The Danube The Danube Bend, Castles in Bend, Castles in

HungaryHungary

• The Danube is the second longest river in Europe. Before reaching Budapest it is forced through a narrow twisting valley in the pretty Carpathian Basin, known as the Danube Bend, 8 miles from Budapest.

• The cluster of towns on the bend offer an amazing collection of history, culture and architecture, particularly the small towns of Szentendre, Visegrád and Esztergom.

• You can easily see the delightful towns along the snaking Bend on daytrips from Budapest,since they are all within a couple of hours of the city. The great natural beauty of the area, where forested hills loom over the river, makes the Danube Bend a welcome heaven for those weary of the city.

Danube

The Citadel of Visegrad and the The Citadel of Visegrad and the Solomon’s TowerSolomon’s Tower

• The Citadel and the Lower Castle The Visegrád double castle system is one of the castles built by Béla IV recognizing the consequences of the Mongol invasion. The fortress preserved its significance until the Turkish invasions.

• The Citadel had a multifunctional role: it was protecting the valley of the Danube, it was controlling the main commerical route between Buda and Esztergom, and also served as a custom’s house. The fortress consisted of two parts.

• The tower of the lower castle, known as 'Solomon's Tower', was built in the 13th century. It is a virtually unique construction of Hungarian architecture of its day. It has been damaged on numerous occasions, but has always been repaired. It is currently a museum.

The Buda CastleThe Buda Castle

• Buda Castle (Hungarian: Budai Vár, Turkish: Budin Kalesi) is the historical castle of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, Hungary, first completed in 1265. In the past, it was also called Royal Palace. Buda Castle was built on the southern tip of Castle Hill, next to the old Castle District, which is famous for its medieval, Baroque and 19th century houses and public buildings.

TheThe Parliament Parliament ofof Hungary Hungary

The Hungarian Parliament Building (Hungarian: Országház) 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 Kossuth Lajos Square, on the bank of the Danube, in Budapest. It is currently the largest building in Hungary, and the second largest Parliament in Europe.

History of ParliamentHistory of ParliamentBudapest was united from three cities in 1873 and seven years later the National Assembly resolved to establish a new, representative Parliament Building, expressing the sovereignty of the nation. A competition was published, which was won by Imre Steindl.

Construction from the winning plan

was started in 1885 and completed in 1904. (The architect of the building went blind before its completion.)

There were about one thousand people working on its construction in which 40 million bricks, half a million precious stones and 40 kilograms of gold were used.

It is 268 m long and 123 m wide. Its interior includes 10 courtyards, 13 passenger and freight elevators, 27 gates, 29 staircases and 691 rooms (including more than 200 offices). With its height of 96 m, it is one of the two tallest buildings in Budapest.Similar to the Palace of Westminster,

it was built in Gothic Revival style.

The Holy Crown of Hungary, which is also depicted in the coat of arms of Hungary, is in the central hall since 2000 representing the foundation of the Hungarian State.

The Hungarian Holy-Crown is one of Europe’s oldest and for the longest period used hallow. It is part of the Hungarian coat of arms, and has followed through history since the 12th century until today.

One of the reasons the Romans first colonized the area immediately to the west of the River Danube and established their regional capital at Aquincum (now part of Óbuda, in northern Budapest) is so that they could utilize and enjoy the thermal springs. There are still ruins visible today of the enormous baths that were built during that period. The new baths that were constructed during the Turkish period (1541-1686) served both bathing and medicinal purposes, and some of these are happily still in use to this day.

Gellért Thermal Baths and Swimming Pool, also called Gellért fürdő or Gellért Baths, are a bath complex in Budapest, Hungary, built between 1912 and 1918 in the (Secession) Art Nouveau style.

The Gellért Baths complex includes thermal baths, which are small pools containing water from Gellért hill's mineral hot springs.THE thermal baths are decorated beautifully with mosaic tiles.

Széchenyi Thermal BathSzéchenyi Thermal Bath

• The Széchenyi Medicinal Bath in Budapest (Széchenyi-gyógyfürdő) is the largest medicinal bath in Europe. Its water is supplied by two thermal springs.

• The bath was built in 1913 in Neo-baroque style to the design of Győző Czigler.

Rudas BathRudas Bath

It is a genuine Turkish bath. Built in the 16th century.

Lukács bathLukács bath

•In the 12th century, knights of the order of Saint John engaging in curing the sick settled in the area of today's Lukács Bath, followed by the orders of Rhodos and Malta, who built their monasteries baths as well. The bath operated through the time of the Turks but the energy of the springs were used primarily to produce gunpowder and for grinding wheat. After the reoccupation of Buda,

• . In 1884 a series of transformations began. The spa hotel was built, an up-to-date hydrotherapy department was established and the swimming pool was transformed.

• In 1999, the open-air pools of the swimming pool section were modernised.

• Most coutries with hot springs have their spas in small towns or utter wilderness, but Budapest is a thermal metropolis.Among the classic hangouts: the buble bath in the Gellért Hotel.

• You don’t have to be aching or ailing to enjoy a dip.