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Budapest: A Cultural History (Cityscapes)

by Bob Dent

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2011,091,121 (5)None
The views of Budapest by the River Danube are unparalleled in Europe. On one side the Buda Hills reach almost to the riverside, with Castle Hill and Gellert Hill offering outstanding panoramas. Pest, linked to Buda by a series of imposing bridges, with its mixture of late nineteenth-centuryHistoricist and early twentieth-century Art Nouveau architecture, is still very much a "turn-of-the-century" city.For more than fifty years prior to the Second World War, Budapest was one of the outstanding cultural capitals of Central Europe, on a par with, and in some ways ahead of, Vienna and Prague. Now no longer "hidden" behind the Iron Curtain, much of that old atmosphere has returned. With its rich andoften turbulent history, its unique thermal baths, its excellent public transport system, its street cafes and broad-ranging cultural scene, Budapest is a captivating metropolis, currently being rediscovered as one of the liveliest cities in the region.* City on the Danube: Straddling the majestic river, Budapest's setting is unique; bridges and baths, cafes and squares; an architecture than recalls the pre-1914 era.* City of fusions: Bartok and Kodaly fused folk and classical; the tradition continues with Budapest's vibrant mixture of live folk, gypsy, klezmer and jazz.* City of the unknown: Breaking through the barrier of the Hungarian language, often described as impenetrable, presented here are writers and poets deserving international recognition.… (more)
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This is a fantastic first book to read if preparing a visit to Budapest. It is a mix between a guidebook and an introduction to the history and literary traditions of Hungary. From this book one can proceed on the one hand onto a proper guidebook for further practicalities of the places one has decided to visit. And on the other to more complete historical accounts and literary works.

It has chapters on its Baths, its Food, its Music (classical and folk), its Cafés, but also on its Topography, Heroes, and overall Identity.

Although Dent has to remain on somewhat a superficial level on his account of the History of the city, he has a good grasp of the myth-making ability of the Magyars regarding their past. His discussion on how the Jews were treated somewhat differently, at first, during Nazi times, I found particularly fascinating. The Jewish population had assimilated to a much greater degree than in other central European countries because the Magyar minority needed a weightier representation versus the other, more oppressed, minorities such as the Romanians, Croatians etc…. The migrant Jews, with their abilities to organize urban centers, and who became very nationalistic, were a very welcome community for the more agrarian Hungarians. After the frontiers were redrawn with the Trianon Treaty in 1920, their presence became more suspect and nastiness followed.

I have also discovered more writers that I should explore, such as Magda Denes (I plan to read [b:Castles Burning: A Child's Life in War|514939|Castles Burning A Child's Life in War|Magda Denes|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175446982s/514939.jpg|502902]), Tibor Déry etc. I also enjoyed hearing more on its classical music scene, with not only Béla Bartok but also Zoltán Kodály ([b:Bela Bartok and Turn-Of-The-Century Budapest|1810241|Bela Bartok and Turn-Of-The-Century Budapest|Judit Frigyesi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1188657732s/1810241.jpg|1480294] is another book for my TR list).

Anyway, this was exciting reading, and I have now an exciting trip ahead of me.


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  KalliopeMuse | Apr 2, 2013 |
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The views of Budapest by the River Danube are unparalleled in Europe. On one side the Buda Hills reach almost to the riverside, with Castle Hill and Gellert Hill offering outstanding panoramas. Pest, linked to Buda by a series of imposing bridges, with its mixture of late nineteenth-centuryHistoricist and early twentieth-century Art Nouveau architecture, is still very much a "turn-of-the-century" city.For more than fifty years prior to the Second World War, Budapest was one of the outstanding cultural capitals of Central Europe, on a par with, and in some ways ahead of, Vienna and Prague. Now no longer "hidden" behind the Iron Curtain, much of that old atmosphere has returned. With its rich andoften turbulent history, its unique thermal baths, its excellent public transport system, its street cafes and broad-ranging cultural scene, Budapest is a captivating metropolis, currently being rediscovered as one of the liveliest cities in the region.* City on the Danube: Straddling the majestic river, Budapest's setting is unique; bridges and baths, cafes and squares; an architecture than recalls the pre-1914 era.* City of fusions: Bartok and Kodaly fused folk and classical; the tradition continues with Budapest's vibrant mixture of live folk, gypsy, klezmer and jazz.* City of the unknown: Breaking through the barrier of the Hungarian language, often described as impenetrable, presented here are writers and poets deserving international recognition.

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