JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF BUDAPEST

CASTLE HILL FUNICULAR

The most popular way for tourists to get from Pest and the Danube riverside to the Castle District is by taking a ride on the Siklo, a funicular with a history that goes back to the 19th century.

View from the Siklo

The lower station stands at Clark Adam ter, a square near the Chain Bridge. The funicular brings passengers to the upper station at Szent Gyorgy ter (St. George Square), between the Buda and Sándor palaces.

Construction

Odon Szechenyi, whose father was the driving force behind the construction of the Chain Bridge, first proposed the creation of a funicular on Castle Hill when he was a member of the board of public works.

Construction started in 1868 and the line officially opened in early March, 1870. At the time it was only the second funicular in Europe. Steam engines powered the wooden carriages more than 50 meters up the hill at an inclination of 48%.

In 1945, at the end of World War II, a bombardment destroyed the stations and carriages. For a long time it looked like that was the end of Budapest's funicular. Fortunately the Sikló was restored in the 1980s and it reopened in June 1986. The original carriages have been replaced by beautiful replicas and modern glass stations were built at the foot and top of the funicular, now powered by an electric winch. 

The carriages have a peculiar stepped shape, designed to give as many people as possible a panoramic view over the river and Pest. There are two different tracks leading up the hill but you can nonetheless expect queues during the summer months since many visitors use this method of transportation to go to the Buda Castle and back.

CHAIN BRIDGE , BUDAPEST

The Chain Bridge is one of Budapest's most famous landmarks. The magnificent suspension bridge was built in the 19th century across the river Danube to connect Pest with Buda, at the time still separate cities.

The Chain Bridge was the first permanent bridge in Budapest; the nearest bridge was in Vienna and during wintertime the only way to cross the Danube was by taking a ferry. A temporary bridge was only available in the summer: it had to be disassembled each year to protect it against drift ice.

The Bridge

The 375 meter (1230ft) long and 16 meter wide bridge opened on November 20, 1849. At the time the suspension bridge was the longest in Europe and a marvel of engineering with just two towers supporting the spans with giant iron chains. The chains gave the bridge its name, lanchid, Hungarian for chain bridge.

The beautiful bridge towers are decorated with the Hungarian coat of arms. Imposing stone lions, the work of sculptor Janos Marschalko, guard the bridge on either side. According to legend, the sculptor threw himself in the river when, during the bridge's opening ceremony, a spectator proclaimed that the lions had no tongues. 

Sources  :
                        www.wikipedia.org
                        www.traveleye.com