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In Depth
Fun Fact: Did You Know. . . ?
A network consisting of 10km (6 1/4 miles) of tunnels, built in the Middle Ages for military purposes, lies underneath Buda's Castle District.
Budapest did not become a unified city until 1873, when Pest, Buda, and Obuda merged. A bridge crossing the Danube prompted this momentous decision.
Budapest is the site of the European continent's first underground metro line, which you can still ride today (the Yellow line). It was built for, you guessed it, the Millennium celebration. So where was the very first metro built? London.
The Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, stationed in Budapest, saved thousands of Jews from Nazi deportation by issuing fake passports and setting up safe houses, only to disappear himself into the Soviet gulag after the city's liberation. He was never heard from again. Petitions sent to the Soviet government requesting the opening of their secret records regarding Wallenberg's fate, have fallen on deaf ears.
The retreating Nazis blew up all of Budapest's bridges in the final days of World War II. They have all been reconstructed since then as close to their original designs as possible.
The Red Army liberated Pest from Nazi occupation on January 18, 1945, but did not manage to liberate Buda until February 13.
The longest "basket handle" bridge was opened in Dunaujvaros, Hungary, in 2007. Being 308m (1,010-ft.) long, beating out the previous record holder, Osaka, Japan by 60m (197 ft.).
On St. Stephan's feast day and national holiday, Sunday, August 20, 2006, a major storm came from nowhere and destroyed trees and cars and caused five deaths. On Sunday, August 19, 2007, another major storm whipped up the city, but a worse storm came through on Monday, August 20, 2007.
If you ride either the 4 or 6 tram from beginning to end in either direction, you will have ridden the longest tram route in the world.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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