Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 03.djvu/691

* BUDAPEST. 613 BUDAPEST. oven, referring to its Uiuc-kiln: Ofcit, the Ger- man name of Buda, across the river, likewise means 'oven'). Tlie capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, the transleithan portion of the Aiistro- Hungarian Monarchy, situated on both banks of the Danul)e in latitude 47° 31' X.. and longi- tude 19^ 5' E.. al)oiit 173 miles east-southeast of Vienna by rail (Map: Hungary, F 3). It con- sists of Buda (Ger. Ofen) on the right bank, and Pest on the left bank, connected by five bridges. The JIargaret Bridge, opened in 1S7G, an iron structure in the form of an obtuse angle, crosses the river just below Margaret Island (Ger. Margarethen Iiisel: Hung, ildrijit-liziget), to which a connecting bridge has been extended. Below this in order come the Suspension Bridge, erected 1842-49 by English engineers, the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, with one great span, the Franz- Josef Bridge, opened by the Emperor-King in 1896, and the iron railway bridge. Buda, the more ancient and formerly the more important of the two divisions, is picturesquely situated on and around two hills — the lower and more north- erly of the two. crowned by a fortress, destroyed by the Hungarians in 1849, but rebuilt for even greater strength ; and by the palace erected by Maria Theresa, which has been greatly extended and beaiitified. The latter contains the Hun- garian Regalia and is the scene of the opening of the Hungarian Diet. In the Georgsplatz, which is adorned with a monument of General Hentzi, who fell while defending the fortress in 1849 against the Hungarians, stand the palaces ot Archduke Jo.seph, of the Minister President, and the ilinistry of National Defense. A little to the north stands the Parish Church, which is believed to have been built in the Thirteenth Cen- tury, and which served during the Turkish occu- pation as a mosque. In it Francis Joseph and Elizabeth were crowned in 1867 as King and Queen of Hungary. On a hill at the north end of the town, in the midst of vineyards, is the small Turkish mosque surmounted by a crescent erected over the grave of the Turkish saint. Sheik Giil- Baba. The Blocksberg, standing to the south of the castle hill, is surmounted by a citadel. At the foot of these hills near the river are a number of strong sulphur springs, around which have been erected most commodious and luxurious bathing establishments. The famous bitter-water springs, such as the Ilunyadi-JSnos, Arpfid, etc., are also situated here. Pest presents a marked contrast to its neigh- bor on the opposite side, being built upon a flat, sandy plain, and although of more recent origin, it has far outstripped Buda in growth and gen- eral improvements. The old inner town known as the city (fitadt; Belvaros) lies along the bank of the river and has been partially surrounded by an irregular semicircle of boulevards called Die Innere liingstrasse, from which radiate several broad avenues connecting the old town with the new suburbs. The finest of these is the broad AndrSssy Strasse (Andrassyiil) extending in a straight line for a <listance of about two miles from the inner ring to the park or Wn-osUget (Stadtii:aMchen). Because of its great breadth, varying from 100 to 140 feet, the excellence of its paving (wood), and the uniform merit of its architectural features, it well desen'es the reputation of being one of the handsomest streets in Europe. About a mile out from the inner ring, the radials are crossed by another semi- circle of boulevards called Die G-rnxsc Ringstrasse, extending from the Margaret Bridge to the Borii- ros Platz. Still others arc planned for the fu- ture. One of the most striking features of Pest is the magnificent uays extending along the Daiuibc t'(n- a distance of abcnit three miles from the JIargaret Bridge to the huge muniidpal grain- elevator, and lined with many handsome mod- ern buildings. Traffic is excluded from certain sections which contain the fashionable cafes and form a favorite promenade. The most notable of the buildings found here is the magnificent new House of Parliament in the Gothic style, covering an area of nearly four acres and opened with much pomp on the occasion of the Millennial celebration in 1806. Among others may be men- tioned the Academy of Sciences (1862-64), con- taining a library of 180,000 volumes and the National Picture Gallery, the Palace of Prince Coburg, the so-called Redoute Buildings, contain- ing a concert - hall, ball - rooms, etc., and the custom - house. Among the noteworthy public buildings in other parts of the town are the new Palace of Justice, erected in 1896; the court- house of the Royal Supreme Court; the national museum, containing a library of over 467.000 volumes and collections of antiquities, modern paintings, etc. ; the university, with a library of over 2"25,000 volumes; the Miicsarnok, con- taining the Industrial Museum ; the Royal Opera House, one ot the handsomest in Europe; the National Theatre; and several of the other nu- merous theatres. Among the notable ecclesiastical buildings are the Parish Church, the oldest in Pest, built about 1500, the Greek chapel, and the Jewish si,nia- gogue. In tlie matter of parks and recreation grounds. Budapest has the Stadtwiildehen, a park covering about 1000 acres, with a charnnng lake, zoological garden, and numerous booths and side shows, similar to those found in the Wurstel Prater in Vienna. At the entrance of the park at the end of the AndrSssy boulevard is an arte- sian well over 3000 feet in depth yielding over 260,000 gallons of water daily of a tempera- ture of 165° F. ilargaret Island, the property of Ai-chduke .Joseph, formerly the scat of a con- vent founded by Saint Margaret in the Thirteenth Century, is now a park and is open to the pub- lic. Budapest is the seat of the highest adminis- trative authorities of the kingdom, of the Su- preme Court of Justice, of the Prince Primate of Hungary (alternately with Gran), of a Roman Catholic vicar-general, a bishop of the Greek-Ori- ental Church, and of a United States consulate. For administrative pirposes Budapest is divid- ed into ten municipal districts (Bezirke), three of which are on the Buda side and the other seven on the Pest side of the river. The city's affairs are administered by a First Burgomaster appointed by the King, a Burgomaster, two Vice-Burgo- masters, and an executive board of eight mem- bers, chosen for a term of six years by the nnini- eipal council of 400 members, who are themselves elected for the same term. Half of this numljcr are chosen by the voters out of 1200 of the larg- • est taxpayers, men of superior education being rated at double the capital on which they actu- ally pay taxes, thus providing special opportuni- ties for the university element to assert itself in the council. As a result of the general efTiciency of the municipal authorities, as well as of the desire of the inhabitants to make Budapest one