Aquincum To introduce Budapest to a tourist from abroad I would tell him some historical and geographical data about the Hungarian capital years ago the Romans called this settlement Aquincum, that is the ’city of waters’ because there were and still there are lot of hot water springs and medicinal baths in this region. Real urbanisation began in the fifteenth century when under the rule of Sigismund of Luxemburg the royal castle on the Buda hills was built. The later centuries, especially the nineteenth century saw the flourishing of Pest lying on the other side of the River Danube. Today Budapest is a busy metropolis with a population of 2 million people. The city is extremely rich in historical and cultural monuments, works of art and natural beauties.

Coronation church Then I would take the visitor to the centre of Buda where we can find the Castle Hill. On its top the Royal Castle District was built. In its central square, the Trinity Square, stands the famous Church Matthias. It is also called the Coronation Church and several kings of Hungary were buried here. It was built in the thirteenth century in Gothic style so it is more than 700 years old. Next to the church we can see the bronze statue of King Stephen I. and that of János Hunyadi.

The Crown Jewels The Hungarian Kings’ crown can be seen in the Hungarian Parliament today. Besides the crown there is the orb and the sceptre. These things come from different places and different historical ages.

The blazon/coat of arms The blazon: In 1990 we got back the Hungarian historical blazon, which glints the national decisive events, and there were a lot of different versions in the past centuries.

The sceptre The sceptre is the oldest piece of the crown jewels. There is no doubt about it. Its point /tip/ was made from pebbles, which was decorated with lions. Probably it comes from Saint Stephen’s treasury.

The orb It was made about at the end of the 14th century. On it’s side there is an enamelled blazonshield, which was used by the first Hungarian dynasty, and the next dynasty called the Anjous.

Gellért Hill I think I would start a tour of Budapest by taking the tourist up to the Gellért Hill, because this is the best point from which we can see the best panorama of the city. The hill was named after a Venetian bishop, who came to Hungary in the eleventh century to convert the inhabitants to Christianity. His statue stands on the very spot from where the pagans threw him into the Danube. There is also a fortress on the top of the hill called the Citadel, which was built in Standing high above the city on the highest point of the hill the statue of Liberty can be seen.

This the Heroes’ Square in Budapest. On this tall column stands the figure of Gabriel Ark Angel bearing the ancient emblem of Hungary and its base is surrounded by bronze horsemen representing the Hungarian chieftains who led their tribes to the present area of Hungary. Behind the church the Fishermen’s Bastion can be found, from which there is a magnificent view of the Danube with the Houses of Parliament on the opposite bank of the river.

By Orsolya Fülöp and Martina Juhász 11 C Topic S1

Source: Némethné Hock Ildikó 1000 Questions 1000 Answers Lexika kiadó,2000