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The story of Budapest starts on the Buda side when Celts settled on Gellért Hill well before the birth of Christ. This territory was later occupied by the Romans in the 1st century A.D. in their effort to expand the empire's frontiers north to the river Danube. The Roman settlement - Aquincum - grew into a town of 30,000 inhabitants and became the main city of Pannonia province. The Romans constructed paved roads, amphitheatres, bastions and fortified strongholds here, the ruins of which now increase Óbuda district's reputation.

Magyars settling in the territory in the 9th-10th century considered the river Danube the core of their new homeland rather than a natural borderline. The flat areas were populated first, including the large island that once stood where Pest City Center stands today. The Tatar invasion in the 13th century quickly proved that defense is strategically difficult on a plain. King Béla IV therefore ordered the construction of reinforced stone walls around the towns and set his own royal palace on the top of the protecting hills of Buda. The Middle Ages witnessed two separate towns living here side-by-side: the famous Buda with its lavish palace and well-to-do bourgeoisie and Pest - the city of merchants - on the other side of the river.

The town's development was abruptly halted and took a new direction in the 16th century. Formerly rich settlements of Western civilization were gradually turned into vivid oriental "towns" and later abandoned, while the Christian cross was replaced by a new symbol: the crescent of the East. The Turkish occupation lasted for more than 140 years and left only very few marks but much destruction. All the values created by the occupants are linked to water - Turkish thermal baths are the best example.

So after the Romans, we "owe a note of thanks" to the Turks for turning our city into a valuable spa resort capitalizing on its rich thermal resources. Some of the pools built in Budapest during the Turkish thraldom are still used today, like the Király Baths, Rác Baths, and Rudas Baths. The Tomb of Gül Baba is another reminder of the Turkish times in Hungary.

The 18th century marked the slow awakening and recovery of the city. On the other hand the 19th century was the age of major changes and witnessed the birth of a completely new city almost from scratch. The hills of Buda and the city walls of Pest no longer provided protection and limited space was a barrier to real development. The core of the shaping metropolis thus moved down from the hill to the plains, making Pest the center again. 1867 was the year of Reconciliation that brought about the birth of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy which significantly contributed to the blossoming of the country and its capital city.

In 1873 Buda and Pest were officially merged with the third part, Óbuda (Ancient Buda), thus creating the new metropolis of Budapest. The rapidly growing and flourishing city received new public offices, avenues, channels, public lighting, horse carriageways, a subway, green parks and bridges. By the turn of the century it was a genuine rival to Vienna. Dynamic Pest grew into the country's administrative, political, economic, trade and cultural hub.

The destruction of the Second World War could only be compared to the devastation wrought by the Turkish occupiers. After the war and until May 1990, when the first democratically elected government took power, the country was a victim of communist imperialism. The achievements of the political changes and the past decade, like democracy and a market economy, help to efface the dictatorship of the not so distant past. Visitors in Budapest will have a hard time tracing down remnants of this époque. To get a glimpse, visit the Statue Park and see a rich collection of communist sculptures that once stood on the streets of Budapest.

Central Danube Region
The Budapest - Central Danube Region includes Budapest with its 23 districts, Pest county with its 184 population centers, 8 towns and villages from Komárom-Esztergom county and 13 from Nógrád county. The region has a population of almost 3 million; 28% of Hungary's people live here, though it constitutes only 7.4% of the country's area.

Culture and Heritage
Owing to its important geographical location and role in history, the region is cultural heir both to the Roman Empire and to Christian and Modern Europe (in which the millennium-old Hungarian state is firmly rooted). Its most important attraction is the world-famous Buda Castle on the north side of the Danube (granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1987).

Budapest is the city of festivals - several major cultural events are held in and around the city every year. Whichever time of year you come, something will be happening. The Budapest Spring Festival, the Summer Opera and Ballet Festival, the Jewish Summer Festival, the Budapest International Wine and Champagne Festival, these are just some of the capital's cultural programs. The region's villages are, in increasing number, becoming active in organizing cultural programs of their own.

There are over 90 major museums in the region; local history collections, regional architecture, and small village museums provide additional perspectives on civilization in the area. The museums with internationally-renowned collections include: The Museum of Applied Arts, The Museum of Fine Arts, The National Museum, the "Mu Csarnok" Art-Gallery, The National Gallery, the Ludwig Museum in Budapest and Kovács Margit Museum and Skanzen (outdoor village museum) in Szentendre.

The region abounds with sites of religious interest. Esztergom stands out with Hungary's largest Basilica and the Christian Museum. It's definitely worth mentioning the Synagogue in Budapest's Dohány street because it's the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest in the world. The Jewish Museum around the corner has a unique collection of traditional Jewish artifacts.