When we were house-hunting, there was a "send us a selfie" competition thing and we decided to do it. Then we won. We got a £250 voucher for a holiday through some company or other.
We decided, Christmas 16, to cash it in and got flights and hotel-paid for few days in Budapest.
I had no knowledge, beforehand, of Hungarian history or Budapest itself, other than it was probably picturesque - this was down to stereotypes, based on my knowledge that it's on the beautiful Danube.
I wasn't wrong - it is a gorgeous city. Not exactly huge, it's spread across both sides of the river and is full of places of historical interest, particularly if you are into Soviet and Second World War history.
I'll try to walk you through it, mostly from a touristy. Unlike the Japan entries, I don't feel the need to do a day-by-day replay. This is mostly as a "Thinking of visiting Budapest? GO FOR IT" entry. :)
I will embed a slide show of all images at the end of the post, but will use thumbnails of images pertaining certain sections of this entry.
Matthias Church
We stayed at the Buda Castle Fashion Hotel, a small hotel with decent sized rooms in District One, near the castle and beautiful St Matthias Church.
The Church is Roman Catholic and beautifully decorated on the outside with patterned roof tiles. It was founded in 1015, but there are no archaeological remains to support the Church tradition that it was built in the Romanesque style originally. The current building is built in the Gothic style of the later 14th century and was restored extensively in the 19th century, with typical stylistic choices of the time - good to know it wasn't just Victorian Britain that interfered with historical buildings!
Houses of Parliament
Opposite the church, across the river, are the ornate and beautiful Houses of Parliament.
In 1873, Budapest was united from 3 cities, requiring a new and representative Parliament building. There was an international competition to design the new building and Imre Steindl won! I can't say I blame them for their choice in building - it is stunning. Up close, you get a proper sense of the amount of detail that went into this wonderfully pointy facade. According to Wikipedia:
About 100,000 people were involved in construction, during which 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kilograms (88 lb) of gold were used.
They do offer tours of the building but as we went over Christmas, there weren't any running! Visitors are able to walk outside the entire building, through gardens with various memorial statues and artwork. To the East was a memorial to the Hungarian revolution of the 1800s, and further round the corner there was the Kossuth Memorial, which was enormous.
That day, we walked around the building and through gardens, around the square, looking at the various sculptures and memorials that were there. We saw this one, complete with someone's teeny snowman.
Hungarian History
To say Hungary has a chequered past is putting it somewhat lightly. The country has quite frequently been on the less sympathetic side of history, something that younger generations are trying to make clear to visitors and locals.
We came across a large sculpture depicting a giant German eagle swooping in, talons bared, onto a metaphor for Hungary. In the 1940s, the Hungarian government was complicit in the Holocaust and had a treaty with Germany and Italy, resulting in their working for the Axis powers and allowing the Nazis into Hungary, resulting in the invasion of Yugoslavia - something that subsequent leaders have been keen to brush under the carpet. This memorial was a stark reminder of this. The large, evil Germany invading Hungary, absolving the previous governments of any responsibility or guilt they might have over their part in the Holocaust.
A counter memorial has been created by the local people that exposes the lies of the official one. It has belongings, recounts and photos of the hundreds of relatives that were killed during the massacre on the Danube (more about that in a moment), in the ghetto by the Synagogue or at other times during the 1940s.
Even during the allegiance with Nazi Germany, they were constantly trying to switch sides between Germany and the Soviets. The Hungarian forces were decimated at the battle of Stalingrad. After the dissolution of the Monarchy in 1946, there was not much political luck again for the people of Hungary, as the country became part of the Soviet block - there is a striking statue at the top of the main hill on the Castle side of the river, called Liberty Statue. It commemorates the sacrifices of those who fought for the liberation of Hungary, and is thankful to the Soviets for rescuing them.
It is a wonderful, slightly taxing when it's slippy - walk and you get wonderful views of Budapest in the valley below, with the Danube snaking through.
Jewish History
The history of Judaism in Budapest is, as in many European countries, not a happy one.
There is of course the famous memorial to those shot on the banks of the Danube. The cast shoes are recreations of the shoes removed by those who were shot, their bodies conveniently carried away by the river. It is a simple but haunting reminder as you walk along the river.
While we were there, we saw that the Synagogue was open to visitors. Those that know me know I am terribly interested in religion (though not a believer or follower of any) and in religious buildings - some of the greatest art, music and architecture came out of religious worship, whatever else one can say about the results of organised belief systems. Naturally, I was keen to go - as was Him Indoors - as I'd never been inside one before.
It is an incredibly interesting building. As you go in, of course your bags are searched. Security is a priority there, and with good reason. The main part of the building is the place of worship itself, but it has the Jewish Museum attached and a memorial garden, which was the centre of the Ghetto from the 1940s. Hundreds of people died here, either through massacre or starvation and disease. Confiscated items and donated things too are displayed in the museum - letters to people outside of the ghetto. Diaries, wedding certificates, shoes or photos. Very personal items, much like the items you see at the Hisohima museum - forcing visitors to recognise the crimes against humanity for what it was: personal.
It is worth a visit - from a architectural point of view, it's interesting to see how the traditional design of Synagogue was blended with the buildings surrounding it. Historically, it was important, too.
The rest of Budapest
We saw a lot - we went to the art galleries in the castle. There are memorials everywhere. There is - of course - the obligatory panoramic view from atop a church tower in the centre of town, where we visited the Christmas Market.
You can get boat trips on the Danube and there are plenty of places to eat wonderful food. Goulash is officially my favourite soup, now. Although expensive, we also recommend the food at the Paris Budapest restaurant in the Sofitel. SO GOOD.
Word to the wise: If you need the toilet in Budapest and you think, "I'll just pop into KFC/McDonald's/GenericFastFoodChain", you WILL be required to purchase something. The door key is on your receipt.
We also found various places that were just cool. Not far from our hotel, in District 1, is an underground labyrinth experience, where apparently Count Dracula was once imprisoned. As you go through, you'll see some Operatic scenes depicted with mannequins while the sounds of the opera echo through the tunnels... there's also a completely pitch black section where all you can do is follow the rope in the wall. You are taking round in circles and up and down a bit before being deposited not too far from where you first went in. Very cool but not ideal for those who are perhaps claustrophobic or scared of the dark or have balance issues.
There is also a military hospital built into the wall of the city on that side, which was a massive bunker. It wasn't open when we were there but we'd definitely go if we went back.
There is also a large Ruin bar scene for the night light. There are lots of abandoned factories and industrial buildings that have been bought out and turned into hipster bars - largely outside in their courtyards.
So yeah. That is a little snapshot of Budapest.
We really enjoyed ourselves and we will probably go back one day - in the summer, to enjoy it all the more!
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