Out and about in Hungary [antikvár]

T'fie Centrai Market Budapest 1093 'Budapest, Vámíiáz ert. 1-3., e-maíf: csaj)í.íg(^axefero.(iu wwwjyíaconííne.Hu When you come to Budapest you simply cannot miss visiting the Central Market, especially if you have an empty stomach. There's no doubt that the building's very special atmosphere was, and still is, an important part of the Budapest experience. This monumental building, situated on the Pest side of Szabadság Bridge, is one of the few market halls to have preserved their original function right up to the present day. Its inauguration was quite an event. Even Emperor Franz Joseph I. visited the hall a few weeks after its official opening in 1897. Emperor William II. King of Prussia also paid a visit the same year to survey the stone and steel architecture and wonder at the building's technological prowess. When William got off his trap he inspected the displays of eggs, potatoes and apples in the stalls, walking along a red carpet laid out especially for him. He even wrote a few lines in the cordovan-leather visitors' book. In 1921, Sigmund Freud, the father of psycho- analysis also visited the market having come up from Venice to attend a conference. He booked a room in the recently constructed Hotel Gellért situated directly opposite the market on the other side of the Danube. Other celebrities include grocer's daughter Margaret Thatcher, who paid a visit during her stay in Hungary in 1984. The iron lady drove a hard bargain before finally buying a whole string of garlic from a local stallholder. The market is still full of husde and bustle. You can find anything from the local products of the Carpathian Basin to delicacies from further afield, whether they be vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, herbs and spices. On the upper floor you can buy local folk art, and choose from an assortment of wines and delicacies selected especially for the more discerning foreign visitor. In 1999, the Hall was awarded the FIAB-CI PRIX d' Excellence by the International Estate Experts' Association, the architectural equivalent of an Oscar. rorward . .n seeking your destination you may instead find yourself on a voyage of discovery. Whilst a journey by definition has an aim, what you finally find may be something quite unexpected. During this particular Hungarian journey we intend to fire your imaginations before accompanying you on your chosen course. The book you have in front of you has two basic aims: firstly to make your visit all the more enjoyable, and secondly to tempt you into some of Hungary's unknown and less-visited corners. Before diving straight into the regions it is probably a good idea first to consult the Encyclopaedia, in the first chapter of the book, which we have called the Hungarian Treasury. It is here you will find the concepts and keywords which could prove useful during your stay. Some entries may stimulate an interest, which eventually takes you into regions you had not previously intended to visit. It is in the Treasury you will also find descriptions of typical Hungarian products, some of which you may have heard of before going to Hungary, as well as Hungary's World Heritage Sites and the National Parks. This being a travel guide endeavouring to go beyond the realms of geographical, historical and tourist interest, you will also be introduced to the arts, literature, music and folklore of the region. We haven't neglected science and technology either, devoting some of the introductory section to the great inventors and scientists who have done so much to help promote the image of Hungary abroad. The second part of the book takes you through both the larger and more intimate landscapes of Hungary. Arranged in nine regions, the chapters cover both the provincial centres and the cultural backwaters. We start not in the provinces, but in and around the cap- ital, Budapest (an area which also includes the Central Danubian Region, the Danube Bend and Csepel Island) before heading for the four regions making up Transdanubia. Following the landscapes of the southern and the northern parts of the Great Hungarian Plain, we stop off at Lake Tisza before completing our journey in Northern Hungary. We haven't overlooked the fact that there are also everyday practicalities accompanying journeys of this kind, consequently you will find addresses, telephone numbers, notes, lists of cultural and sporting events, tourist attractions and leisure activities once we have covered all the individual regions. During the course of the compilation of this book many specially selected people were employed all over the country in an effort to make sure that the ; information is both accurate and up-to-date. This is an important consideration bearing in mind how rapidly things are changing in Hungary at the moment. We also employed local people to write and edit the individual regional chapters in the belief that readers would get a more authentic and informed picture of each of the nine regions. It was by deciding only to include sites of genuine interest, and events which were of more than merely local interest, that we hoped to guarantee stylistic continuity throughout. At the same time, however, we didn't want our authors to feel that they were being restricted in any way. Ultimately it was the job of the editor to make the adjustments necessary to make the text read like a seamless whole. Although we live in an age of mass communications the contributors have written much which has been based on their personal knowledge and experience. At the same time, however, you will find that the authors have not denied the intrepid explorer the thrill of making their own personal discoveries.