Some extra pictures from Budapest

A few extra pics from a week in Budapest.

Last day in Budpest

“When in Rome”. The Szechenyl Spa Baths in Budapest are one of the largest baths in Europe with 15 indoor pools, 3 outdoor pools, and 10 saunas. And steam chambers.  The hot springs were first developed in the 1880s during the time of the Austria-Hungarian empire (the Hapsburgs). They opened in 1913. 

I found I could travel there near Heroes Square on the Metro. Each bath has a controlled temperature and it was fun to sample several of them. You had to buy slippers and rent a towel. (I had brought a swimming costume). 

This last day was somewhat interrupted with many police present, taped off roads and the traffic, including the buses and local surface trains halted for a time.

The reason was that Mr Putin was visiting Victor Orban. Two “gangster capitalists” meeting. The population do not appear to realize that the Orban government has taken control of the media so the population may not be aware of the significance of this. If anyone wants to read more they should read articles in the Economist and the New York Times about the autocratic regime in Hungary. No wonder they are learning from Putin’s Russia!

It was another rainy day and I was glad to get back to the hotel after a relaxing time at the Szechenyl Spa Baths. 

This is Hero’s square in the rain.

Ignaz Semmelweis

Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis was born into a Catholic German family in Hungary in July 1st 1818. There is an excellent museum in Budapest called HNM Semmelweis Museum, Library and Archives of the History of Medicine. It was walking distance from my hotel.

Semmelweis is considered to be one of the first physicians to have identified that puerperal fever and mortality (women dying of septicemia after childbirth) was due to an infectious agent and that it could be prevented by hygienic measures. He carried out a case control study observing that women whose babies were delivered by a doctor after he had carried out an autopsy (with no hand washing etc) had a much higher mortality rate than those delivered by midwives who were not involved in carrying out autopsies and therefore exposed to possible infectious agents. This was in 1847.

His findings were not published in a journal until 1861. He stated that he had used “chlorina liquida” in May 1847 but then he used the less expensive “chlorinated lime”. This resulted in of the 1,841 maternity patients cared for only 56 died (3.04 per cent).  

Semmelweis’s views were criticized by such names as Virchow (1821-1902). It was not until the experiments and demonstrations of Louis Pasteur (1822-1896) and the postulates developed by Robert Koch (1843-1910) was medical thinking able to formulate a theoretical concept  of the pathogens and infections agents that could be responsible for causing diseases. Joseph Lister (1827-1912) from Scotland introduced carbolic acid solutions for irrigating wounds in August 1865.

By this time Semmelweis was dying in Vienna either of sepsis or perhaps from tertiary syphilis. Lister said at a Congress in Budapest in 1894 “Without Semmelweis my work would be in vain. New surgery owes most to the great son of Hungary”

The museum to-day has some marvelous old instruments and apparatus on display. I am glad I found it! 

House of terror museum

The “House of Terror” is a museum now, but it was witness to two shameful and tragic periods in Hungary’s 20th Century history. It was truly a house of terror in 1944, during the gruesome domination of the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party this building, know as the “House of Loyalty” was the party headquarters of the Hungarian Nazis. Then between 1945 and 1956, the notorious communist terror organizations, the AVO and its successor, the AVH, took up residence here. 60 Andrassy Boulevard has become the house of terror and dread. The museum commemorates the victims of terror, but it is also a memento, reminding us of the dreadful acts of terrorist dictatorships. 

Interestingly it was opened as a museum in 2002 by the then culture minister Victor Orban who is now (in 2019) the prime minister. 

It was a rainy day and that added to learning more about the awful history of Hungarians particularly here in Budapest. However the Communists took particularly aim at the rural Hungarians living on farms. When they participated in the 1956 revolutions which was brutally suppressed many of their young people were executed (by hanging) here in the “House of Terrors”.

Hungarian folklore

In a small theatre that must have dated back to the 18th century (Austria-Hungarian Hapsburg empire) I went to an evening of gypsy type of dancing. It was performed by the Danube Folk Ensemble. There were Hungarian, Austrian and other neighboring nations dances. No photos allowed during the performance but the theatre was spectacular. 

Budapest Synagogue

The Dohany street Synagogue is the largest in Europe and the second largest (after New York) in the world. It was finished in 1859. It was built in neo-Moorish style with additional elements of the Byzantine, Romantic and Gothic styles. It even has an organ (inspired by Mendelssohn who was Jewish) which is most unusual in a Synagogue. It can hold 3000 people including the upper tiers where the women sit. In the garden is a striking “heart-wrenching” Holocaust Memorial designed by Imre Varga and erected in 1959. In the basement is a small museum with much detail of how the Jews were treated during WWII. About 600,000 Budapest Jews were sent to death camps like Aushwitz by the Hungarian Nazi party and later the Germans.

St Stephens Basilica on Sunday

St Stephen’s Basilica is a must see for any tourist visiting Budapest. It is of course dedicated to St Stephen who brought Christianity to Hungary and is considered the founder of Hungary. The Basilica’s building began in 1851 but foundered with the death of the first architect and the collapse of the first dome. It was eventually completed in 1906. I was lucky enough to time a visit, traveling via the Metro, for about 10.30 on a Sunday morning when mass was being celebrated. There was a choir singing and an organ voluntary at the end of the service. It was while there that I found that a performance of Mozart’s Requiem was being performed in the evening. What a great serendipitous occurrence! The Requiem was performed by a choir and orchestra from the town of Esztergom which is about 40 KM from Budapest on the Danube and on the border with Slovakia. What was noticeable about the performance was the extra ordinary acoustic delay (echo) - probably about 8 seconds in the magnificent St Stephens Basilica.

La fille mal gardee

The ballet “La Fille Mal Gardee” was one classical music event that I could find before leaving home on this week in Budapest. Unfortunately the Budapest Opera House is under renovation and this performance was at the Erkel theatre. A theatre that must have been built in the Communist era as it is somewhat drab with brown colors etc. However the ballet which I learned is very popular with ballet companies world wide was most enjoyable. The musical score is by Ferdinand Herold, a French composer but the ballet dance was developed by British Sir Frederick Ashton in the 1960s. It was funny, full of continuous dancing, a clown, a young couple in love, a huge corps de ballet and great music to accompany it. The costumes are probably as originally designed for the Sir Frederick Ashton performances. Anyone who is a ballet fan probably knows it well.    

Hospital in the Rock

This museum whose history can be found on Wikipedia is called “Hospital in the Rock”. I would recommend a visit to anyone medical as it has a fascinating history and there are life sized displays of what it was like. We were not meant to take photographs but I managed to snap one when the guide was not looking. There was an excellent english speaking guide. One was able to experience the last 80 years through the experience of a hospital and who was treated. The underground tunnels had been present for centuries. It was in 1939 that the Mayor of Budapest arranged for the construction of a secret  hospital underground. It was completed in 1944.  During the 1945 siege of Budapest the hospital which was designed for 60 patients had about 600 patients. It was again extensively needed during the 1956 Hungarian revolution. The hospital museum has displays of the operating rooms, the equipment used in its time  and medicines I noticed bottles of the antibiotic Chloramphenicol. They were also likely using Chloroform and Ether. Some of the equipment and surgical instruments I recognized from the training in the 1960s in London!

During the Cold War a secret nuclear protected bunker was built adjacent to the hospital. I had seen nuclear bunkers before in Ottawa (The Diefenbunker) and in the White Cliffs of Dover. this one however has been preserved to high museum standards and is worth a visit. At the end of the tour there was an excellent display of the devastating effect of Nuclear bombs, the huge inventory that exists in the world to-day in many countries,  and a plea for peace and for there never to be a nuclear war again.

Castle Hill

Castle Hill is in Buda and was a short public bus ride from the hotel. I wanted to spend half a day there after having seen it briefly the previous day. The first place to see was Matthias Church. Spectacular on the outside but fascinating painted mural like bricks on the inside. There was also what is called the Fisherman’s Bastion - where one can walk along and have a panoramic view of the Danube and of Pest on the opposite shore. There was a surprising treat when under a band shell a wind orchestra from Freiburg Switzerland were playing. They appeared very professional but the president of the orchestra (whom I talked to) told me that they were all amateurs and worked in such industries as IT and watch making. I then went on to visit the Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker (next posting!).

History of Hungary and Budapest

King Stephen is considered the founder of Hungary. He was crowned on Christmas Day in the year 1000 and became Hungary’s first king and converted the population to Christianity from their many  Pagan religions particularly the Magyars. The Mongols invaded in 1241. The rule of King Matthias (1458-1490) is considered the golden age of medieval Hungary. The Turks occupied Hungary from 1541 and Hungary became part of the Ottoman Empire. The laws of Islam prevailed. Then in the 18th  century the Hapsburg’s began reconstruction and Hungary was part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire. However in 1848 the population was involved in a revolution that was suppressed. Later in the century the  Buda palace was reconstructed. Buda and Pest were joined in 1873. New bridges were built. In 1896 massive Magyar celebrations commemorated 1000 years of occupying the land. The vast parliament buildings were built as well as monumental Heroes square. By 1900 Budapest rivaled Vienna as a capital of culture and had truly come into its own as a political, administrative, and commercial force.

In WWI Hungary was aligned with Germany, Austria - Hungary and the Ottoman (Turks) Empire. More than one million Hungarians died. After WWI Hungary’s territory was reduced to one third of its previous size. Then Hungary began to ally itself with the Axis powers - Germany and Italy. In 1944 Germany occupied Hungary and set up a puppet government. Hungarian Jews were sent to German death camps. In April 1945 the Soviet army drove the Germans out of Hungary. Budapest suffered a 100 day siege as the Nazi troupes and Soviet army confronted each other. There were 19 bombing raids and the famous chain bridge was severely damaged by the withdrawing Nazi troupes.

In 1956 when Hungary was under Communist rule another revolution occurred. It was suppressed by the Soviets who brought in tanks. In 1960 there was introduction of what is described as "Goulash Communism" when there was some improvement in the standard of living. Eventually in 1990 Hungary, after the fall of Communism, elected a democratic government. The economy was revitalized and many improvements were made to public buildings and streets. In 2004 Hungary joined the European Union. They have however kept their own currency - the Hungarian Florin.  To-day Budapest is a spectacular tourist city with many rebuilt and renovated historic buildings.

First day in Budapest

On the first day I hired a private tour guide through Trip Advisor. Her name was Naomi (she was 32) She knew Hungarian history well having a degree in history and languages. As an independent traveller this is a formula I have developed if one is to spend a week in a major city. We visited most of the major tourist attractions but did not go into any churches or museums. More importantly she enabled me to buy a train ticket to Prague for next Thursday, to buy a ticket to a ballet (La fille mal gardee), learn how to get on the Metro and figure out which activities to undergo for the rest of the week.
I learned a lot about the history of Hungary and more importantly the history of Budapest. (More later)

Hunting

Usually on my annual visit to my sister I am able to go to a meet of the local hunt - the East and West Kent hunt. Anne has recently (with much regret) given up riding with the hounds. However she likes to go to the meets and follow on foot. For me it is a wonderful glimpse into English country life. I first followed the hunt from about the age of 17 when a friend and I would follow for a couple of hours and then go to the local pub for a beer! The longstanding tradition with its Huntsmen, Masters of the hunt (there are six who take turns organising each meet and arranging with local farmers where they can seek out the foxes and where the field can ride), the hounds, the many riders (from the posh with their fancy horse boxes to the locals on their nags), the sounds of the hunting horn and the hounds is an unforgettable experience. It is all illegal and at times they have the anti-hunting groups turn up and try and disrupt the hunt. This year the meet was at a farm at Preston close to a beautiful old church and starting on a farm whose owner collects old steam engines. There were about 20 riders that turned up. We then followed on foot for a couple of hours and did see a fox which got away from the hounds.

Garrington farm house and riding

The farm house has recently been painted and is looking great. One morning a friend of my sister came to go riding with her on her horse named Shaun. (The horse came with that name rather than my sister naming him after her brother!)