Hungary

Budapest is Hungary’s capital and largest city, the political and cultural center where the National Assembly meets in the iconic neo-Gothic Parliament on the Danube. The city was created in 1873 by uniting Buda, Pest, and Óbuda, and today its riverbanks, Buda Castle, and the Chain Bridge symbolize the nation’s heart. Memory tip: Buda + Pest = Budapest—the two halves that “join to rule.” Debrecen, Szeged, and Miskolc are important regional cities (Debrecen is the second largest), but they are not the seat of government. Budapest’s famed thermal baths and grand boulevards further mark it as Hungary’s premier city.