Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Margít-sziget
Trams #4 and #6 stop at the southern entrance on the Margít híd, and bus #26 runs down the middle of the island
to and from the Árpád híd station on the blue metro line #3; Motorists can only approach from the north of the
island, via the Árpád híd, at which point they must leave their vehicles at a paying car park. Near both entrances
you can rent bikes, pedaloes and electric cars.
There's a saying that “love begins and ends on
Margít-sziget
”, for this verdant island has
been a favourite meeting place for lovers since the nineteenth century (though before 1945
a stiff admission charge deterred the poor). A royal game reserve under the Árpáds and a
monastic colony until the Turkish conquest, today Margít-sziget has two public baths fed by
thermal springs, an outdoor theatre and other amenities.
The island was named at the endofthe nineteenth century after Princess
Margít
(Margaret),
the daughter of Béla IV. Legend has it that he vowed to bring her up as a nun if Hungary
survived the Mongol invasion, and duly confined the nine-year-old in a convent when it did.
She apparently made the best of it, acquiring a reputation for curing lepers and other saintly
deeds, as well as for never washing above her ankles. Beatification came after her death in
1271,andabelatedcanonizationin1943,bywhichtimehernamehadalreadybeenbestowed
on the
Margít híd
, built by a French company in the 1870s. Linking Margít-sziget to Buda
and Pest, it's an unusual bridge in the form of a splayed-out V, with a short arm joined to the
southern tip of the island. In November 1944, it was blown up by the Nazis, killing hundreds
of people including the German sappers who had detonated the explosives by mistake.
The pools
Walking down from the tram stop on Margít híd, you are greeted by a Millennial Monument
and a
fountain
that emits bursts of grand music. Further on, behind trees to the left, is the
Hajós Alfréd Pool
(known as the “Sport”), named after the winner of the 100m and 1200m
swimming races at the 1896 Olympics - hence the first modern Olympic swimming champi-
on. Hajós (1878-1955) was also an architect and designed the indoor pool, but the main at-
tractions here are the all-season outdoor 50m pool, where the national swimming team trains.
Another swimming venue, the
Palatinus Strand
,
lies nearly a kilometre further north. With
a monumental entrance from the 1930s, this lido can hold as many as ten thousand people at
a time in numerous open-air thermal pools, complete with a water chute, wave machine and
segregated terraces for nude sunbathing.
Ruins, zoo and gardens
Turning right off the road that runs northwards up the island before you get to the Palatinus,
you'll come to the ruins of a
Franciscanchurch
from the late thirteenth century and, beyond
that, the
petting zoo
(April-Oct daily 10am-6pm; free), where kids can enjoy llamas, pea-
cocks, birds of prey and various waterfowl; pony rides are available too (500Ft). Walk-
