Man-made Beauty

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Budapest is the capital city of Hungary, and it has many interesting structures including bridges. The bridges have interest not only as structures, but also as historical monuments. The bridges provide crossing points over the River Danube, one of the most well known rivers of the world. The idea of constructing the bridge was developed by Hungary's great 19century reformer, Count István Széchenyi. In 1820, bad weather forced him to wait eight days to attend his father's funeral before he could cross the river by ferry. The construction of the Chain Bridge began in 1839 and it was designed by the English engineer T.W.Clark. He had already designed two suspension bridges over the Thames; the Hammer Smith Bridge and the Marlow Bridge. The bridge took over ten years to build and it was the first bridge to span the Danube connecting the two cities, Buda and Pest.

The 375 meter long and 16 meter wide bridge was opened on November 20, 1849. At that time, it was the city's first permanent river crossing and the largest suspension bridge. A large chain was used to span the river, and the road way is suspended from the chain. The bridge was reconstructed after two world wars. Today the Chain Bridge is one of the most commonly used symbols of Budapest.

There are some legends relating the bridge, and the most popular is that the lion statues at either end of the bridge was sculptured without tongues so the sculptor was mocked so much that he jumped into the Danube in shame. In 1989, people demonstrated on the chain bridge for freedom and independence. Since then, the bridge has become a symbol of Hungarian liberty.

Climate & Geography

Geography
Hungary is a country in central Europe and northwest of Romania. It measures about 250 kilometers from north to south and 524 kilometers from east to west. Hungary shares the boundaries with Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, the Ukraine to the northeast, and Slovakia. Hungary has three major geographic regions; the Great Plain, lying east of the Danube River; the Transdanubia, a hilly region ;and the Northern Hills, which is a mountainous and hilly country. Also, there is no coast line because Hungary is landlocked area. Fifty percent of Hungary's territory consists of flat lands; the Alfold ,knouwn as the Great Plain which stretches to the east and south of Budapest. At the top of the eastern portion of the country are the mountain ranges of northern Hungary. The two most important rivers, the Danube and the Tisza are navigable on their whole Hungarian length. The Danube River, running north-south, partitions the country into two distinct regions. The country's best natural resource is fertile land. About 70% of the country's total territory is suitable for agriculture. Hungary does not have enough domestic sources of energy for industrial development.

Climate
Hungary has a continental climate. Summers are hot and long , and winters are cold. By the 1980s, the countryside was beginning to show the effects of pollution, both from herbicides used in agriculture and from industrial pollutants. The most noticeable thing is the gradual contamination of the country's water and it threatens fish and wildlife.

The best time to visit to Hungary
The best time to visit is May to September. However I want to recommend Spring (May and June), though quite wet, is the best time to visit to Hungary because during summers (July and August) it is too crowded and most hotels offer their prices very high and in winters, most of the tourist attractions are closed.

Natural attraction to visit
I want to recommend you go to winery. Wine production has a long history in Hungary. There are two languages of a word for wine; Greek and Hungarian. The Hungarian word is bor. There is a record that they have done viticulture in the territory of today's Hungary in the Roman times. The arriving Hungarians took over the practice and maintained it ever since. Today, there are numerous wine regions in Hungary, and they produce good quality and inexpensive wines comparable to Western European ones. The majority of the country's wine regions are located in the mountains or in the hills, such as Transdanubian Medium Mountains, Northern Medium Mountains, and Villány Mountains.

The Famous Hungarian

Franz Listz was born in 1811 at Raiding in Hungary and moved to Vienna when he was a child ,and he took piano lessons from Czerny and composition lessons from Salieri in Vienna. Two years later, in 1823, he moved with his family to Paris. He was influenced by the violinist Paganini, and he turned his attention to the development of a similar technique as a pianist. In 1835, he left Paris with his mistress, the Comtesse d’Agoult. He travelled widely during the following years and his reputation as a pianist grew. In 1844 he separated from his mistress, the mother of his three children. In 1848, he settled in Weimar as Director of Music Extraordinary, accompanied by Princess Sayn-Wittgenstein. He now turned his attention to composition and in particular to the creation of a new form: the symphonic poem. In 1861 Liszt moved to Rome. In 1869 he began returning regularly to Weimar and had many pupils, and he was regarded as a national hero in Hungary. He died in Bayreuth in 1886, four years after the death of his son-in-law Wagner. As a pianist he had no equal, and as a composer he suggested a new course of composition to a younger generation of musicians.

The History of Hungary

1.In the late 9th century, Hungary was found by Arpad.
2.The Kingdom of Hungary lasted for 946 years.
3.The Battle of Mohac resulted in Ottoman occupation.
4.In 1241. the Mongolian Tartars invaded and destroyed Hungary.
5.After the Mongols retreated, King Bela ordered to build a castle to defend against Mongol invasion.
6.In 1944, the Nazis occupied Hungary.
7.In 1945, the Soviet Union liberated then occupied Hungary.
8.In 1956, Hungary had a revolution.
9.In 1999, Hungary joined NATO.
10.In 2004, Hungary became an E.U. member.


1.In the late 9th century, beautiful Hungary was accidently found by smart Arpad.
2.The powerful kingdom of Hungary strongly lasted for 946 years.
3.The The terrible Battle of Mohacs badly resulted in tragedy Ottoman occupation
4.In 1241, the cruel Mongolian Tartars forcefuly invaded and totally destroyed grievd Hungary.
5.After the fierce Mongols retreated quickly, clever King Bela suddenly ordered to build the huge castle to defend against unexpcted Mongol invasion.
6.In 1944, the crazy Nazis surprisingly occupied weak Hungary.
7.In 1945, the enormous Soviet Union terribly liberated then outrageously occupied frightened Hungary.
8.In 1956, angry Hungarian people dramatically started a big revolution.
9.In 1999, outstanding Hungary proudly joined famous NATO.
10.In 2004, lucky Hungary gracefully became a great EU member.

Hungary has two faces

If someone arrives in Hungary from the western part of Europe, he/she would think that they arrived to Asia, but if sommeone travels to Hungary from Asia, he/she would think they started to travel to Europe. Hungary has two faces, Europe and Asia. I traveled to Hungary one time,and I stayed only one day. It was too short to learn the country which has an enormous history. Here! I am going to research about Hungary to catch up.