Hungary - Budapest
With about 2 million residents, Budapest, the capital of Hungary (93,030 sq km, 10.1 million inhabitants) - a land-locked country lying in the Carpathian Basin on both sides of the Danube River - is the largest metropolis of the East-Central Europe. It is close to the eastern world and this is why the country's culture is so colorful and interesting.
The city is divided into two parts, the hilly side of Buda on the western bank and the flat plain of Pest on the eastern bank of the Danube River. These two parts of the city were once separate towns and were merged together with Ancient Buda (Óbuda) only in 1873. The Danube River is Budapest's main artery, dividing historic Buda from commercial Pest. All the eight bridges now spanning the Danube at Budapest were destroyed during WWII and were rebuilt later on.
With its beautiful setting and marvelous panoramic views, Budapest is one of the most attractive European capitals. It was much admired in the Middle Ages as the following medieval saying shows "the most beautiful towns of Europe are Florence on the lowland Venice on the water and Buda on the hills." In modern times, Budapest's outstanding qualities were recognized by UNESCO in 1987 when this agency of the United Nations inscribed Budapest including the banks of the Danube and the Buda Castle district on the World Heritage List.
Budapest is a "town of baths" and a "town of caves" - an interconnected cave system stretches under the capital's hills and thermal and medicinal waters gush forth from many springs: 80 thermal springs supply 12 spa baths with a daily 70 million liters of thermal water.
The most important sights are - the BUDA Castle - the Royal Castle; the medieval palace that stood on the hill was destroyed during the battles against Turkish invaders, leaving only the fortified walls as a memento. The site was then filled in to lay the foundations of the new grandiose Baroque palace started by Maria-Theresa and expanded on Hungarian initiative in the 19th century. The Palace itself was gutted during the World War II.
The Castle District is one of the most romantic pedestrian sections in Budapest. It is a medieval little town with atmospheric streets, picturesque houses, gas lamps and beautiful monuments. The Fisherman's Bastion was completed in 1905 on the site of a former fish market,giving it it's name. It has never served a defensive purpose, but is an excellent lookout place offering great views of Pest, the Parliament building and the Danube. Considering other sights of Budapest, there is the Matthias Church and numerous museums such as the Budapest History museum, Museum of Military History and the Aquincum Museum. There are also Ruins - relics of the civilian town of Aquincum dating back 2000 years.
Budapest has over 1,000 restaurants offering very tasty Hungarian and international cuisine.