Budapest – The vanguard of bridging obstacles (Part II)

As promised, I am continuing to present the bridges of Budapest, which make the Hungarian capital the vanguard of bridging obstacles, day by day. In my last article, I dropped a few lines about three major bridges built over the Danube River, so you already have something in your pocket to share with your friends about Chain Bridge, Liberty Bridge and Margaret Bridge.** If you want to get to know other facts about Hungary, check out my former artical about the historical treasure in the heart of Europe. This time, I am going to introduce two other famous and significant bridges in Budapest,** in order to expand your knowledge of the topic. So, let’s not waste time, and get it started.

Elisabeth Bridge

No, not Her Royal Highness that reigns for 66 years over the British, but the wife of Joseph Franz I, aka Sissi, the queen of Hungary and the Czech Republic and the empress of Austria. The necessity of construction of Elisabeth Bridge became official in 1893, in line with Joseph Franz Bridge, today known as Liberty Bridge. It was launched ten years later, in 1903, and it was named after the queen, who got assassinated in Geneva, by the hand of an Italian anarchist, when she was visitng this Swiss city in 1898. This edifice was the only bridge of Budapest, that could not be rebuilt in its genuine form, after the Germans’ bombings, as the renovation’s expenditures would have been too high. Unfortunately, during the preparatory works for the bridge's construction, the vast majority of the Hungarian capital’s historical inner city got bulldozed to gain space for the exit towards Pest. Although the shape and size of the current bridge provides a catchy prospect, Hungarians always get a little bitter, when seeing a photograph of the original implementation.

Petőfi Bridge

Petőfi Bridge was built between 1933 and 1937, and initially it wore the name of Miklós Horthy, the contradictory governor of the Hungarian Kingdom from 1920-1944. The idea of building the bridge already arose in the early 20th century, but owing to the World War I, the project was put aside until the 1930s. It couldn't stay long in peace to serve the people, as the Germans blasted it too. In place of it, a temporary military bridge got built in the same year of the destruction. The complete renovation was finished in 1952, when it received its new name also. Sándor Petőfi was a world-famous Hungarian revolutionist and poet, and a celebrated figure in the country until this very day. Petőfi Bridge is an extremely important point of the capital’s traffic, but it becomes quite busy when a world-famous performer gives a show at the popular A38 party boat, which is situated right next to the bridge's feet.

All together, there are nine bridges in the Hungary's capital, so in the next article I will present four remaining ones. Until then, if you fancy it, check out my first article about Budapest, the vanguard of bridging obstacles.