as well as world-famous William Shakespeare or Moliè re.
Both buildings of the National Theater were completely destroyed (the building on Rakoci in 1913, and the building near Blaha Lujza in 1965), so in the second half of the 20th century the theater troupe was located in different places.
In the early 1980s, the concept of a new building appeared, but it had to wait another twenty years for its implementation. The new seat of the National Theater is a building built in 2001-2002 on Gyzi Park Street, designed by Má ria Sikló s.
Another moment and he will sail away along the waves of the Danube. . .
The new building has two theater halls - a large one for 600 people and a small one for 150 seats in total. At the top of the building there is an elegant, glass-enclosed terrace that offers a superb view of the right bank of the Danube, mainly Gellert Hill.
There is a beautiful garden around the Theater, with alleys with pergolas, ponds and monuments.
There is also a new "ziggurat" right above the bank of the Danube - a spiral building resembling a holy Mesopotamian tower. Inside it are exhibition halls. Near the "zaggurat" there is a labyrinth of specially cut hedges.
Let's take a last look at the beautiful Danube and head to the Dandar baths. And on the way we go to the Unicum Museum. Herbal bitters are considered one of the national drinks of Hungary. The museum is optional, but I recommend the shop at the museum : )) Museum website - https://zwackunicum. hu/
Dandar bath.
Official website - https://www. dandarfurdo. hu/
In the early 1900s, there were no bathtubs in the apartments of the surrounding apartment buildings, and one really wanted to bathe. Therefore, the local authorities decided to build a bathhouse in the area. Thus began the history of the Dandar Baths in 1921. Architect Kalman Maroti designed a bath for 15 baths for adults and the same number for children. The bath complex worked successfully, survived the Second World War and worked until 1971. It was closed for several years. Since 1978, a large-scale reconstruction of the complex into thermal baths has been undertaken. But water for them was transported in special tanks, first from the baths of Section, and later from the baths of Pascal. And only in 1987 a well was drilled with thermal water in the neighboring Kö zraktá r street with a water composition similar to the Gellert bath. In 2014 another reconstruction took place. In the courtyard, there are two swimming pools with different temperatures of 36 °C and 38 °C and various hydromassages that will give guests an unforgettable experience even in cold weather. Since spring, a quiet courtyard awaits those wishing to sunbathe. The basement was equipped with a sauna, a Roman sauna, a cold pool and a relaxation area.
P. S. In my life, Budapest was like a macho passing by. We didn't get along with him. The first day trip was absolutely unimpressive. Then, there were several meetings, while traveling by car to other cities. But this time, he held his gaze, spoke, and I fell in love with him. And now it's forever.
P. S. P. S. Thanks to everyone who had the patience to watch until the end credits : ))) I hope that my work will be useful to someone in getting to know Budapest.
At the thermal baths - plan a visit for at least 3 hours.
Have a nice trip!
