Danube Bridges

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Eight road bridges and two railway bridges cross the Danube within the precincts of the city. These bridges form an inalienable part of the city-scape. The bridges in the city-centre – the Margaret (Margit), Chain (Lánc), Elizabeth (Erzsébet), and the Liberty (Szabadság) Bridge– are determining elements of the city’s panorama.

 

Although at the end of World War II, the retreating German forces blew up all the bridges in Budapest, they have all been rebuilt essentially in their original form.

The Margaret Bridge gives access to the southern portion of Margaret Island (Margitsziget).

 

The  Chain Bridge is Budapest’s first permanent stone bridge. Built at the instigation of Count István Széchenyi, who first proposed such a bridge in 1832, it was finally constructed between 1842 and 1849. It was based on the design of William Tierney Clark, and erected under the supervision of Adam Clark – both Englishmen.

 

The Elizabeth Bridge was rebuilt between 1961 and 1964, on the supports of the previously blown-up bridge – but utilising modern structural elements.

The  Liberty Bridge was the first bridge in Budapest to be rebuilt after World War II; its predecessor (named after Francis Joseph, the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), was erected between 1894 and 1896 – in time for the Millennium celebrations.