Budapest, Hungary

Budapest has been inhabited since at least the Stone Age. In the 6th century BC, the Scythians settled there and between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC the Celt-Illyrians arrived.
In Roman times there was a settlement by the Danube river known as Aquincum and a fort was built for defensive purposes. Aquincum became the capital city of the Roman province of Pannonia.
The Roman rule came to an end in the 5th century, when King Attila invaded the region, settling a new kingdom. 
In the late 9th century the Magyars, led by prince Árpad, settled in the area of modern-day Óbuda. Around the year 1000 Stephen I, king of Hungary, organized a feudal state and introduced Christianity.
In the mid 13th century the Mongols stormed the region, prompting the construction of the Fortress of Buda, ordered by King Béla IV, who was also in charge of rebuilding the country. The whole court moved to Buda in 1347 and Buda became the regal town while Pest became a prosperous trading centre.
In 1526 the Ottomans took Buda and Pest, which were under the Ottoman rule for over 150 years. The two towns were reconquered in 1686 by Charles of Lorraine but were completely destroyed in the siege. Hungary became a province of the Habsburg Empire.
Budapest lived its heyday during the 19th century. The Chain Bridge was opened in 1849, uniting Óbuda, Buda and Pest for the first time. In 1867 Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elizabeth were crowned in the Matthias Church, during a period of political unrest for independence. In 1872 the towns of Óbuda, Buda and Pest were united into one city and Budapest became the capital city of Hungary.
Hungary became independent from Austria after WWI. During WWII Budapest became a front-line city and suffered severe damage from which the city took 30 years to recover.

More on Budapest:

 Széchenyi Bridge
Fisherman's Bastion
National Gallery
Royal Palace
Saint Stephens Basilica
Castle Hill Funicular










Local: Budapeste, Hungria

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