Andrássy avenue
A walk along the turn of the century
The Andrássy avenue (Andrássy út in Hungarian) runs from the Inner City, the Elisabeth Square (Erzsébet tér) to the Heroes’ Square (Hősök tere) and is 3.3 km long. It was built at the end of the 19th century and offers a unique view of the “golden age” of Hungary, in Austro-Hungarian Monarchy times with Emperor Franz Joseph, King of Hungary.
Under the Andrássy út, the first underground railway line on the European mainland was opened in 1896. The Andrássy út in Budapest has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2002.
The Radial Road
The road originally was called Andrássy út Sugárút (meaning Radial Road). It has been built in 1885 and was named after Gyula Andrássy. He was the Prime Minister of Hungary (1867 – 1871) and came up with the idea for the boulevard in 1870. Gyula Andrássy was a revolutionary, who fought for Hungary and spent some time in exile. (In Paris he was called the most handsome death row inmate).
Walking along the road we get a total picture of the life of the urban population. We look, among other things, the Saxlechner Palace, the Opera House, designed by Miklós Ybl, a well-known Hungarian architect in the 19th century who also built St. Stephan’s Basilica. The State Opera was opened to the public in 1884. We also see the Operetta Theater, the Liszt Ferenc (Franz Liszt) Music Academy, housed in a building by Flóris Korb and Kálman Giergl from 1907, which is considered a masterpiece of Hungarian Sezession architecture. This music academy was founded in 1875 by the outstanding composer and pianist Ferenc (Franz) Liszt himself. The versatile academy serves as an educational institution, international music university and concert center.
As the highlight of the walk we reach the old Millennium Square or Hősök tere (Heroes’ Square), with the heroes of 1000 years of Hungarian history.
The Millenium Monument
The Millennium Monument is located in the middle of Heroes’ Square. There are 2 museums to the left and right of the square: the Museum of Fine Arts and the Kunsthal.
The Millennium Monument on Heroes’ Square belongs with the Andrássy Boulevard to the World Heritage of Budapest and Hungary.
On the way, if desired, we can take a cup of coffee or tea (with cake) in an old coffee house on Andrássy Boulevard.
We will of course return to the center with the oldest underground railway in mainland Europe.
