Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bem tér
Fő utca terminates at
Bem tér
, named after the Polish general Joseph Bem, who fought for
the Hungarians in the War of Independence, and was revered by his men as “Father”. A
statue of Bem
with his arm in a sling recalls him leading them into battle at Piski, crying “I
shall recapture the bridge or die! Forward Hungarians! If we do not have the bridge we do
not have the country.” Traditionally a site for demonstrations, it was here that the crowds as-
sembled prior to marching on Parliament at the beginning of the 1956 Uprising. In the north-
west corner, at the junction of Frankel Leó utca, stands a Budapest institution, the
Bambi
-
one of the few unreformed café-bars that retains its 1970s furnishings and no-nonsense wait-
resses.
Foundry Museum
Öntödei Múzeum • II, Bem utca 20 • Thurs-Sat 10am-2pm • 800Ft • 1 201 4370,
mmkm.hu
A century ago, the neighbourhood surrounding Bem tér was dominated by a foundry estab-
lished by the Swiss ironworker Abrahám Ganz, which grew into the mighty Ganz Machine
Works. The original ironworks only ceased operation in 1964, when it was turned into a
Foundry Museum
, which sits rather incongruously amidst the neighbouring flats and mod-
ern high-rises 200m up the hill from Bem tér. You can still see the old wooden structure and
the foundry's huge ladles and cranes
in situ
, together with a quite superb collection of cast-
iron stoves, tram wheels, lamp posts and other exhibits.
Széll Kálmán tér to Rózsadomb
The area immediately north of the Vár is defined by the scruffy transport hub of
Széll
Kálmán tér
(Kálmán Széll Square). A former clay quarry that was turned into tennis courts
between the wars, it was named in 1929 after Széll, a former finance and prime minister. Re-
named
Moszkva tér
in 1951, it only regained its old name in 2011. To the north, the
Mam-
mut mall
(fronted by a statue of the woolly beast) is a magnet for shoppers, as is the lively
Fény utca
market
and the
Millenáris Park
. The park contains the long-standing tourist at-
traction of Gül Baba's tomb, on the lower slopes of Rózsadomb. Otherwise, Széll Kálmán tér
is the place to catch buses to the
Cogwheel Railway
or the
Farkasréti Cemetery
, as well as
tram #4 or #6 to Pest.
Millenáris Park
Millenáris • II, Fény utca 20-22 • Indoor Play Centre daily 10am-6pm • 1590Ft • 1 336 4000,
millenar-
The main attraction of the area is the
Millenáris Park
, the site of the former Ganz Machine
Works behind the Mammut malls. Set around a small lake, the converted factory buildings
and the landscaped park between them host indoor and outdoor concerts and theatre, as well