BUDAPEST (bo'da-pest), the official name of the united towns of Pest and Buda, or Ofen, the one on the right, the other on the left, of the Danube, form ing the capital of Hungary. Buda, which is the smaller of the two, and lies on the W. bank of the river, consists of the fortified Upper Town on a hill; the Lower Town, or Wasserstadt, at the foot of the hill, and several other dis tricts. Among the chief buildings are the former royal castle and several palaces, the arsenal, town hall, Govern ment offices, etc., and a very handsome Jewish synagogue. The mineral baths of Buda have long been famous, the Bruck bad and Kaiserbad having both been used by the Romans. Pest, or the por tion of Budapest on the left or E. bank of the river, is formed by the inner town of Old Pest on the Danube, about which has grown a semi-circle of dis tricts — Leopoldstadt, Theresienstadt, Elisabethstadt, etc. The river is at this point somewhat wider than the Thames at London, and the broad quays of Pest extend along it for from 2 to 3 miles. Pest retains, on the whole, fewer signs of antiquity than many less venerable towns. Its fine frontage on the Danube ,s modern, and includes the new Houses of Parliament, the Academy, and other important buildings. The oldest church dates from 1500; the largest building is a huge pile used as barracks and arsenal.
There is a well attended university, hav ing, previous to the World War, over 7,500 students. There are also many other educational institutions, including a technical college, high, grammar, trade, and mercantile schools; and hos pitals, and other charitable institutions. Its chief manufactures are flour, ma chinery, gold, silver, copper, and iron wares, chemicals, silk, leather, tobacco, etc. In recent years the city has become one of the flour milling centers of the world. A large trade is done in grain, wine, wool, cattle, etc. Budapest is strongly Magyar, and, as a factor in the national life, may almost be regarded as equivalent to the rest of Hungary. It was not until 1799 that the population of Pest began to out-distance that of Buda; but from that date its growth was very rapid and out of all proportion to the increase of Buda. In 1799 the joint as its capital. The Government fell March 22, 1919, and was succeeded by a Soviet government under Bela Kun. A reign of terror ensued that was ended only when the Rumanians captured the city Aug. 3, 1919. (See AUSTRIA-HUN GARY; WORLD WAR.)