Budapest history

Despite its current contemporary outlook, the key to Budapest lies in its history, marked by alternate periods of great wealth and prosperity and devastating eras of political and social upheaval. The Magyars view their history not in black and white but in gold and silver. The first Golden Age coincided with the reign of Renaissance King Matyás (1458-90). The second Golden Age was symbolised by the 1896 millennium celebration in City Park and the Silver Age was the 20th-century inter-war period, when the likes of Evelyn Waugh and the Prince of Wales frequented Budapest's spas and casinos.

Balanced against the good times, however, there is the Hungarians' defeat against the Turkish in 1526 (with the ensuing rebuilding of Buda as a Turkish capital); the Hapsburg rule that continued to deprive Hungary of its autonomy until 1867; the devastation caused by WWII; and Soviet control, which oversaw the brutal crushing of the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 and was only lifted in 1989. After a chaotic period of post-communist adjustment to a market economy and capitalist system, Hungary joined the European Union in 2004. These significant events have turned the Hungarians into a flexible and resilient race, proud of their national heroes.

Modern Budapest was born in 1873, when Buda, Óbuda and Pest were officially joined. Today, the city is composed of 23 districts (kerületek), each designated on maps, street signs and addresses by Roman numerals (I to XXIII). Buda and Pest still remain distinct, however, creating a fascinating west bank-east bank contrast.