48 HOURS IN
BUDAPEST
HUNGARY
47.4979° N, 19.0402° E
Budapest
The united towns of Buda, on the west bank of the Danube, and Pest, on the east side, have forged an identity as a vitally important capital city of medieval and gothic splendour Budapest, the capital of Hungary, has a fascinatingly long and rich history. Archaeological finds have indicated that the town’s first settlement in its modern-day location was built by Celts, but a turning point in the town’s story came with the building of a Roman fort in what is now the district of Óbuda. From the 1st century BC to the 5th century AD, Western Hungary formed part of the Roman Empire, helping the province to flourish. Then in the 5th century, through a series of fierce battles, Attila, King of the Huns, succeeded the Romans and ruled the area until he died in 453 AD. The country saw continued conflict and the rule of various empires until Budapest arose out of two Bulgarian military frontier fortresses Buda and Pest, situated on the two banks of the Danube. After the Bulgarian-Hungarian Wars, Buda and Pest began their development in the 12th century, and it was only in 1873 that the formerly separate towns were integrated into one city: Budapest. This unification brought about unprecedented prosperity to the city and many public buildings were erected at that time, including the grandiose Budapest Parliament on the Pest bank of the Danube, the city’s largest church St. Stephen’s Basilica, and the Millennium Monument on Heroes’ Square. o online: Visit viking.com for more G information on cruises that go to Budapest
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VIKING
