Places to visit
From hotel Memories to Sir Lancelot Restaurant
A one-hour leisurely walk to the restaurant will set aside the main streets and sights of Budapest. She will discover hidden places that only locals know — the house where Max Nordau lived. In his office, Theodor Herzel first spoke about the Jewish state. The cozy courtyards of the Jewish quarter, which are full of pubs, bars, and restaurants. The proud and majestic Andrassy Avenue, which is called the Champs Elysees in Budapest. The famous opera house with its cunning acoustics. And finally, the house in which the Jewish boy lived, who came up with a ballpoint pen and an automatic transmission. All this during a one-hour walk in the fresh air, which will help you get rid of two hundred calories before a hearty dinner.
We will begin our acquaintance with Budapest not with the noisy boulevards and main attractions, but with the hidden streets where local people visit.
There are two houses on the right turn to Dob Street. One, built of brick, resembles a huge red thing as in the Star Wars IV episode on the Robot Dealer. Another Art Nouveau style building recently celebrated its centenary. Brothers Román Ernő and Román Miklós have built this building in the early beginning of the last century. They were born into a Jewish family in Buda. They became famous by making a synagogue for the Syrian Jewish community. It was severely damaged during the war, and during the Soviet occupation, it was demolished. Both survived the Holocaust here in the Jewish quarter of the city. The house was built by order of the Jewish merchant Jacob Gluckmann, before that there was a house in which Max Nordau lived and worked. In his office, Herzl talked about his future vision of the Jewish state. When Adolf Eichmann organized a ghetto in Budapest, his offices were located in this house.
Photo: http://urbface.com/budapest/a-gluckmann-berhaz
Architect Győző Czigler designed the complex, and the Gozsdu Foundation built it in 1900-1901. All the seven original buildings were part of the Jewish Ghetto that existed from November 1944 to January 1945. In 1999 Gozsdu-courtyard was privatized, and reconstruction works were done between 2002-2008. Today it is well known for cafés, bars, pubs, galleries, exclusive shops.
Photo: By Globetrotter19 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39939990
King Street is now a part of the "party district," which is crowded with restaurants and tourists, with low traffic and a narrower section. This street is the northwestern border of the historic Jewish Quarter. Its name comes from König von Engelland's inn, which stands at today's Deák Square.
Photo of the Király utca Budapest 1929, by: Készítette: Kinszki Imre - http://www.fszek.hu/konyvtaraink/kozponti_konyvtar/budapest_gyujtemeny/?article_hid=25446, Közkincs, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46146577
At the next intersection, beyond the square, there was a northeast exit from the ghetto. We will turn north towards one of the main streets of the city - Andrássy Avenue.
Andrássy Avenue is dating back to 1872. Wide boulevard with spectacular neo-renaissance mansions was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 2002. It was named in 1885 after the leading supporter of the project, Prime Minister Gyula Andrássy. The first subway line of continental Europe was built in Budapest under the Andrassy boulevard. It is called the Millennium Line as it was constructed for the Millennium Celebration of 1896, commemorating the Hungarian Conquest of 896. In the 1950s It became Sztálin út ("Stalin Street"). During the 1956 uprising, it was renamed to Magyar Ifjúság útja ("Avenue of Hungarian Youth"). The following year communists changed the name to Népköztársaság út ("People's Republic Street"). The former name of Andrássy was restored in 1990, after the end of the communist era.
Photo: By xorge - Budapest (89), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67485123
At the site of the opera house in the mid-nineteenth century, there was a swamp around which goats grazed. A rapidly growing city drained the swamp and created the first wooden stage, which was used for folk performances mainly for German-speaking actors. The theater was not successful and had a bad reputation because of the courtesans. Only at the end of the 19th century, when the troupe of actors of the drama and opera houses split, did the opera become popular in Budapest and the theater began to flourish. The theater became famous under the leadership of Gustave Mahler in 1888. Giacomo Puccini staged his operas twice in the theater. In terms of acoustics, the theater is second only to the famous La Scala and the Paris Opera. An interesting fact: the descending and rising chandeliers change the acoustics of the hall.
The name of the street suggests that in the 18th century, there was a large field. Because of the large number of theaters operating there, locals often call this street as "Pest Broadway."
Photo by: Készítette: Dguendel - A feltöltő saját munkája, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46834567
The "biro" or ballpoint pen was invented by a Hungarian, Sir Biro László József, born in Budapest. Biro was born into a Jewish family. His father, Mozes Matthias Schweiger, in accordance with the policy of Magyarization, after the birth of his son, changed his surname to Biro. Deciding to become a successor to the dynasty of dentists, he entered the medical institute. Then he went to work at an oil company and became interested in car racing. He developed an automatic transmission and sold a patent for it to General Motors. Biro's former home under 24 Nagymező Street now houses the Thália Theatre.
Source: https://www.trippy.com/facts/Budapest Photo: Készítette: Ato 01 - A feltöltő saját munkája, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28853790
Lancelot is one of the most famous restaurants in Budapest. http://www.sirlancelot.hu/?lang=en#
