Budapest History-from the Romans to Present Days Reserve a Wine Tasting in Faust Wine Cellar by paying 10% in advance. Ruins on Margaret Island King Béla IV. had made an oath that if he succeeds in beating back the Mongols, he would offer his daughter, Princess Margaret (Margit in Hungarian) to the service of God. True to his oath, he built a church and convent on the Island of Rabbits (today’s Margaret Island). Margaret went to to live there at the age of 9 in 1251. The convent and church were demolished during the Turkish reign and by several floods. Ruins can be seen on Margaret Island (Margitsziget) which received its name after Princess Margaret. Gothic & Renaissance Budapest – King Matthias, 15th century At the beginning of the 14th century the House of Árpád died out. In the next centuries foreign-born kings and Hungarian kings were followed each other on the throne. King Charles Robert from the House of Anjou moved his court from Visegrád to Buda in 1347. His son, Louis the Great (Nagy Lajos) expanded the Castle.

As Buda became the king’s residence it started to develop at rapid pace. Aristocrats and burghers followed the king accelerating the flourishing. The town began to really flourish under the rule of King Sigismund. He built a magnificent Gothic Palace in Castle District. King Matthias developed Buda into a dazzling Renaissance Royal Residence that was renowned throughout Europe. The city was a cultural centre. Monuments from the Gothic & Renaissance Era Matthias Church – built during the reign of Hunyadi Mátyás (King Matthias) boasts some splendid gothic details. A royal chamber from the period of Anjou kings can be seen in the Budapest History Museum. Visegrád – Summer Palace – constructions started under Charles Robert and the palace was later extended by his son Louis the Great. Sigismund of Luxembourg added more courtyards and gardens. Where to See Remains of Budapest’s Medieval City Wall? After the end of the Ottoman rule the walls stood in the way of the city’s quick development so they were either pulled down or incorporated into buildings. Remains of the city wall still can be seen today at few spots. One is in Kecskeméti utca near Kálvin Square, in district V.

150-year Turkish Rule, 16th century Things were going well again, when another enemy appeared at the borders of Hungary. In the 15th century the Turks invaded the country and defeated the Hungarian army at the battle of Mohács in 1526. The Turks introduced paprika and numerous other vegetables to Hungarian cuisine. They brought coffee to Hungary too, that made Budapest Coffee Houses flourish in later centuries. Very few buildings remained from the Ottoman era because most of them were destroyed by the Habsburgs. They occupied Buda in 1541. Besides their raids the Turks contributed to Budapest history in many ways. They built fine bathhouses in the city. Several of them are still in use. See our page about Turkish Baths in Budapest. Besides the baths, there are a few tombstones with turbans on their top in Tabán in Buda. Churches that were converted into mosques were transformed back into their original functions. Distinctive Moslim mihrabs (niches oriented towards Mecca) survived the following centuries in the Inner City Parish Church (Belvárosi Plébánia Templom) in Pest near Elizabeth Bridge (Erzsébet híd).

Tomb of Gül Baba (Mecset utca 14., II. district), a Turkish dervish who died in 1541, is in North Buda (north of Margaeret Bridge) is another monument of this era. After the Turks came the Habsburgs – 17th-18th century A Christian army, led by the Holy Roman Emperor, liberated Buda and Pest in 1686. The two towns were completely destroyed in the siege. The Royal Palace on Castle Hill was in ruins. Only a few thousand people survived the fights inside the walls of Buda. The liberation from the Turkish rule did not bring freedom to Hungary after all. The country became a province of the Habsburg Empire. In the 18th century large-scale reconstruction works started both in Buda and Pest. Baroque dwelling houses and churches replaced the demolished buildings. You can still see most of these buildings today in Budapest Castle District. The Habsburgs built a new Baroque Palace as well. Pest also expanded fast with the development of Lipótváros that is part of current downtown Budapest .

Citadel – a fortress on the top of Gellért Hill , built by the Habsburgs after the 1848/49 War of Independence By the 19th century Buda and Pest had became the political and cultural centre of the country. In 1838 a flood destroyed much of Pest, but it also provided an opportunity to rebuild the city part in contemporary style. For the first time Pest began to outrank Buda in development. Mid-19th century is called Reform Era in Hungary’s history. Many important and grand buildings were established during these years. Despite the developments, Budapest still consisted of three separate parts, with no bridge across the Danube. The first permanent bridge, the Chain Bridge was built between 1839-49. The project was the idea of Count Széchenyi, one of the most outstanding figures of the Hungarian nation. Széchenyi facilitated the reunion of Buda, Pest and Óbuda in 1873. Golden Ages of Budapest History – 1873 – 1914 The Hungarian Parliament Building Suddenly Budapest started to flourish like never before.

A grandiose building project began to celebrate the Millennium (the thousand year anniversary of the settlement of the Magyars in Hungary) in 1896. Splendid buildings appeared in Budapest: – the imposing Budapest Parliament on the Pest bank of the Danube – Budapest’s largest church St Stephen’s Basilica – Millennium Monument on Heroes’ Square . The eclectic and art-nouveau buildings along Andrássy Avenue and Grand Boulevard are fine examples of the era’s great architecture too. Andrássy Avenue with the Millennium Monument on Heroes’ Square The first metro (M1, yellow metro line) in the European continent was built at that time too connecting Budapest City Park with the city centre. New roads, a triple ring of boulevards with avenues were constructed. Industry and commerce were also booming. Budapest Coffee Houses became the centre of cultural and social life. This era was definitely Budapest’s heyday. During the Two World Wars Somehow our nation stood on the wrong sides in both world wars. Although Hungary became indpendent from Austria after World War I, the Treaty of Trianon deprived the country of three-fifths of its land. Trianon is still a sensitive issue in everyday-life in Hungary.

Budapest and the country needed a few decades to recover from the war, but our nation needs a couple of centuries to get over Trianon forever. The consequences of the Treaty resulted in the outbreak of World War II, when Hungary backed the wrong horse again. Budapest was demolished in the siege in 1944-45. The Germans blown up all the Danube bridges. It took 30 years to rebuild the Hungarian capital. The 1956 Revolution Again the Soviet liberation did not mean freedom. The communist seized power with the support of the Red Army in 1949. In October-November 1956 people in Budapest rebelled against the communist dictatorship. Imre Nagy led the uprising. The Soviet troops crushed the revolution within days. Thousands died and even more fled the country to start a new life in the West. Nagy Imre and many of his supporters were executed. You can still see the bullet scars of the 1956 fights on several Budapest buildings today. Find out more on October 23rd 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

Budapest History 1956-1989 House of Terror Museum on Andrássy út – Exhibitions on the Terrors Committed by Nazis and Communists in Hungary János Kádár became leader of Hungary, and the Soviet government gave him the task to clean the political mess of 1956. Kádár obeyed and was loyal to the Soviet Union, however he started to loosen the reins in the 1960s. His “goulash communism” resulted in a degree of cultural and scientific freedom that was unknown in other Eastern European countries. Budapest experienced a cultural resurrection. As a result of Kádár’s economic reforms, small-business started to boom in the early 1980s, thus Hungary was more prepared for the free commerce than most other cities in Eastern Europe. The first cracks on the Iron Curtain appeared in Hungary in 1989. Budapest Today In 1990 the first free elections since 1945 took place. Hungary elected a radical conservative government. The last Soviet troops left the country in 1991.

Privatization started and Western investors helped to revive the country’s economy. The complete reorganization of the economy had a cost: high inflation and unemployment. Hungary joined NATO in 1998, and since May 2005 the country is member of the European Union. How have these events affected Budapest’s cityscape? All Communist Statues were removed, but instead of destroying them they are displayed in the Statue Park just outside Budapest . They are a reminder of grim times. Today Budapest is a fast-developing metropolis. New hotels, restaurants, cafés, shopping malls appear month by month. We know that lots of things need improvement, but there are large scale development plans to make the Hungarian capital a place where you’re happy to live and stroll around. We all hope that Budapest will be an even more shiny Pearl of the Danube than she is today. Buda vs. Pest: One city, two personalities - CNN.com Buda vs. Pest: One city, two personalities By John Malathronas, for CNN Updated 11:33 AM ET, Mon December 9, 2013 Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Photos: Pest vs Buda, or a tale of two cities One city, two views ... on everything – Buda and Pest may be within spitting distance of each other across the Danube, but they developed quite independently. Hilly Buda offers the best panoramas of the city: Pest is flat as a prairie. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Pest vs Buda, or a tale of two cities Café society – Pest's vitality shows in its elegant, talk-filled old cafés. In Buda you're more likely to find exclusive spas. Hide Caption Photos: Pest vs Buda, or a tale of two cities Spa scene – The Rudas Baths, in Buda, sometimes shows movies at night. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Pest vs Buda, or a tale of two cities Pest traditions – Pest has the open-air Széchenyi Baths, where you can still find old men playing chess, half-immersed in water. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Pest vs Buda, or a tale of two cities Peerless parliament – Pest also has the dazzling neo-Gothic Parliament building -- even people who hate politics love it.

Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Pest vs Buda, or a tale of two cities Kids' express – In the Buda hills you'll find the Children's Railway, staffed entirely by kids. (The adults still do the driving.) Hide Caption Photos: Pest vs Buda, or a tale of two cities Hip strip – Pest shows its bustle best in its top shopping strip, Váci utca. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Pest vs Buda, or a tale of two cities Arias and architecture – Pest also boasts the Opera House -- where the architecture is as astounding as the arias. Hide Caption Separated by the Danube, Pest and Buda became one city in 1873 Budapest was almost called "Pestbuda" Hilly Buda has great views; Pest is flat but buzzing Even the thermal spas on each side have a different vibe "Budapest" rolls off the tongue pretty easily, and the Hungarian capital itself feels as if it's been around for a long time. But Budapest is a relatively recent construct -- the result of an 1873 merger between two distinct cities: Buda on the western bank of the Danube and Pest on the bank opposite.

The result, Budapest, sounds so much more natural than other twin cities -- Minneapolis/St. Paul or Dallas/Fort Worth -- it's difficult to imagine that the alternative "Pestbuda" was floated seriously at the time. Although they've been populated for centuries, Pest and Buda have developed so separately that the first bridge spanning the Danube, the imposing Chain Bridge, wasn't built until 1849. Their distinctiveness continues to this day. View from the hills Hilly Buda has the better views. Built on a series of hills, Buda is the site of a grand Hapsburg palace and has a detached, imperial air of settled wealth. In contrast, populous Pest -- as flat as a prairie -- is busy, buzzing and bourgeois, with an assortment of bars, cafés and gourmet restaurants. Buda offers sweeping panoramas. Most visitors are content with the view across to Pest from the Fisherman's Bastion on Castle Hill and ignore the less accessible Gellért Hill just to the south.

More: 11 things to know before visiting Hungary Yet here the ramparts of the old Citadella fortress (Citadella sétány 1; +36 1 279-1963; free entry) provide equally stunning vistas over the Danube. It's in the hiking network of the Buda Hills, where city residents come to picnic and ramble through the woods. During weekdays, you can walk for hours without seeing another human being. Kids' railway At the Children's Railway, kids do everything but drive the trains. Hills hide the Children's Railway (Szechenyi-hegyi Gyermekvasut; +36 1 397 5394; $5.40 adult, $2.70 child; closed Monday) a narrow-gauge line operated entirely by 10-to-14 year olds as ticket sellers, announcers and conductors -- only the drivers are adults. The line runs for 45 minutes through 11 kilometers of forest landscape with seven stops in-between. Check mates at laid-back Széchenyi Baths. When night falls, Buda goes to sleep and Pest wakes up.

Whether you prefer the opulence of the Opera House, one of Europe's finest, or the conviviality of the city's legendary ruin pubs , you want to be on the Pest side of the river after dark. Read: Paprika -- Hungary's spicy obsession Pest has been a hotbed of Hungarian national pride to counter the Austrian Hapsburg court reigning from Castle Hill. Buda may have the palace, but Pest houses the Hungarian parliament (1-3 Kossuth tér; +36 1 441 4000; daily tours in English April-October, $7.80 EU citizens, $3.90 others), a dazzling neo-Gothic building whose superlative interior is more than a match for its exterior. Spa wars Pest is as practical and business-oriented as Buda is aloof and superior. Buda has thermal spas, such as the Gellért or Rudas Baths, built by the old ruling elites. Pest has an open-air people's pool: the neo-baroque Széchenyi Baths complex where you can still find old men playing chess, half immersed in the water.

(See Spasbudapest.com for complete spa information.) Pest's bustle is best reflected in its most well-known shopping artery: Váci utca. It suffered during the Communist era but the street has regained its ritzy reputation. More: 8 must-see Budapest buildings Fittingly, Buda has the Wolf's Meadow cemetery, where famous Hungarians such as classical composer Béla Bartók and conductor Georg Solti are buried in extravagant tombs. Pest, on the other hand, has the vitality and life force associated with the fiery Magyar temperament -- nowhere more evident than in the former city's culinary culture. Café cultured Café Gerbeaud: the desserts are just as pretty. In Vörösmarty square you can find one of Europe's monuments to confectionary brilliance: the café founded by Emil Gerbeaud ( Café Gerbeaud , 7-8 Vörösmarty tér, +36 1 429 9000) in 1885, complete with over-elaborate ceilings and chandeliers. Not far away, the renovated art nouveau decor of the Gerlóczy Café (Gerlóczy u.

1; +36 1 501 4000) gives traditional Hungarian dishes a modern makeover. Further out, at the edges of the seventh district, the fin-de-siècle elegance of New York Café (part of the Hotel Boscolo Budapest; 9-11 Erzsébet körút, +36 1 886 6167) has to be seen to be believed. Some tourists do just that -- constantly snapping diners from the gallery above. "Visit Buda but stay in Pest" is the advice every Budapest visitor is given. But in fact the once-separate cities have such distinct characters you should spend as much time exploring each. It's the only way to do them justice. Budapest | Define Budapest at Dictionary.com Budapest [boo-duh-pest, boo-duh-pest; Hungarian boo -do-pesht] /ˈbu dəˌpɛst, ˌbu dəˈpɛst; Hungarian ˈbʊ dɒˌpɛʃt/ Spell noun 1.

a city in and the capital of Hungary, in the central part, on the Danube River: formed 1873 from two cities on the W bank of the Danube (Buda and Obuda) and one on the E bank (Pest) Hungary a republic in central Europe. 35,926 sq. mi. (93,050 sq. km). Capital: Budapest. Hungary, hungry (see synonym study at hungry ) Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for Budapest Expand Contemporary Examples On the way to our honeymoon in France, he addressed the Council of Europe meeting in Budapest. ADL List Features Jews As Passive Objects Raphael Magarik December 13, 2012 This way he pulled scores from the death marches, and speeded them back to Budapest. Raoul Wallenberg’s World War II Heroism a Lesson for World Doing Nothing About Syria Kati Marton March 14, 2012 Historical Examples Budapest is no longer merely the name of a city; henceforth it is a new and shining symbol of man's yearning to be free. Commercial Geography Jacques W.

Redway And the Budapest police will explain to headquarters at Vienna if I do not return at once. British Dictionary definitions for Budapest Expand noun 1. the capital of Hungary, on the River Danube: formed in 1873 from the towns of Buda and Pest. Traditionally Buda, the old Magyar capital, was the administrative and Pest the trade centre: suffered severely in the Russian siege of 1945 and in the unsuccessful revolt against the Communist regime (1956). Pop: 1 719 342 (2003 est) Hungary noun 1.

a republic in central Europe: Magyars first unified under Saint Stephen, the first Hungarian king (1001–38); taken by the Hapsburgs from the Turks at the end of the 17th century; gained autonomy with the establishment of the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary (1867) and became a republic in 1918; passed under Communist control in 1949; a popular rising in 1956 was suppressed by Soviet troops; a multi-party democracy replaced Communism in 1989 after mass protests; joined the EU in 2004. It consists chiefly of the Middle Danube basin and plains. Official language: Hungarian. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: forint. Capital: Budapest Pop: 9 939 470 (2013 est). Area: 93 030 sq km (35 919 sq miles) Hungarian name Magyarország Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.

1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for Budapest Expand Hungarian capital, formed 1872 from merger of two cities on opposite shores of the Danube, Buda (probably from a word originally meaning "water") + Pest, a Hungarian word meaning "furnace, oven, cove," also in Slavic (cf. Russian pech'). Cf. Ofen, literally "oven," the old German name for the place. Hungary mid-15c., probably literally "land of the Huns," who ruled a vast territory from there under Attila in the Dark Ages; from Medieval Latin Hungaria, from Medieval Greek Oungroi, the name applied to the people whose name for themselves we transliterate as Magyars. Also related are French Hongrie, German Ungarn, Russian Vengriya, Ukr. Ugorshchina, but the Turkish name for the country, Macaristan, reflects the indigenous name.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper Expand Budapest [(booh-duh-pest, booh-duh-pesht)] Capital of Hungary and largest city in the country, located in north-central Hungary on both banks of the Danube River ; the industrial, cultural, and transportation center of Hungary. Hungary definition Republic in central Europe , bordered by the former Czechoslovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and south, Yugoslavia and Croatia to the south, and Slovenia and Austria to the west. Its capital and largest city is Budapest . Note: Hungary is a former Eastern Bloc country. Note: The Austro-Hungarian Empire, in which Austria and Hungary were equal partners, was established in 1867 and collapsed in World War I . Note: Soviet troops invaded Hungary in 1956 to put down a revolution against the communist government. Note: Hungary held multiparty free elections in October 1990, ending forty-two years of communist rule. In 1999, it joined NATO. The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Budapest History – History of Budapest, Hungary History History Traces have been found of settlements dating back as far as the Old Stone Age. People lived on both sides of the Danube, where Budapest now stands, in the second millennium BC Bronze Age urn sites have also been uncovered. In the 6th C. BC Scythians from the Black Sea region settled here, and there are signs of Celto-Illyrian tribes having been here in the 4th/3rd C BC. A decisive factor in the town's development was the building of a Roman fort in what is now Óbuda. The Roman base of Aquincum, separated into civilian and military districts, was the capital of the province ofz Pannonia and flourished during the second half of the 2nd C BC. In the 5th C A.D. the Huns swept across the country, and King Attila set up a great new kingdom in what is now Hungary. From the 6th to the 9th C the Avars settled where Budapest now stands.

About 896 the Magyars led by Prince Árpád settled in the area of present-day Óbuda. Later on they migrated to the hills further west to take advantage of the greater protection they offered. Around the year 1000 Stephen (István) I, King of Hungary, organized a feudal state on the Central European model and introduced Christianity. A few years later merchants from central and western Europe settled in Buda and Pest and helped both places to develop rapidly. In 1241-42 Mongols stormed the Danube towns of Buda and Pest. A few years later the construction of the Castle of Buda ordered by King Béla IV was completed. The royal court moved to Buda in 1347 again, when work was begun to expand the fortification into a palace in contemporary Gothic style. From then on Buda became a royal town, while Pest developed into a prosperous trading center. In the second half of the 15th C Matthias Corvinus extended the Royal Palace and Buda, together with Visegrád, became a center of Renaissance culture.

In 1526, after their victory at Mohács, the Turks took Buda and Pest. Under Sultan Süleyman I (the Magnificent) many churches were converted into mosques, fine bath-houses constructed and defensive works modernized. Buda became the seat of a Grand Vizier. It was 1686 before Charles of Lorraine was able to reconquest Óbuda, Buda and Pest for the House of Habsburg. Various measures taken during the reign of Empress Maria Theresa led to a further economic upsurge in Buda and Pest, largely brought about by an influx of German-speaking settlers. In 1777 Buda was made a university town but lost this title to Pest a few years later. The left bank of the Danube soon became the intellectual and political center of the country. In 1848-49 there was a civil revolution led by liberal nobles. The Chain Bridge was opened in 1849, with the aim of helping Óbuda, Buda and Pest to merge more quickly. In 1867 Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth ("Sissi") were crowned in Matthias Church.

The Austro-Hungarian monarchy of the Danube came into being. In the history of Budapest the year 1872 stands out as a milestone, for it was then that the three separate settlements of Pest, Buda and Óbuda (literally "Old" Buda) were united into one city with a population of more than 150,000. Budapest officially became the capital city of Hungary, and underwent rapid growth in size and eminence. This was the city's golden age, and coincided with the Hungarian millennial celebrations in 1896 when the continental Europe's first underground railroad was opened. At the outbreak of the First World War many well-known industrial firms established themselves in the Budapest region. As a result of the war Budapest suffered severe economic setbacks which continued in the years between the wars. Towards the end of the Second World War, in the autumn of 1944, Budapest became a front-line town and suffered severe damage, especially in the castle quarter where units of the German army were barricaded in. From February 13th 1945 onwards Soviet troops controlled the whole of Budapest and thereafter it was ruled along strict Soviet lines.

In the autumn of 1956 political turmoil and economic hardship fuelled popular uprisings which were savagely put down by Hungarian and Soviet forces of law and order. The inner city presented a picture of devastation. In the 1960s and 1970s much inner-city building and reconstruction took place, such as the opening to traffic of the Elisabeth Bridge, extension of the underground network, renovation of the old city center, especially the castle quarter, and the building of large luxury hotels both in the castle quarter and on the Pest bank of the Danube. What soon became known as "goulash communism" encouraged an upsurge in tourism, and visitors from both Eastern and WesternEurope as well as the US in particular visited the city in ever-increasing numbers. In 1989 the events of 1956 could be viewed in a fresh light, and on June 16th hundreds of thousands paid homage to the former prime minister Imre Nagy who had been disgraced and executed 31 years previously.

These political changes led to the Iron Curtain on the Hungaro-Austrian border being pulled down, and several thousand East Germans took advantage of the situation to flee to West Germany and other western countries. Budapest, now home to two million inhabitants, would appear countless times on any list of superlatives. The Continent's first underground railway was built here. From here originated more pioneering Hollywood film makers than from any other European city. Budapest was the home of such world class inventors as Kálmán Kandó, the father of electric railways, and János Irinyi, one of the early developers of matches. Hungary's two most celebrated composers - Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály - lived in Budapest, and Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian author Imre Kertész was born here.

Advertisement Adventures of a GoodMan - Photography, Storytelling and World Travel by Greg Goodman Greg Goodman, Photographic Storytelling A Journey Awaits View of the Parliament and the Margaret Bridge from up in the castle hill --- PHOTOGRAPHY BY Pedro Szekely -- Buda and Pest :: Two Cities in One The Hungarian capital Budapest is in fact two cities, Buda and Pest, divided by the river Danube. The two parts of the city could not be more different, as Aleix describes in this week’s guest post. Special thanks to Pedro Szekely for the amazing Budapest photography featured on this post. I plan to visit the country soon and can only hope to capture shots as elegant as these :) //////////////////////////// Budapest is one of the great cities in Europe , one which is an ideal destination if you want to go somewhere with plenty of history, beautiful architecture and, of course, the most beautiful river on the continent, the Danube.

View of the Parliament and the Margaret Bridge from up in the castle hill — PHOTOGRAPHY BY Pedro Szekely — Hungary also has the added factor that it’s a country that’s not very expensive, especially compared to those cities like London in Western Europe, and therefore if you’re travelling from the west, you won’t find it expensive, especially not the Budapest apartments that you can find as accommodation. Etymology of the City Name: Buda & Pest The Chain Bridge in Budapest — PHOTOGRAPHY BY Pedro Szekely — Budapest however has only been a city for a couple of hundred years, since the cities of Buda, Pest and Obuda united. Today, the city can clearly be distinguished into two: Buda and Pest, divided by the river Danube that splits the city into two. The origin of the name Buda comes from Bleda , the brother of Attila the Hun, who according to legend founded the city in the Middle Ages. However, there’s the other theory that Buda is in fact a word that derives from voda, which means water, and it would be a modern translation from the name of the Roman settlement where the city is today, Aquincum, with clear references to the Danube.

Pest also has many readings. Some say that it derives from Pession, which is what the settlement was known as back in Roman times. Others say that it derives from the Slavic word for cave, peshtera, due to the burning caves that used to be there. //////////////////////////// Budapest ::: One City = Two Despite the similarities in the different origins of the name, Buda and Pest are two clearly different parts of the city. Buda is the one on the left bank of the river Danube, the part of the city that proudly holds Buda Castle , one of the main attractions in Budapest. Since it’s on a hill, Buda has many narrow and winding roads that make it hard to circulate with a car, so going by foot up and down the hills is a much better option. Also, this means that it’s a much more beautiful view of the city, since it’s on a hill, and seeing the Danube, the bridges and the Parliament Building on the Pest side is something you won’t forget in a hurry. All the monuments are in Buda too: the palaces, the churches, the temples… and the architecture ranges from all times, from Gothic to Baroque and even modern art.

Meanwhile, in Pest Pest is the more modern part of the city, where there are no hills and getting around is easy on any kind of transport, whether it’s the metro, buses or cars. This is where you can find all the shops and the social life, where Budapest really comes alive and where you can enjoy a more modern experience as opposed to the more historical of Buda. The Hungarian parliament from the opposite shore of the Danube. Processed to enhance the lazy afternoon mood. — PHOTOGRAPHY BY Pedro Szekely — Pest also has some of the most interesting museums, such as the House of Terror or the Jewish Museum among others. Budapest is a really up and coming city, definitely something that is happening in Pest and not Buda. Heroes Square, the Parliament and the Szechenyi Baths are all here, which, Buda Castle aside, are considered the main landmarks in Budapest. For a city that has two names, that has two sides to it and that is so beautiful in such different ways, Budapest really should be considered up there with Rome and Paris in terms of beauty.

Whether you prefer the more photogenic Buda or the more modern Pest, rent apartments in Budapest and enjoy these two ‘cities’ for an experience that’s different to anything the West can offer. About the Author: Aleix Gwilliam is a 24 year old from Barcelona who looks English but thinks like a Catalan. He enjoys travelling, especially on old Czech trains, and trying to start conversations in Hungarian with people at Pecs station, even though his Hungarian is as good as his Bulgarian, in other words, not very good. He’s a trier. GO HERE NOW: Have you visited Pedro Szekely ‘s site yet? He’s the photographer behind the stunning images featured on this post. Also, Pedro has a great flickr page Leave a comment Budapest Budapest in Europe Budapest is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Hungary. With about 1.7 million inhabitants (January 2010), Budapest is the eighth largest city in the European Union. The unit was created in 1873 by the Budapest municipal amalgamation of previously independent cities of Buda (German oven) Obuda (Old Furnace) and plague. The name of Budapest itself appeared previously in not in the usual parlance was Pest-Buda.

budapest Budapest is located on the Danube, which at this point, the Hungarian Central Mountains and leaves in the Hungarian lowlands flows. The highest point in Budapest is on the Buda hills 527 meters high scoring János Hill (Hungarian Jánoshegy). More Buda mountains are Gellért Hill, the Castle Hill (Várhegy), the Rose Hill (Rózsadomb), the Sonnenberg (Naphegy), the Eagle Mountain (Sashegy), Martin Berg (Mártonhegy), the Schwabenberg (Svábhegy) and Váci utca. Geotectonically seen the city is on a break point, which is why most Buda is so rich in thermal springs. Below the number of inhabitants according to the respective territorial status are listed. Until 1860, there are usually estimates and 2001 Census results and 2006, an estimate of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office. The figures before 1873 relate to the three cities of Buda and Pest.

Their final merger took place on 17 November 1873, after the first merger on 24 June 1849 had been a short time later reversed. budapest wallpaper Budapest History Budapest History Tweet The Budapest you'll see today is the result of many years of rich history, with traces of inhabitation dating back as far as the second millennium BC. Hungarian tribes arrived at the end of the ninth century and the Hungarian Kingdom was established in 1000. The city as we know it today was formed through the joining of Buda, Pest and Old Buda, back in 1873. Follow the Budapest History time line below to see the many events leading up to the city's formation. Pre-Magyar Times: Archaeological finds indicate that the first settlement in the location of present-day Budapest was built by Celts. The Romans occupied this town in the first century BC. 1st century BC to 5th century AD – Western Hungary is part of the Roman Empire. Aquincum is founded and quickly becomes the largest town and one of the capitals of Pannonia.

5th century to 9th century – The Roman era ends in the 5th century and the age of Huns begins. Attila, King of the Huns, builds a city for himself here according to later chronicles. Following the Huns several tribes (Lombards, Avars and Slavs) pass through Hungary until the arrival of Magyars. Arrival of the Magyars: The Hungarian tribes arrived to the Carpathian Basin in 896. Árpád, leader of the Magyars, settled on Csepel sziget, an island in the southern part of Budapest. Medieval Budapest: 1000 – St. Stephen is crowned; he becomes the first king of Hungary. Hungary converts to Christianity and becomes an independent kingdom. 1046 – Bishop Gellért dies at the hands of pagans on present-day Gellért Hill in the fight against Christianity. 12th century – The development of Buda and Pest starts thanks to the French, Walloon and German settlers who migrate here and work and trade along the banks of the Danube. 1241-42 – The Mongolian invasion destroys both cities.

1248 – King Béla IV builds the first royal castle on Castle Hill in Buda and city walls surround Pest. 14th century – The Angevin kings from France established Buda as a royal seat, building probably the largest Gothic palace. Renaissance Budapest: 1458 – The noblemen of Hungary elect Matthias Corvinus as king. Under his reign, Buda becomes a main hub of European Renaissance. It is truly an age of prosperity. He dies in 1490, after capturing Vienna in 1485. Turkish Budapest: 1541 – The beginning of the Turkish occupation. Multiple mosques and baths are built in Buda; churches (such as Matthias Church ) are converted. The Turkish occupation lasted almost 150 years. Habsburg Influence: 1686 – Buda and Pest are re-conquered from the Turks with Habsburg leadership. The Habsburg rule begins. Both towns are destroyed completely in the battles. 1773 – Election of the first Mayor of Pest. 1777 – Maria Theresa of Austria moves the first University to Castle Hill.

1783 – Joseph II places the acting government to the city of Buda. 1825 – Pest becomes the cultural and economic centre of the country. The first National Theatre is built, along with the Hungarian National Museum and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge (Lánchíd). 1838 – The year of the biggest flood in recent memory. The entire Pest side is under water. 1848-49 – Revolution and War of Independence. Pest replaces Bratislava as the new capital of Hungary and it becomes the seat of the first prime minister, its government and the Parliament. 1849 – The Austrians occupy the city and the Habsburg army captures the two towns. Lajos Batthyány, the first Hungarian Prime Minister is executed on the present-day Szabadság tér . 1867 – The Austro-Hungarian Compromise, beginning of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, followed by unprecedented civic development, resulting in the style of present day Budapest. 1873 – The former cities Pest, Buda and Óbuda are united, and with that the Hungarian capital is established with the name of Budapest.

1896 – Year of the Millennium, celebrations are held all over the city. The Millennium Underground is inaugurated, and the Franz Josef Bridge (today's Liberty Bridge) is opened. 1910 – According to census the population of Budapest is 880,000 1918 – World War I ends the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the development of Budapest is slowed down by political upheavals. Budapest in the 20th Century: 1918-19 – Revolution in Budapest and the 133 days of the Hungarian Soviet Republic. This was the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia. 1919-44 – Status quo was restored by a charismatic leader in the person of Admiral Horthy a self-appointed regent for the exiled King Karl IV. Hungary was a kingdom without a king. 1920 – The Trianon Treaty re-sized Hungary. Three-fifth of the country was assigned to surrounding successor states. 1924 – the Hungarian National Bank is founded. 1941 – Entry into World War II as an ally of Germany.

1944 – Budapest is occupied by the Germans. At the time of the occupation, there were around 200,000 Jews in the city . Fewer than half of them survived the following 11 months. Dec. 1944 - Feb. 1945 – Soviet and Romanian troops besiege Budapest. The retreating Germans destroy all Danube bridges. The Buda castle falls. World War II took the lives of close to 200,000 Budapest residents and caused widespread damage to the buildings in the city. 1945-48 – Hungary is declared a republic, practicing a multi party parliamentary democracy. 1948 – A Soviet friendly Communist government takes over and Hungary is declared a People's Republic. Oct. 1956 – The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 breaks out, ending in the invasion of a large Soviet force, killing civilians and damaging buildings in Budapest (traces of the gunfire can still be seen on the façades of several buildings). 1956-58 – Revenge and forceful restoration of Soviet power.

1960s – Conditions normalize; reforms create a so called 'Goulash Communism' in Hungary , a Communism with elements of free market and improved human rights. Wartime damages are largely repaired; the Elizabeth Bridge is finished in 1965. 1970-72 – Construction of the East-Western Subway line (M2) begins. 1982 – Construction of the North-Southern Subway line (M3) begins. 1987 – Buda Castle Hill and the banks of the Danube are added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites . 1989-1990 – The 'changes', transition to free elections and a democratic government. Hungary's changeover to a Western-style democracy was one of the smoothest among the former Soviet bloc. 1990 – According to census the city is home to 2,000,000 residents. Present day Budapest: 2002 – Andrássy Avenue is added to the World Heritage Sites, along with the Millennium Underground Railway , Heroes' Square and City Park . 2002 – Inauguration of the new National Theatre . 2004 – Hungary joins the European Union.

2008 – According census, Budapest is home to 1,700,000 residents. 2010 – Inauguration of Budapest’s ‘Mainstreet’ (a Belváros Főutcája), a project that re-shapes a 1.7-km stretch of downtown Pest from Kálvin tér to Szabadság tér. 2011 – Margaret Bridge reopens after extensive renovations. Present – Construction of the fourth subway line ( M4 ) is underway. Finally, if you like infographics, you can find out some quirky facts about Hungary, our language, history and more here: Let’s talk a bit about Hungary Budapest, Hungary Budapest World Facts Index > Hungary > Budapest Undoubtedly the brightest jewel on the Danube, present-day Budapest was created in 1873 from the separate towns of Buda, Pest and Obuda. Its population of two million resides in twenty-eight districts - the central ones will be covered here. The definitive view of Budapest is that of Castle Hill and the first district. It's hard to imagine that the palace and entire hill with its medieval and baroque residences were utterly flattened during World War II.

More baroque splendour extends along Fo utca and flanks Batthyany ter, site of the most spectacular Buda-side view of Pest and the Parliament. The adjacent Gellert Hill and the mammoth Freedom Statue form part of the profile of the first district. The hills drop abruptly into the river and define the city's geography, an utterly flat Pest sits on the opposite bank and the majestic Danube flows between them. The city center (Belvaros) is Pest's District V, embracing the area within the Kiskorut ('little boulevard'). With the awe-inspiring brick and tiled hulk of the Vasarcsarnok (main market hall) at one end, its spine is the affluent retail hub that is the Vaci utca. The city's administrative flank, the Lipotvaros section, extends between Bajcsy-Zsilinsky and the Danube. It includes the parliament building and the many ministries that make up the country's adminstration. Less institutionalized corruption has ensured that the array of shops and restaurants in this district is ever-changing: here today, gone tomorrow. District VI is the city's mainstream cultural wedge and features Andrassy ut, Budapest's most beautiful boulevard.

Budapest's very own 'Broadway' crosses it at Nagymezo utca and the Opera House and Liszt Academy are also comfortably ensconced here among the hundreds of eclectic buildings. Franz Liszt ter has become the city's social hot spot, particularly during the summer when the hip hold court at the half a dozen outdoor bars and cafés that spill out onto the pavement. District VII is Budapest's historic Jewish Quarter, containing several synagogues, Kosher bakeries e.g. Frolich Koser Cukraszda, restaurants and hotels. One recurring architectural theme is the presence of long, interconnnected courtyards that link two parallel streets, out of practical and strategic necessity. The most incredible example of this is the haunting, vacant Gozsdu udvar. The sixth undoubtedly has the best 'neighborhood' feel of all the districts within the Nagykorut. The eighth could also be known as the 'District of Ill Repute'. Rakoczi ter has long since entered the lexicon as more than just a place name, but other areas have outshone it in its brand of commerce.

There have been many attempts to establish Red Light Districts for legal prostitution here in Jozsefvaros, and just as many attempts to discourage them. However, visitors won't run into any brazen tawdriness unless they venture outside the Nagykorut. District IX, Ferencvaros, is similar in character to the working-class if not downright impoverished eighth, except that it is now an 'up-and-coming' area. Trendy bars and cafés are springing up on Raday utca and in the section bounded by the Nagykorut. Gentrification will continue due to the potential for development alongside the Danube. Let's pop across the river again. Obuda ('Old Buda') makes up District III. It was the site of the Roman encampment Aquincum, the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire in continental Europe. Consequently, many amphitheatres and artefacts have been unearthed here. However, many of Budapest's oldest and most beautiful dwellings were razed during the Communist period in order to make way for the huge apartment blocks just off Arpad bridge. Practically all that remains is a small collection of (restored) buildings around Fo ter.

District II, the Rozsadomb, or 'Rose Hill', is where Budapest's elite live. Dotted thickly with old villas and embassy residences, it got its name from the Turk - Gul Baba - whose tomb is reached via a cobblestone lane. District XII is the gateway to the Buda hills and serenity, a mere few minutes from Mozskva ter. Buda's tallest hill, Janoshegy, presides over this area, and there are many spectacular views to be had from here, including from the chair-lift, Children's Railway and the cog-wheel railway. The latter two also service Szechenyi Hill. District XI is where the bourgeois of Buda lived before they took to the hills, but the area remains quite affluent. It curves around Gellert Hill and extends to the border of Budapest itself. Most of the activity in this district centers around Moricz Zsigmond korter and the Technical University, which fronts a huge stretch of the Danube between Szabadsag and Lagymanyosi bridges. It is home to the emergent bastion of Hungarian musical culture - Fono.

History of Budapest Budapest is often called the 'Pearl of the Danube', and it truly is a stunningly beautiful place. Geography, history and human creativity have all combined to create a city that simultaneously charms, amazes and fascinates. Budapest is full of diversity, and so is its history. The Romans settled here in the first century A.D. and despite the fact that they remained only a few hundred years, their influence can still be felt: they found the sun-drenched gentle slopes perfect for grape vines, and began what is now a huge viticulture industry. They also introduced modern architectural techniques (columns, stone, plaster, arches and so on), the remains of which can be viewed to this day. The Romans, famous for their love of baths, also made use of the abundant thermal springs that lie under the city: they created the very first public baths, a now world-famous feature of Budapest. During Roman times, Budapest was known as Aquincum Some five hundred years later, in 896, a wave of brave and fiery people came sweeping into the Carpathian basin. These were the Magyars, the founders of the Hungarian nation.

They established various settlements, but Buda and Pest were no more than tiny villages. King Bela built a fortress in Buda in the thirteenth century, and then King Charles Robert moved the court from Visegrad to Buda where his son (Louis the Great) began construction of the now famous Royal Palace. The city began to flourish when suddenly the Mongols invaded (241-1242) and defeated the Magyars. Buda and Pest were reduced to ashes. However, just as quickly the attackers mysteriously vanished, allowing both the city and the country to regroup and rebuild. Things seemed to be going well and the settlement was on the road to recovery, when the Turks, under the leadership of Suleyman the First, inflicted a crushing and total defeat on the Hungarian army at the battle of Mohacs in August 29, 1526. By 1541 the Turks had full control of Buda and its huge castle. The Turks, another people with a love of thermal baths, constructed some of the finest bathing facilities in the world here. Several of them are still in use and have brought healing relief to thousands.

Also credited to the Turks is the introduction of paprika (although this is a bone of contention to many), and in the famous book Eclipse of the Crescent Moon, the author Geza Gardonyi suggests that the Turks were also responsible for another Budapest speciality: coffee. In the city the Rozsadomb area is covered in roses - a flower imported by the invaders. It was the Poles who came to Budapest's rescue: in 1686 they liberated both Buda and the castle itself, sending the Turks into a full-scale retreat. Nevertheless, this did not bring about a free Hungary - instead, the nation became a province of the Hapsburg Empire. Still, Budapest continued to grow, despite the many political and military upheavals. While it was denied its place as capital of a free nation, it was not denied prosperity. Surprisingly, the city was still not known as Budapest. In fact there was not even a bridge across the Danube. In 1849, the Chain Bridge was opened, causing quite a stir. Not long after, in 1873, the city was finally united to encompass the formerly separate and independent Buda, Pest, Margaret Island and Obuda.

All of a sudden the city began to prosper like never before. As the year 1896 approached (the thousand year anniversary of the arrival of the Magyars), a building program was launched on a massive scale. It was during this boom that many of the fine buildings which are still famous today were constructed. The metro (the first on the continent) was completed and Andrassy Ut (Andrassy Street) was created above it. Fine architecture became one of the city's trademarks. The First World War saw Budapest emerge as the capital of a country only one third of its pre-war size. The Second World War brought about large-scale destruction: by the end of fighting and the Soviet 'liberation', not a single bridge was left standing across the Danube, the Royal Palace lay in ruins and the Castle District was devastated. The next big event in Budapest's history was the 1956 uprising. On October 23, a peaceful protest became violent after shots were fired. Thousands of people took to the streets, a new leader (Imre Nagy) was appointed, Stalin's statue was pulled down and the people were ecstatic.

However, the Soviets would not tolerate this for long: they sent in troops and tanks, crushing the revolution and killing some 2000-3000 people. Many thousands more were arrested and the famous Hungarian brain-drain began with some 250,000 (mostly well-educated) people leaving the country to settle in the West. Many buildings around town still have pockmarked facades: these are the scars of 1956 and they are a telling reminder of those grim times. 1989 was a true headline year for Budapest and Hungary. Troops began dismantling the fence separating the nation from Austria, while Gorbachev watched silently from Moscow. In Budapest a statue of Lenin was removed, and in June a crowd of a quarter million people attended a ceremony at Heroes' Square for the reburial of Imre Nagy. By 1991, there were no more Soviet troops in Hungary and only seven years later the country became a member of NATO. Today, Budapest is quickly reclaiming its rightful place as one of Europe's most beautiful and scenic cities. The Pearl of the Danube is once again on full display.

Walk around Rákos árok Street – where did the Weisz family live? – Research News Barbara Kiss Harry Houdini The roots of the Weisz family can be traced to Zala County in Western Hungary. Houdini’s father, Samuel Weisz, claimed that he was born in Nagykanizsa. At a date which is not known, he moved to Pest, where he married his second wife, Cecila Steiner, in 1863. Let us pause to explain an important detail here. The city now known as Budapest did not exist before 1873. The geographic locations of Pest, Buda and Old-Buda were united in 1873 to form the metropolis known as Budapest. Therefore, while Houdini was indeed born in Budapest, it is not historically correct to refer to the city of Budapest in connection with his father’s early life. The Rákos árok (today Csengery) Street is in the 7th district of Budapest. The 7th district itself was founded in 1873 when the area known as Terézváros, which was deemed too large, was divided into two parts.

One part retained the name of Terézváros and was designated the 6th district. The other part became the 7th district. In 1882, the 7th district was named Elisabeth-town after Elizabeth (Sissy), the wife of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary. Districts of Budapest shown by maps in 1873 The 7th district, where the Weisz family lived, was then and continues to be both the smallest and one of the most densely populated districts of Budapest. The population of the district was 44,000 in 1870 and had reached 150,000 by 1914. Since the beginning of the 19th century this district has been the center of the Orthodox Jewish community. And now we present some old photographs of places in the 7th district that could have been a part of the everyday lives of the Weisz family and little Erik. One of our personal favorites is the following photograph by early photographer György Klösz, showing Almássy Square. Csengery Street 1 is the corner house shown at the center of the photograph.

Almássy square, ca 1894. Fortepan / Budapest Főváros Levéltára. Record number: HU.BFL.XV.19.d.1.07.042 It would be easy to assume that this is the building where Erik Weisz was born in 1874. However, as our last post indicated, this building did not exist on Budapest city maps of 1874, nor on those of 1882! By zooming on the photo you can read the name „Hruska János”. According to the Budapest city directory of 1894, Mr. Hruska had a grocery store at Csengery Street 1. We conclude therefore that this building was likely built sometime in the early 1890s. Almássy Square itself, which Rákos árok (today Csengery) Street runs through, may have looked in this photograph very much the way it did in the mid-1870s. It is easy to imagine little Erik playing with his friends the same way that the children do in the Klösz photograph.

The following photograph shows one of the most important streets in the 7th district: Dohány Street. This photograph was taken sometime around 1870. Dohány street 9. Dohány Street runs nearly the full length of the 7th district. The corner building on the center of the photograph is Dohány Street 9 (Síp Street 1). This building – due to its essential location – housed various department stores for decades. Today one of the largest bookshops in Budapest is located on this corner. If you look carefully at the photograph, you can see that wagons are still running on the left side of the road! As we mentioned earlier, the 7th district was historically the center of Orthodox Jewish religious life. An iconic building of the Hungarian Jewish community, the Dohány Street Synagogue, can be found on Dohány Street. Also known as The Great Synagogue or Tabakgasse Synagogue, it is the largest synagogue in Europe and one of the largest in the world, with a capacity of 3,000 people.

The synagogue was built between 1854 and 1859 in the Moorish Revival style, with the decoration based chiefly on Islamic models from North Africa and medieval Spain (the Alhambra). Ludwig Förster of Vienna was the architect. The consecration of the synagogue took place on 6 September 1859. Dohány Street Synagogue, 1890 The synagogue symbolizes the Hungarian Jewish community and its religious life. The last photograph in today’s post is a rarity. It shows István tér, which is Klauzál tér today. Market on István Square, ca. 1891. Fortepan / Budapest Főváros Levéltára.

Record number: HU.BFL.XV.19.d.1.07.063 Please zoom in on the right side of the photograph where you will read the following sign: „16 Frank Frigyes 16” If you happened to read our previous post entitled „Who was Miksa Dick?” then you already know that Houdini’s „godfather”, Miksa Dick, the witness present at Erik Weisz’s circumcision – lived at this exact address: István Square 16. We can be sure that the Weisz family frequently passed this square where weekend markets were held. One of Budapest’s biggest marketplaces can still be found here today! Our next walk will lead you to the bigger neighborhood – the 6th district! B.K. Pest | Define Pest at Dictionary.com pest an annoying or troublesome person, animal, or thing; nuisance. 2. an insect or other small animal that harms or destroys garden plants, trees, etc. 3. a deadly epidemic disease, especially a plague; pestilence. Origin of pest de-pest, verb (used with object) Synonyms 1. annoyance. 3. pandemic, scourge, epidemic.

Pest [pest; Hungarian pesht] /pɛst; Hungarian pɛʃt/ Spell [boo-duh-pest, boo-duh-pest; Hungarian boo -do-pesht] /ˈbu dəˌpɛst, ˌbu dəˈpɛst; Hungarian ˈbʊ dɒˌpɛʃt/ Spell noun 1. a city in and the capital of Hungary, in the central part, on the Danube River: formed 1873 from two cities on the W bank of the Danube (Buda and Obuda) and one on the E bank (Pest) Dictionary.com Unabridged Examples from the Web for pest Expand Contemporary Examples An exterminator, Dill took a job in Iraq for a company contracted to do pest control on military bases. New Words Added to Merriam-Webster Dictionary: ‘Man Cave,’ ‘Sexting,’ and More Kory L. Stamper August 13, 2012 Historical Examples What Richard had just been reading with so much incredulity in the newspapers from pest, he now saw to be true.

Arthur Mervyn Charles Brockden Brown The withering of the leaves when the corn is young, shows the presence of this pest. Our Common Insects Alpheus Spring Packard British Dictionary definitions for pest Expand noun 1. a person or thing that annoys, esp by imposing itself when it is not wanted; nuisance 2. any organism that damages crops, injures or irritates livestock or man, or reduces the fertility of land (as modifier): pest control (rare) an epidemic disease or pestilence Word Origin C16: from Latin pestis plague, of obscure origin Budapest noun 1. the capital of Hungary, on the River Danube: formed in 1873 from the towns of Buda and Pest. Traditionally Buda, the old Magyar capital, was the administrative and Pest the trade centre: suffered severely in the Russian siege of 1945 and in the unsuccessful revolt against the Communist regime (1956). Pop: 1 719 342 (2003 est) Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.

1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for pest Expand n. 1550s (in imprecations, "a pest upon ____," etc.), "plague, pestilence," from Middle French peste (1530s), from Latin pestis "deadly contagious disease; a curse, bane," of uncertain origin. Meaning "noxious or troublesome person or thing" first recorded c.1600. Budapest Hungarian capital, formed 1872 from merger of two cities on opposite shores of the Danube, Buda (probably from a word originally meaning "water") + Pest, a Hungarian word meaning "furnace, oven, cove," also in Slavic (cf. Russian pech'). Cf. Ofen, literally "oven," the old German name for the place. Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Question: What city did Pest merge with in 1873?
Answer: Buda