Jewels of Bohemia Day 12

Saturday, Sept. 6 -- Budapest

After breakfast, we embarked on a morning city tour of the undisputed "Queen of the Danube." Budapest is divided by the beautiful river, with Pest (the left bank) to its east, and Buda (the right bank) to its west.

Our local guide took us to the Jewish quarter and through an arcade that was lined with vendors and courtyards.  At the end was a piece of the Jewish ghetto wall. The last remaining section of the ghetto wall is situated in the backyard of a building (No. 15 Király Street) and was originally an old stone wall made use by the Nazis in 1944 adding a line of barbed wire. The walls of the ghetto were typically older structures found on the area. The ghetto boundary in Budapest did not follow open streets as in most other cases, but was drawn behind the houses using firewalls and reinforced courtyard walls, thus minimizing effort and visibility. Today this historical monument is in utmost danger, every year pieces are torn down or simply collapse.

The remains of the nazi ghetto wall (Holocaust 1944/45) in the old Jewish quarter.

We continued on to the Dohány (Great) Synagogue. It is the 2nd largest synagogue in the world (behind New York) and seats 3000. Everything in it has meaning: the chandelier design, the window design, etc. It was built between 1854 and 1859 and is in the Byzantine-Moorish style. It has three naves and, following orthodox tradition, separate galleries for women. The Jews in Budapest were given freedom of religion in 1251 so many from all over Europe flocked here and there was a very large and vibrant community. Things went along pretty well until 1941 when Hungary joined the Axis and anti-Semitic laws were passed. In 1944 Adolf Eichmann came to Budapest to implement the “Final Solution” and many Jews were transported to Auschwitz. The remaining Jews were forced into a ghetto surrounding the synagogue. The streets were walled off and they were crowded into small apartments and given not enough food to survive. Thousands died every day. The ghetto was liberated on Jan. 18, 1945 by the Soviets.


We were there on a Saturday so we could not visit inside the synagogue.

A large rose window is the facade's main ornamentation.  It is located between two richly decorated towers crowned with distinctive onion domes.

A Hebrew inscription from the second book of Moses is situated under the rose window

Behind the synagogue is The Tree of Life in memory of the 600,000 Hungarian Jews who were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The tree, which is made of stainless steel and silver, is fashioned to look like a weeping willow. Inscribed on its 4000 metal leaves are the names of Hungarian Holocaust victims.

The world has promised that never again would we allow something like this to happen to a people, that we would never forget. Yet our memories seem to be extremely short: we allowed the Soviets to run over and slaughter much of Eastern Europe; we allowed the Chinese to slaughter the people of Tibet; we allowed the slaughter on all sides in Bosnia; we allowed the various slaughters that have raged across Africa. In all these cases we have stood back and said “it’s not our business”. 

This memorial of an angel swooping down to help a fallen victim, honors the Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz, who is credited with saving over 62,000 Jews, the largest rescue operation of Jews of the Second World War. Due to his actions, half of Jewish population of Budapest survived and was not deported to Nazi Extermination camps during The Holocaust. Nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, he was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.

The Swooping Angel

St Stephens Basilica

Continuing our tour, we passed St Stephens Basilica on our way to Heroes' Square.

The Heroes' Monument was built for the 1896 Millennium celebrations.  Hungary celebrated the 1000th anniversary that its ancestors found a place to settle down in the Carpathian Basin. Every part of the monument plays tribute to determining parts of Hungary's history. 


The 36 m high Corinthian column dominates the square with Archangel Gabriel on its top holding St. Stephen's Crown. According to the story, Gabriel appeared to St. Stephen in his dream and offered him the crown of Hungary.

The symbolic figures atop the four corner pillars represent:  war, peace, work and welfare, and knowledge and glory.

Two museums flank both sides of the Square: Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Arts.  

Museum of Fine Art

Palace of Arts

We saw the medieval buildings at Buda's Castle Hill, where a massive castle complex and its ramparts high above the Danube have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Matyas Church is in the heart of Buda Castle

Fisherman's Bastion.

This fantastic structure never had the role of a defensive building, despite its name.  It serves instead as a viewing terrace.  The conical towers are an allusion to the tribal tents of the early Magyars.

View from Fisherman's Bastion

When we got to the Central Market Hall we were given 45 minutes to shop and get lunch. We grabbed sandwiches and quickly searched for folk costumes for Noah.  We found a shirt and a vest, both embroidered with traditional Hungarian designs.    Our time was running out so we didn’t have time to shop for anything else.  I had planned to get Paprika for everyone, but we were too rushed.

  

Back at the hotel we were to meet Marsha for a tour of the opulent State Opera house.  

   
Afterward we joined Marsha and Alyce and went to a restaurant not far from the Opera where we ate outside.  Dave had bacon-wrapped perch and I had shrimp ravioli in shrimp sauce.  Both were delicious. 

For another perspective of the city, this evening we gathered for a bus trip up to a lookout on the Pest side overlooking the Danube and the city.  The view was spectacular.  

Then we embarked on an hour-long cruise on the Danube River—an opportunity to witness Budapest's monuments brilliantly illuminated, from Pest's Danube Promenade to the Buda Castle District.