Budapest Bridges

Bridges that unite Buda with Pest:

The Chain Bridge

The first permanent bridge over the Danube River. Count Istvan Szechenyi was forced to wait a week to be able to cross the River to be able to bury his father. When it was decided the construction of a permanent bridge over the River, architect William Clark oversaw the construction. The bridge was completed in 1849. Now it is a magnificent symbol of the city, lit during the night. In 1999, a grand ceremony marked 150 years since the construction of the bridge and then new reflectors were installed.

Elizabeth Bridge

The bridge carries the name of Queen Elizabeth, the beloved of the people. Originally built in Eclectic style, the bridge was destroyed so much by the German troops in 1945 that the rebuilding was out of the question. A new bridge was rebuilt later in its place trying to emulate the original.

Liberty Bridge

The bridge was built in 1896 as part of a series of monuments, built on the occasion of commemorating the 1,000 years of the arrival of the Hungarians in the Carpathian basin. The third bridge over the River, it was originally named after Francis Joseph: the King himself personally assisted when the last bridge post was put in place. Helpless in the face of destiny, the bridge was also destroyed during the war, but was later rebuilt.

Margaret Bridge

The second permanent bridge of Budapest, it was built between 1872 and 1876. It was based on the plans of a French architect. The bridge is supported in the middle by a pillar located on Margaret Island, the only section of the bridge that has been preserved from the original structure.

Margaret Island

The green patch of Budapest is called Margaret Island, located in the middle of the Danube between Margaret Bridge and the Arpad Bridge. Originally there were three islands, but the tides of the river joined them into an island of only 2, 5 km in length. The island has been inhabited since the Roman period. In the middle ages the monks have preferred it for the silence here and the Kings used it as an ideal hunting place. The island took the name Margret (Margaret), after the daughter of King Bela IV (Adalbert), who gave up the world and joined the monastery of nuns on the island after he survived the invasion by Tartars in the 13th-century. The Ottoman occupation from the 15th century put an end to the flourishing period through which the island was going through. After centuries of decline, the island was reborn in the 19th century when it became a park and recreation area, open to the public. Building the Margaret Bridge made it possible for those riding horses to come to the island.

Now here you can take walks or bike rides along the healthy island. It is also preferred by those who are running in the morning. Tourists can admire the Japanese, English and French gardens, which alternate with the ruins of the ancient monastery of nuns, and admire the old water tower. Here is also the largest pool discovered in Budapest-Palatinus, and a theater.

In the North of the island lies the hotel Margaret Island, surrounded by the modern Thermal Baths with the same name.