Interlending and Document Supply - Conference Handbook [antikvár]

BUDAPEST, THE BUDA CASTLE DISTRICT AND THE NATIONAL SZÉCHÉNYI LIBRARY Budapest, capital city of Hungary Due largely to its favourable geographical location, Budapest has been an inhabited site from earliest times. The readily navigable river, the Buda hills providing protection and the many hot springs alsó explain why the ancient Romans recognized the importance of the site. Marcus Aurelius selected it as the seat of the Empire's province of Pannónia and later the camp of the légion defending the Román limes (frontier) was alsó situated here, in Aquincum with its regular, planned grid of roads, paved streets and drains. Buda became the centre of the country in the 13th century, in the time of King Béla IV and later, in the 15th century, under King Matthias, its renown spread throughout Europe. This was achieved not only through the king's political successes but to a considerable extent alsó with his famous library, the Bibliotheca Corviniana. The historic buildings of Buda were largely destroyed during the Turkish occupation (1541-1668). The Rudas, Császár and Király medicinái baths, still used in their originál form, have survived from the Turkish period. The present appearance of the city was shaped for the most part in the 18th-19th centuries, with the exception of the Castle District which dates back to the Middle Ages. The National Museum, the Opera House, Saint Stephen's basilica, the headquarters of the Hungárián Academy of Sciences and Parliament were all built in the last century. The buildings ot the Buda Castle Palace then gained the form in which they can still be seen today. The Chain Bridge linking Buda and Pest and the Tunnel beneath Castle Hill were opened in 1849. Budapest suffered very heavy damage during the Second World War. All the bridges spanning the Danube were destroyed, as well as close to 30 per cent of the houses. Rebuilding lasted for about 15 years after the war ended. Today the capital city is divided into 22 districts, covers an area of 525 sq.km and has a population of more than two millión.