Bridges in Budapest
The Danube river divides Budapest into two parts, and there are seven bridges and a railway bridge within Budapest's territory. Below is a list of the bridges in the city, from the North to the South.
North Railway Bridge
A train bridge linking the Római part section of Buda with the Váci út area of Pest, the bridge has a pedestrian and bicycle section, but no motor vehicle access. The bridge was first built in 1896, but it was destroyed by aerial bombardment in WWII, to be rebuilt in 1955. The bridge is in bad condition, and will be renovated in the year 2008, during which it will be closed to the public.
Árpád Bridge
Built in 1950, the bridge started its life being called Stalin Bridge. With its core length of 983 metres, it is by far the longest bridge of the city, with 3 motor lanes each way, pedestrian part and bicycle roads on both sides. Even the Romans had a bridge here in the 3rd century, linking the roman military town of Aquincum with the fortress built on today's Pest side.
Margaret Bridge
The second permanent bridge of Budapest, designed by French engineer Emile Gouin of the Eiffel Company. The bridge not only links Buda and Pest but Margaret Island too - the two parts of the bridge enclose 150 degrees with each other in the middle, from where a causeway-like part leads to the island. The construction lasted from 1872 to 1876. Margaret Bridge was accidentally blown up by the Wehrmacht in November 1944, and 600 civilians died. During the reconstruction many of the original elements were lifted from the river and re-used. The bridge is in dire need of renovation, as it is in a bad state of deterioration.
Lánchíd (Chain Bridge)
The Széchenyi Chain Bridge is the first permanent bridge over the Danube between Buda and Pest. Built in 1849, it played a major role in the unification of Pest, Buda and Óbuda later in 1873. Its construction was triggered by the fact that Count István Széchenyi had to wait a full week before being able to successfully cross the river to get to his father's funeral. The thought that the city needed a permanent river crossing point was conceived at this time.
Its length is just 202 metres (short in comparison to the 1,500-metre span pf the Árpád bridge in northern Budapest) and there is a pedestrian part, running parallel to the motorway. The designer was Englishman William Tierney Clark, whose Marlow Bridge spans accross the Thames in Marlow, England. The four stone lions were created in 1852. The bridge was destroyed in 1945, to be rebuilt in 1949.
The bridge is regularly closed on summer weekends, giving home to festivities and markets.
Erzsébet Bridge
The bridge, named after popular Habsburg queen Elizabeth (Sissi) was the only one which could not be reconstructed after World War II, so a new one was built to replace it. Today’s bridge structure links the foot of Gellért Hill with the downtown of Pest. The bridge takes the heaviest vehicle traffic out of all the other bridges in Budapest.
The city council has evaluated 43 competing entries for the bridge construction tender. The winning plans were submitted by Albert Czekelius and Antal Kherndl. At the time the bridge was finally handed over to the public, there was no other chain-type bridge in the world with such length and without riverbed pillars. Construction commenced in 1897 and the bridge was inaugurated in 1903. Until the year 1926, it was the largest chain-type bridge in the world with a central opening of 290 meters.
The bridge, which was blown up by the retreating German Army in 1945, was the only bridge in Budapest beyond repair. The construction of the new Elizabeth Bridge began in 1960, to be handed over in 1964. The new cable bridge was built in exactly the same place, under the supervision of architect Pál Sávory.
It stands on it old pillars, but with added width to the bridge, as the newly built pedestrian range falls outside the suspension cables. Due to Budapest's increased motorized traffic, a wider dual carriageway has been built, with tram tracks running in the middle. Tram traffic on the bridge has ceased in 1972, so today it handles traffic in three car lanes each way between Ferenciek tere in Pest and Gellért rakpart in Buda.
Szabadság-híd (Liberty Bridge)
Constructed in just 2 years, between 1894 and 1896, the bridge was originally named after Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. At a first glance, the structure resembles a chain-type bridge, as per the trends of the age in which it was built, but its core structure is radically different. The bridge is under reconstruction in the year 2008, and therefore is temporarily pedestrian-only.
Petőfi Bridge
The bridge links the southernmost part of the Grand Boulevard with Goldmann György tér, the heart of the university district of Budapest. Built between 1933 and 1937, the length of the bridge is 514 metres, and the width is 25 metres.
Lágymányosi-híd (Lágymányos Bridge)
The Lágymányosi Bridge is Budapest's newest bridge. The construction started in 1992, and the bridge was inaugurated in 1995. It is adjacent to the South Railway Bridge of Budapest. The main reasons for its construction were the Budapest World Expo of 1996, which was later cancelled, and the necessity to link the newly built Könyves Kálmán Boulevard with South Buda.
One of the interesting aspects of the bridge is its method of illumination; an array of mirrors reflect diffuse light on the bridge, a method that had not been used anywhere before. Its length is nearly 500 metres, with two motor lanes each way, a pedestrian part and an extra lane for tram tracks in the middle, which hasn't been built yet. The main architect of the bridge is Tibor Sigrai.
