BUDAPEST, 105'da-pl'.st, Hung. pron. (Buda. named after Buda, brother of .Attila Pest, from O. Slay. pan, Russ. pcchi, oven, referring to its lime-kiln; Ofen, the Ger man name of Buda, across the river, likewise means 'oven'). The capital of the Kingdom of Hungary, the transleithan portion of the Austro Ilungarian Monarchy, situated on both banks of the Danube in latitude 47° 31' and longi tude 19° 5' E.. about 173 miles east-southeast of Vienna by rail (Slap: Hungary, F 3). It con sists of Buda (Ger. Ofen ) on the right bank, and Pest on the left bank, connected by five bridges. The Margaret Bridge, opened in 1876, an iron structure in the form of an obtuse alight, crosses die river just below Margaret Island (Ger. Margarethen fusel: Hung. Margit-8ziget), to which a connecting bridge has been extended. Below this in order come the Suspension Bridge, erected 1S42-49 by English engineers, the Queen Elizabeth Bridge, with one great span, the Franz Josef Bridge, opened by the Emperor-King in 1896, and the iron railway bridge. Buda, the more ancient and formerly the more important of the two divisions, is picturesquely situated on and around two hills—the lower and more north erly of the two. crowned by a fortress, destroyed by the Hungarians in 1846, but rebuilt for even greater strength ; and by the palace erected by Maria Theresa, which has been greatly extended and beautified. The latter contains the Hun garian Regalia and is the scene of the opening of the Hungarian Diet. In the Georgsplatz, which is adorned with a monument of General Hentzi, who fell while defending the fortress in 1849 against the Hungarians. stand the palaces of Archduke Joseph, of the Minister President, and the Ministry of National Defense. little to the north stands the Parish Church, which is believed to have been built in the Thirteenth Cen tury, and which served during the Turkish occu pation as a mosque. In it Francis Joseph and Elizabeth. were crowned in 1867 as King and Queen of Hungary. On a hill at the north end of the town, in the midst of vineyards, is the small Turkish mosque surmounted by a crescent erected over the grave of the Turkish saint, Sheik Gfil Baba. The Blo•ksberg, standing to the south of the castle hill, is surmounted by a citadel. At the foot of these hills near the river are a number of strong sulphur springs, around which have been erected most commodious and luxurious !lathing establishments. The famous bitter-water springs, such as the Ilunyadi-Jdnos, Arphd, etc., are also situated here.
Pest presents a marked contrast to its neigh bor on the opposite side, being built upon a flat, sandy plain, and although of more recent origin, it has far outstripped Buda in growth and gen eral improvements. The old inner town known as the city (Stud' ; Belefiros) lies along the hank of the river and has been partially surrounded by an irregular semicircle of boulevards called Die /nacre llingstrasse, from which radiate several broad avenues connecting the old town with the new suburbs. The finest of these is the broad Andrfissy Stra*se (.1 adrassy-al) extending in a straight line for a distance of about two miles from the inner ring to the park or Vdrosliget (Stadliciiblchen). Because of its great breadth, varying from 100 to 110 feet, the excellence of its paving (wood), and the uniform merit of its architectural features, it well deserves the reputation of being one of the handsomest streets in Europe. About a mile out from the inner ring, the radials are crossed by another semi circle of boulevards called Dir Grosse llingstrasse, extending from the Margaret Bridge to the Bora Platz. Still others are planned for the fu ture. One of the most striking features of Pest is the magnificent prays extending along the Danube for a distance of about three miles from the Margaret Bridge to the huge municipal grain elevator, and lined with many handsome mod ern buildings. Traffic is excluded from certain sections contain the fashionable ea fi*.s and form in favorite promenade. The most notable of the buildings found here is the magnificent new House of Parliament in the Gothic style, covering an area of nearly four acres and opened with much pomp on the occasion of the Millennial celebration in 1896. Among others may be men tioned the Academy of Sciences (1862-64), con taining a library of 180,000 volumes and the National Picture Gallery, the Palace of Prince Coburg, the so-called Redoute Buildings, contain ing a concert - hall, ball - rooms. etc., and the custom - house. Among the noteworthy public buildings in other parts of the town are the new Palace of Justice, erected in 1896; the court house of the Royal Supreme Court; the national museum, containing a library of over 467,00 volumes and collections of antiquities, modern paintings, etc.; the university, with a library of over 225,000 volumes; the Mtiesarnok, con taining the Industrial Museum; the Royal Opera House, one of the handsomest in Europe; the National Theatre; and several of the other nu merous theatres.