Once again, Streets and Squares is providing you with some interesting background information on street signs around the world - a fun way to learn about the history and culture of the cities you visit or even live in!
This time we go through Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The street signs there often end in utca. Or just út. _Híd _means bridge, park is park, tér is square, and rakpart is wharf. And as always, clicking at the address will lead you to Google Maps, and clicking at the name to the person’s Wikipedia page.
As you may know, Budapest consists of Buda on the west side of the river Danube, and Pest on the east side. We will indicate here which side of the river these addresses below are. So Buda to the left, Pest to the right - and the bridges in the middle. Let’s start!
ANDRÁSSY ÚT (Andrassy Avenue/Pest) - Gyula Andrássy (1823-1890) statesman who served as Prime Minister of Hungary and then as Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary. StreetView
BARTÓK BÉLA ÚT (Bartók Béla Boulevard/Buda) - Béla Bartók (1881-1945) composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. Along with Liszt regarded as Hungary’s greatest composer. Born in Nagyszentmiklós, Kingdom of Hungary. StreetView
CARL LUTZ RAKPART (Pest) - Carl Lutz (1895-1975) Swiss diplomat credited with saving over 62,000 Jews during the Holocaust. Due to his actions, half of the Jewish population of Budapest were saved from deportation to Nazi extermination camps. StreetView
ERZSÉBET HÍD (Elisabeth Bridge) - Elisabeth of Bavaria (1837-1898) was a popular Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, as the wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I. StreetView
JANE HAINING RAKPART (Pest) - Jane Haining (1897-1944) Church of Scotland missionary active in Hungary. The only Scot to be officially honored for giving her life to help Jews in the Holocaust. StreetView
KAZINCZY UTCA (Pest) - Ferenc Kazinczy (1759-1831) was a Hungarian author, poet and translator. Very much involved in the extensive Language Reform in the 19th century. StreetView
KOSSUTH LAJOS UTCA (Pest) - Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894) was a nobleman, lawyer and statesman, and a great orator who served as Governor-President of the Kingdom of Hungary during the revolution of 1848–49. StreetView
LISZT FERENC TÉR - Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a prolific composer, virtuoso pianist, teacher and nationalist during the Romantic era. Born in village of Doborján, Kingdom of Hungary. StreetView
MARGIT HÍD (Margaret Bridge) - Saint Margaret (1242-1270) was a Dominican nun and daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary and Maria Laskarina. StreetView
RÁDAY UTCA (Raday Street/Pest) - Gedeon Ráday (1713-1792) was a Hungarian poet, translator and politician who served as Minister of Defence. Born in Pécel, Kingdom of Hungary. StreetView
SLACHTA MARGIT RAKPART (Buda) - Margit Slachta (1884-1974) a social activist who founded the Sisters of Social Service. StreetView
SZÉCHENYI LÁNCHÍD (Chain Bridge) - István Széchenyi (1791-1860) was a politician and writer, and to many Hungarians still known as “the greatest of the Magyars”. StreetView
A to Z FROM BUDAPEST
i.e. a list of people born in Budapest. Just another fun way to know something more about the city. We pick a couple of people for each alphabet, if possible. The numbers you see at the end of each line indicate the year of birth. This list is updated from time to time. And last but not least: the flag of the city, down below!
A -
E - Marta Eggerth* actress/ singer (1912)
F - Margit Feldman* (b Buchhalter) Hungarian-American Holocaust survivor/ public speaker/activist (1929)
G - Zsa Zsa Gabor* actress (1917) - Eva Gabor* actress /singer (1919)
H - Harry Houdini* stage magician/stunt performer (1874)
K - Ágnes Keleti* (b Klein) Hungarian and Israeli artistic gymnast/OG/coach (1921) - Imre Kertész* novelist/N (1929)
L - Johann Löwenthal* chess master (1810)
M - Nándor Mikola* watercolor painter (1911)
N - Miklós Németh* athlete/javelin/OG (1946)
P - Ferenc Puskás* football player (1927)
R - Ernö Rubik* architect/inventor of the Rubik Cube (1944)
S - György Szepesi* (b Friedländer) journalist/sports commentator (1922) - George Soros* business magnate/ philanthropist (1930)
T - Edward Teller* physicist (1908)
W - Eugene Wigner* physicist/N (1902)
Updated 2025-0107 Helsinki
Sources:
https://welovebudapest.com/en/toplists/7-splendid-streets-for-beautiful-strolls-in-budapest/
Budapest Overview
25 Hungarian Phrases to learn while in Budapest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary
