Budapest- Bridges over the Danube

I remember in class when we first saw a picture of Budapest and all the bridges across the city. I was so excited to go visit because I thought it was gorgeous! I cannot believe I will be there in less than a month! Budapest has eight bridges that span the Danube linking Buda and Pest. Each bridge has its own tale. These bridges are a vital part of Budapest transport infrastructure and popular tourist attractions at the same time (Bridges of Budapest).

The Megyeri Bridge is the first and the longest bridgeg of Budapest. Building for this bridge was from 2006-2008 by the architect Matyas Hunyadi (Bridges of Budapest).  Something I noticed in all the pictures was that there are two pylons built 300 meters from each other and are 100 meters high that form a letter ‘A’ on each. I thought that was an interesting landmark.

The next bridge is the Arpad Bridge named after the leader of the seven tribes of Magyars in the 9^th century. The architect was Janos Kossalka and the building period for this bridge was from 1939-1943, 1948-1950 and then broadening of the bridge from 1981-1984 (Bridges of Budapest).

Margaret Bridge was the second permanent bridge in Budapest, it was built by French engineer Ernest Gouin’s company. Something I learned looking more about this bridge is that it has seven pillars. The central pillar is situated directly next to Margaret Island which is one of the most frequented week-end picnic-areas of Budapest (Bridges of Budapest). I think it would be so cool to go there for a picnic and enjoy all the views!

Chain Bridge was the first permanent bridge between Buda and Pest. The architect was Adam Clark. This bridge has become the symbol of Budapest and is the most known bridge of the Hungarian capital. This is the oldest and most beautiful of bridges. This bridge is also the most photographed of Budapest’s bridges (Bridges of Budapest). It is also lit up at night; after seeing pictures of this bridge at night I am dying to go see it in person!

Elizabeth Bridge got its name from Queen Elizabeth. Architects were Aurel Czekelius, Antal Kherndl, Istvan Gallik and Jozsef Beke for the original Elizabeth Bridge. Unfortunately, this bridge along with others was blown up by German troops at the end of World War II. The architect for the new bridge was Pal Savoly and was built between 1960-1964 (Bridges of Budapest).

Liberty Bridge was originally named after Franz Joseph but then changed to Liberty Bridge. Something I thought that is interesting is that on top of each pillar is a Turul, which is the mythical Hungarian bird, standing on a golden ball (Bridges of Budapest).

Petofi Bridge is named after the revolutionary poet, Sandor Peofi. According to the website I learned that this is the least inspiring of all the Budapest bridges (Bridges of Budapest). There was not much about this bridge.

Lagymanyosi Bridge was built by Tibor Sigrai between 1992-1995 (Bridges of Budapest). I could not find much about this bridge either other than the fact it was built for a planned World exhibition that eventually never happened.

References:

Bridges of Budapest. "Bridges - Pictures, Tourist Information, History and Many More about All Bridges of Budapest." Bridges. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2013.

Photo References:

http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/farkasb/farkasb1210/farkasb121000003/15731468-beautifully-lit-margaret-bridge-over-the-danube-at-dusk-in-budapest-hungary.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkNpJvX3UDMGbmgGE1U-MUGuvNScgLK8XXEvAjZRRxmstbqq-VtTKy-TYp0Z3Y0GUp3HHlQvWBWR4Bym0tjF8JUPUxju_sg2xIYfaxytlmDDXut9t54I2m3ntsPStWIPR8VR_AIDU2Q/s1600/080+bridges+over+Danube.jpg

I cannot wait to see this view at night!

This is breath-takiing and I am so excited to see it in person!