The Széchenyi Chain Bridge

 

This card comes from Edit. 🙂

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge is a suspension bridge that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest, the western and eastern sides of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Designed by the English engineer William Tierney Clark, it was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Budapest, and was opened in 1849. It is also the oldest permanent bridge on the Danube.

The bridge has the name of István Széchenyi, a major supporter of its construction, attached to it, but is most commonly known as the Chain Bridge. At the time of its construction, it was regarded as one of the modern world’s engineering wonders. It has asserted an enormous significance in the country’s economic, social and cultural life, much as the Brooklyn Bridge has in New York and United States of America. Its decorations made of cast iron, and its construction, radiating calm dignity and balance, have elevated the Chain Bridge to a high stature in Europe. It became a symbol of advancement, national awakening, and the linkage between East and West

 

Hungarian Parliament Building

 

This gorgeous, gorgeous card comes from Edit. 🙂

The Hungarian Parliament Building is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, one of Europe’s oldest legislative buildings, a notable landmark of Hungary and a popular tourist destination of Budapest. It lies in Lajos Kossuth Square, on the bank of the Danube. It is currently the largest building in Hungary and still the tallest building in Budapest.

Construction of the Parliament House started in 1885. When it was completed seventeen years later, in 1902, it was the largest parliamentary building in the world with a length of 268 meters and a width of 118 meters. The Parliament House is arranged around 10 central courtyards and contains more than 20 km of staircase, as well as 691 rooms. The building has 27 intricately decorated spires. The impressive dome, visible from afar, reaches a height of 96 meters. The building’s facade is magnificent, decorated with 88 statues of Hungarian rulers, pointed arch arcades and numerous gargoyles, spires and Gothic ornaments.

Budapest Metro

 

 

This card comes from Edit from Budapest. 🙂

The Budapest Metro (Hungarian: Budapesti metró) is the rapid transit system in the Hungarian capital Budapest. It is the second oldest electrified underground railway system in the world, only the City & South London Railway (now part of the London Underground) of 1890 pre-dates it. Its iconic Line 1, dating from 1896, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002.

M1, the oldest of the metro lines operating in Budapest, has been in constant operation since 1896. The original purpose of the first metro line was to facilitate transport to the Budapest City Park along the elegant Andrássy Avenue without building surface transport affecting the streetscape. The National Assembly accepted the metro plan in 1870 and German firm Siemens & Halske AG was commissioned for the construction, starting in 1894. It took 2000 workers using up-to-date machinery less than two years to complete. Completed by the deadline, it was inaugurated on May 2, 1896, the year of the millennium (the thousandth anniversary of the arrival of the Magyars), by emperor Franz Joseph. One of these original cars is preserved at the Seashore Trolley Museum.

Hungarian Spa

My very first Hungarian postcard came from Németh. He tells me that the card pictures the town Bükfürdő (Bük Spa), which in his words is one of the best spas in Central Europe. 🙂 I won’t even try to find more info, since Hungarian is the European language that scares me the most. 😀