St. Stephen's Basilica

1. St. Stephen's Basilica,  Budapest - Lipótváros,  Hungary.

2. The Roman Catholic basilica.

3.  St. Stephen's Basilica  was built between 1851 and 1905. It was completed by József Kauser, according to the plans of Miklós Ybl.

4. The architectural style is Neo-Classical. The facade is anchored by two large bell towers.  In the southern tower is Hungary's biggest bell, weighing over 9 tones.

5.  Now here is a place for praying. Also Stephen Basilica has played an active role in the musical community since its consecration in 1905. The head organists of the church have always been very highly regarded musicians. In the past century the Basilica has been home to choral music, classical music as well as contemporary musical performances.

6. This is a standard European Cathedral, but it looks very impressive and majestically.

7. It is a gorgeous church.  Beautiful sculptures and amazing art works. Walking in this basilica looking at the beautiful interior, I had a feeling of getting in touch with all the people who have been here before me.

                                                                  Saulius Brazauskas

Almond Budapest

    Citadel (Citadella) is a fortress. When you get on the top of it you can see 8 bridges over the river Dunabe and a stunning panoramic view.
    There stands the Liberty Statue on the Gellert Hill. It was erected in 1947 to remind of Soviet Occupants of World War II. The monument is 40 metres tall and the statue is made of bronze. It holds a palm leave in her hands.
    I fell in love with the view from the hill at night – these glowing bridges took my breath away. 

    Marzipan Museum in Budapest is a MUST for you to see. Come and see celebrities from all over the world and heroes from fairytales. 

    Would you like to take a photo of a sweet Michael Jackson or Princess Diana? You don’t need to rush to Madame Tusseuds. Everything can be found in here from Mickey Mouse to a dining table, from statue to the Parliament House.

    You would never believe what they can make from almond and sugar!

Donata Telišauskaitė

Lithuania 

The Liberty Bridge

1-2. The Liberty Bridge

The Szabadság híd or Liberty Bridge (sometimes Freedom Bridge) in Budapest, connects Buda and Pest across the River Danube where the greatest coverd market of the city and the hotel Géllert are.

3. It was inaugurated in 1896, in the occasion  of the Millennium of Hungary. Originally the bridge was devoted to the Emperor Franz Joseph. It was also rebuilt in 1946.

4-5. It is made up of an elegant iron stucture in Art Nouveau style. It is considered one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. At the two extremities of the bridge two big portals are found and on the towers are portrayed the Turuls (Hungarian mythological falcon-like birds).

It is 333.6 m long and 20.1 m wide.

6-7. Besides the Liberty Bridge in Budapest there are other six bridges. Every bridge is different from the others. I was struck by the appearence of the bridge at night. It comes completely illuminated and in this way it creates a suggestive atmosphere and a wonderful view.

Carlotta Zagaria

Danube

1. Danube river, Budapest, Hungary

2-3. Danube is a big river which flows from west to east. It is 2850km long and flows through 10 fifferent countries and 4 capitals(including Budapest) and ends in Romania where it flows in to the Black sea. It separates Budapest in two parts: Buda and Pest.

4-5. Together with the bridges Danube dominates the view of Budapest and makes the look of the city very beautiful and unik.

6-7. I knew Danube before I went to Budapest. I liked alot the the fantastic view of Danube and its bridges. Especially at the night view of the river was amazing.

//Aleksi Tiuraniemi

Margaret Island (Budapest)

1-3. The Margaret island is a 2,5km long and 500m wide island in the middle of Danube in central Budapest. Since the 1980s, entry by cars has been limited; only service traffic and a single bus line and taxis are allowed.

4. Margaret island is a beautiful island. It is mostly covered with landscape parks and sports fields.

5. It is a popular recreational area. There are a lot of people jogging or just walking on the island. There is a 5350 meters long, rubber-coated jogging track around the island, marked at 500 meter intervals. There are also many sports fields where people can play tennis, football, swim etc. There were also many restaurants and ice cream stalls.

6-7. It felt like a nice place to do sports or eat. It were completely new to me and very attractive place.

//Aleksi Tiuraniemi

Visegrád Castle

1.-3. Visegrád is a small castle town in Pest Country, Hungary. Visegrád Castle located on top of the mountain. Visegrád Castle has been mentioned in books already in 1009. The fortless consist of Upper Castle and Lower Castle wich are connected with stonewall.

4.-7. Visegrád Castle is a very beautiful place to visit. You can feel the Castle's history all around you. The Visegrád Castle's walls are sturdy, builded by rocks. Visegrád is a great place to visit if you want to know more about Hungary's history. This visit to Visegrád was my first one, but definitely not the last one. The place with it's beautiful views made such a huge impress to me.

 

Noora Kalliokoski

Mammut mall (Budapest)

1. Shopping center Mammut in Budapest.

2.-3. Opened its gates in 1998. A new wing of the shopping and entertainment center, was opened to the general public in 2001. a total area of 103 thousand square meters and containing more than 330 shops on an area of almost 58,000 square meters, receives 35-40 thousand visitors daily.

4. Very modern building, with a lot of glass detailing and mammut statues outside the construction.

5. People go there to do their shopping, quickly attent to do their affairs and to relax and have a good time.

6.-7. It was new to me and I found it very big and it was a beautiful place. I felt excited when I entered it.

//Ella Barkar

The night view of Citadella

1-2 The night view of Citadella, on the Gellert mount, in Buda side

3-It’s a fantastic view of Budapest

4-5 I was impressed by the view when some guys brought me there!!

6-7 I really liked the view of the city, of the river and of the bridges. All the photos that I took will be very important for me: they will remind me of that place forever!!

7- When the guys brought me there and I was watching the city I thought that the view is the most beautiful that I ever saw.

   Noemi Maurici

The statue of Saint Gellert

1-2. The statue of Saint Gellert, the 11th century bishop who tried to convert the Magyars to Christianity, stands on the northeast slope of Gellert hill, and was erected in 1904. The author is a sculptor called Gyula Jankovits.

3. This suggestive statue is framed by a neoclassical semi-circular colonnade. The twelve meter tall (39ft) statue shows Gellért victoriously holding aloft a crucifix. At his feet a wild-looking Magyar looks up towards the bishop as if standing in awe. Below the sculpture sits a pretty man-made waterfall.

4-5. I just liked the statue as I passed while I was on a  cruise on the Danube

6-7. I can see that I was very impressed by all the monuments of the city, particularly by the ones which represent the most famous figures of the Hungarian History.

Elisa Casagrande

Liberty Statue

1.-2. Liberty statue is a monument on the Gellért Hill. This statue honours those who dedicated their lives for the independence of Hungary.
3.-4. Liberty statue was first erected in 1947 in remembrance of the Soviet occupation of Hungary during World War II which ended the occupation by Nazi Germany. The bronze statue holds a palm leaf, stands atop a 26 m pedestal and is 14 m tall.                                                                             5. Liberty statue is very popular sight among the turists. People climb on the Gellért Hill and admire this beautiful statue.                                                                                6.-7. I had'n heard about this Liberty statue before but it impressed me with its massive essence.

Noora Kalliokoski

The Chain Bridge

1- The Chain Bridge.

2/3/4- This bridge was built in 1849 to link Buda side with Pest side of Budapest. It was designed by the English engineer Wiliam Tierney Clark. It is a larger scale version of Clark's earlier Marlow Bridge, across the River Thames in Marlow, England.

7- The first time I visited it was the evening we arrived, when my host and his father decided to let me see Budapest by night. When I turned my face to the right and watched through the glass of the car, I didn’t believe it: I was watching the fantastic view of the Danube and both Buda and Pest side. I was blinded by hundreds of lights coming from cars, streets, locals and whatever. The only thing I could do was to say “Oh…” and keep enjoying that marvellous view.

Mario Patetta

I found it a spectacular building !

Elisa Casagrande

The statue of King Saint Stephen

1-2 .  The equestrian statue of King Saint Stephen stands just in front of the Fishermen’s Bastion, whose arcades are a spectacular background for it.

3. It was made by Alajos Stobl in 1906. King Stephen is sitting on a horse, wearing the Hungarian crown and the coronation mantle. He has a golden halo to symbolize that he was canonized and became the patron of Hungary.

4.5. It is one of the many statues you can see in Budapest. Around it there are always many tourists, more attracted by the marvelous breathtaking city view from there.

6-7. The statue made me go back in time and think of the origin of the Hungarian nation. Wherever I go, I am always attracted by the historical events and the great characters who contributed to the birth and creation of the country. St Stephen was the first king of Hungary; he was the founder of the Magyar state and established Christianity in Hungary .

I have also found  that the 20^th of August  is St. Stephen’s Day in Hungary and it is a public holiday.

Patrizia Coppola

Citadella

1. Citadella, located upon the top of the strategic Gellért Hill in Budapest, Hungary.
2. It's an fortress on top of a hill and a popular tourist attraction.

3.-4. The fortress was built in 1854,  designed by Emánuel Zita and Ferenc Kasselik. The fortress is a U-shaped structure built about a central courtyard, being 220 metres long, 60 metres wide, and 4 metres tall.

5. It's an attraction for local and non local people. People go there to admire the view. It's also a meeting place for the youth.

6. -7. No, I hadn't heard of it before. When I climbed up the hill, I realized that it was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

//Noora Kalliokoski 

Chain Bridge

1. Chain Bridge in Budapest (The Széchenyi Chain Bridge) it's located between        Buda and Pest.

2. It's an iron and stone bridge.

3. Designed by the English engineer William Tierney Clark. The construction beginned in 1840 and the bridge was opened in 1849. The bridge is 375 meters long. When the bridge was opened it became the first permanent bridge in the Hungarian capital, after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. At the time it was one of the largest bridges in the world.

4. The bridge itself is a mix of modern and old styles. In the night-time the bridge is very beautiful to look at because of the lightning.

5. The bridge itself is an attraction.

6. I had heard about it before but didin't know what it looked like. 

7. I saw Chain Bridge at the first time in the night and it made an huge impression on me. It gave me a WOW feeling because I had never seen such an beautiful bridge.

//Ella Barkar

Visegrád Castle

1-2. Visegrád Castle, situated north of Budapest on the right bank of the Danube.

3-4. The building of the fortress was started after the Mongol Invasion (1241). The citadel and the lower fort are connected by an outer wall. The fortress fell into Turkish hands in 1543 and it was reconquered in the end of the century. It was recaptured again in 1686 and then, in 1702 it was broken up.  The restoration began in the nineteen-sixties.

5. It is a tourist attraction.

6-7. I particularly enjoyed the view overlooking the Danube and the conservation state of the castle and its chambers. Climbing up all those stairs is very tiring but at the end, when you reach the top, it’s really worth it.

Marina Esposito

Margit (or Margaret) Island

1- Margit (or Margaret) Island.

2/3- It  Is an island located in the middle of the Danube in Central Budapest. It is a popular recreational area, covered by parks and medieval  monuments.

4/5- This place is commonly used by  young people as a meeting place, a great place to go for a walk and also to go jogging.

6/7- Walking around the parks, monuments and the zoo of Margit island, I was impressed by the respect of the people for the monuments and the presence of both  human and natural elements.

Mario Patetta

The Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya)

1. Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya) is located in the Castle District, in Buda, behind Matthias Church.

2. It’s a terrace, used as a sort of viewing platform.

3. It was built between 1899 and 1905 at the site of an old rampant that, during the Middle Ages, was defended by the fishermen guild who lived at the foot of the hill. Thus the name of the Bastion.

4. The Bastion was designed by architect Schulek using a combination of neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque styles.

5. It’s one of the main tourist attractions in Budapest.

6. The most unfamiliar aspect of the Bastion is perhaps its seven towers, so high and shiny under the sun because of the white material they are made of.

7. I was very impressed by the spectacular view you can enjoy from the top of the Bastion and by the stairs that link Pest to the top of the hill and the Bastion itself. At a first glance it reminded me of a fairy-tale world. 

                                Marina Esposito

The Statue of the Policeman in Pest

1-2 The statue of a policeman on Zrinyi utca, a street that takes to the Danube River (the Chain Bridge is just on the left). It is very near St Stephan's Basilica on the Pest side of town.

3 It is a bronze statue from the early 1900's.

4-5 I just liked the statue, as I passed it during the free walking tour I did on Saturday morning before our departure .

6-7  I was impressed by the great number of statues Budapest is filled with. They can be seen in almost every district in the city. They are statues  of many famous Hungarians from Saint Stephen, the first King of Hungary to the composer Franz Liszt, as well as other notable Hungarian artists, architects and political figures.

7 How amusing to meet this Hungarian policeman who is wearing his typical uniform! When I saw him, I thought about the food and wine he might like: Gulyásleves (goulash soup), Pörkölt (meat stew),  rétes (strudel) and surely Pálinka!

                                                                                                Patrizia Coppola

Központi Vásárcsarnok – Central Market Hall

1.      Központi Vásárcsarnok – Central Market Hall.  Address: Vámház körüt 1 – 3. It is located at the end of the famous pedestrian shopping street Váci Utza and on the Pest side of the beautiful Liberty bridge.

2.      It is the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest.  On the ground floor you'll find sausages, meats, cheese, fruits, vegetables and flowers. On the second floor there are souveniers, clothes, textiles and eateries.

3.      It was designed and built by Samu Pecz around 1896. During the World Wars it was completely damaged and then closed for some years. Throughout the 1990s restoration works brought back the market to its ancient splendour.

4.      A distinctive architectural feature is the roof which was restored to have colorful Zsolnay tiling.

5.      The Central Market Hall was full of people: local and tourists. I guess it is a popular meeting place and an excellent place to do some grocery and souvenir shopping.

6.      It is similar to many other market halls but still something special: there are so many paprika products and beautiful Hungarian style articles you can´t find anywhere else.

7.      The athmosphere is nice and magical. You are nor in a hurry when you walk down the stunning, colourful alleys. You just enjoy.

Tiina Stara

Scanning Budapest Vajdahunyad Castle

1-Vajdahunyad Castle in Városliget park

2-Imitation of Gothic castle for the Millennium exhibition

3-Designed by Ignác Alpár  before 1896 and built, as we see it now, from 1904 to 1908

4-It combines all the principal architectural styles in Hungary and Transilvania

5-Városliget is a park place for people to relax from urban life. The buildings close to the Gothic castle are a Romanesque Abbey and Renaissance and Baroque Palaces. It gives a real History of Art lesson.

6-This castle recreation is similar to others well kept castles in Europe, also with its garden, stone bridge and water moat.

7-The castle area in Buda is without its old castle. This castle in Pest surrounded by green of vegetation and blue from water inspires to feel the Middle Age in Hungary.

Jordi Ribas