Timeline of Budapest

Prior to 19th century

See also: Pest, Buda and Óbuda

B.C.  - Neolithic, Chalcolithic-, bronze and iron age cultures, Celtic and Eravisci settlements on present day Budapest.

1st century CE - Romans found the settlements known as Aquincum, Contra-Aquincum and Campona. Aquincum becomes the largest town of the Danubian region and one of the capitals of Pannonia.

5th century - The Age of Huns. King Attila builds a city for himself here according to later chronicles. After his death, the sons of his brother Mundzuk (Hungarian: Bendegúz, Turkish: Boncuk), Attila and Bleda (Hungariahn:Buda), in control of the united Hun tribes.

896 - Following the foundation of Hungary, Árpád, leader of the Hungarians, settles in the "Town of Attila", usually identified as Aquincum.

10th century - Out of the seven to ten Hungarian tribes, four have settlements in the territory of modern Budapest: Megyer, Keszi, Jenő and Nyék.

1015 - Saint Stephen church established (approximate date).

1046 - Bishop Gerard of Csanád dies at the hands of pagans on present-day Gellért Hill.

1241 - Mongol invasions destroy both towns.

1248 - King Béla IV builds the first royal castle on Castle Hill, Buda. The new town adopts the name of Buda from the earlier one (present day Óbuda). Pest is surrounded by city walls.

1255 - Matthias Church reconstruction begins.

1270 - Saint Margaret of Hungary dies in a cloister on the Isle of Rabbits (present day Margaret Island).

1458 - The noblemen of Hungary elect Matthias Corvinus (in Latin) or Hunyadi Mátyás (in Hungarian) as king on the ice of the Danube. Under his reign Buda becomes a main hub of European Renaissance. He dies in 1490, after capturing Vienna in 1485.

1472 - Printing press established in Buda.

1526 - 26 November: Buda taken by forces of Ottman Suleyman.

1530 - Siege of Buda (1530).

1540 - Siege of Buda (1540).

1541

Siege of Buda (1541).

Buda becomes part of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish Pashas build multiple mosques and baths in Buda.

Budin Eyalet established.

1542 - Siege of Pest.

1550 - Rudas Baths built.

1566 - Sokollu Mustafa Pasha becomes Pasha of Buda.

1602 - An unsuccessful assault on Budapest under Feldmarschall Christof Hermann Graf von Rußworm (2 October - 15 November 1602).

1686 - Battle of Buda (1686). Buda and Pest are reconquered from the Turks with Habsburg leadership. Both towns are destroyed completely in the battles.

1690s - Resettlement, initially only a few hundred German settlers.

1771 - Citadel built in Buda.

1773 - Election of the first Mayor of Pest.

1777 - Maria Theresa of Austria moves Nagyszombat University to Castle Hill in Buda.

1783 - Joseph II places the acting government (Helytartótanács) and Magyar Kamara on Buda.

1795 - 20 May - Ignác Martinovics and other Jacobin leaders are executed on Vérmező or 'The Field of Blood'.

19th century

1810 - A fire in the Tabán district.

1811 - City Park laid out in Pest.

1823 - Fasori Gimnázium (school) founded.

1825 - Commencement of the Reform Era. Pest becomes the cultural and economic centre of the country. The first National Theatre is built, along with the Hungarian National Museum.

1830 - Steamboat to Vienna begins operating.

1833 - Vigadó Concert Hall opens in Pest.

1836 - Pest-Buda Musical Association founded.

1838 - 1838 Pest flood. The biggest flood in recent memory in March completely inundates Pest.

1839 - Industrial flour mill begins operating.

1844 - Ganz Works iron foundry in business in Buda.

1846

Vác-Budapest railway begins operating.

Railway station built.

1848 - 15 March - Start of the Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-49. Pest replaces Pozsony/Pressburg (Bratislava) as the new capital of Hungary and seat of the Batthyány government and the Parliament.

1849

5 January: Austrians occupy the city.

April: Hungarian Honvédsereg (Army of National Defense) reclaims city, taking the fortress of Buda on May 21 after an 18-day Battle of Buda (1849).

July: Habsburg army again captures the two towns.

6 October - Lajos Batthyány, the first Hungarian Prime Minister is executed on the present-day Szabadság tér.

Széchenyi Lánchíd, or Széchenyi Chain Bridge, the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Budapest was opened linking Buda (West bank) and Pest (East bank).

1853 - Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra founded.

1857 - Pest Academy of Commerce founded.

1859 - Dohány Street Synagogue consecrated in Pest.

1860 - Raitzenbad (bath) rebuilt.

1864 - Vigadó Concert Hall built.

1865

Esterhazy Gallery of art established.

Hungarian Academy of Sciences building constructed in Pest.

1867

8 June: Coronation of Franz Joseph as King of Hungary.

Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, followed by unprecedented civic development, resulting in the style of present-day Budapest.

Budapesti Közlöny government newspaper headquartered in Pest.

1868

Municipal council established in Pest.

Borsszem Jankó humor magazine headquartered in Pest.

Leopold Basilica built in Pest.

1869

János Gundel restaurant in busienss.

Margaret Island park opens.

1870

Közmunkatanács (metro planning entity) established.

Zagreb-Budapest railway begins operating.

Café Gerbeaud moves to Régi Színház Square.

1872

Military academy built in Pest.

Rumbach Street Synagogue built.

1873–1899

1873

17 November: The former cities: Pest, Buda and Óbuda are united, and with that the Hungarian capital is established with the name of Budapest.

Ráth Károly becomes Mayor of Budapest

Coat of arms of Budapest design adopted.

Budapesti Szemle scholarly journal headquartered in city.

1874

Budapest Cog-wheel Railway service is inaugurated.

Customhouse built.

Egyetértés newspaper headquartered in city.

1875

26 June: Storm.

Liszt Academy of Music founded.

1876

Andrássy Avenue opens.

Margaret Bridge built.

1877

Budapest-Nyugati Railway Terminal opens.

Országos Pedagógiai Könyvtár és Múzeum founded.

1878

Electric public lighting installed in the city centre.

Pesti Hírlap newspaper in publication.

Bolond Istók humor magazine begins publication.

1881

Budapesti Hírlap newspaper begins publication.

Population: 370,767 (75,794 in Buda + 294,973 in Pest).

1884

Budapest Keleti railway station built.

Hungarian Royal Opera House opens.

1885 - Dobos torte (cake) introduced.

1886

Budapest Opera Ball begins.

Manfred Weiss Ammunition Factory begins operating near city.

1888 - Electric tram begins operating.

1891 - Population: 491,938.

1892 - Cholera epidemic.

1893

Electric power plant built.

Electrification of Budapest finished.

1894

March: Funeral of Lajos Kossuth.

Aquincum Museum and New York Café open.

Nemzeti Szalon (art society) founded.

Wampetics (later Gundel) restaurant in business.

1895 - Hall of Art, Budapest built.

1896

Budapest Metro begins operating.

Hungary Millennium Celebrations.

Franz Joseph Bridge, Grand Boulevard, and Museum of Applied Arts built.

1899

Hungarian Transportation Museum opens.

Uránia Hungarian Scientific Theatre active.

Institute of Geology built.

1900–1945

1900

Heroes' Square constructed, with its Millennium Memorial.

Population: 732,222.

1901

21 December: Economic unrest.

Postal Savings Bank built.

Gödöllö artists' colony founded near city.

1902

Hungarian Parliament Building constructed.

Fortuna cinema opens.

1903

Cifrapalota built.

Elisabeth Bridge and Varosliget Picture House open.

1904 - Thalia Theatre opens.

1905 - Museum of Fine Arts (Budapest) built.

1906

István Bárczy becomes mayor.

Gresham Palace built.

1908 - Nyugat literary magazine begins publication.

1909

Athletic Club of Kispest established.

Endre Nagy cabaret active.

1909–1910 - Electric public lighting expanded to the suburbs, the nearby towns villages had Electric public lighting.

1910

Population: The census finds 880,000 people in Budapest and 55,000 in the largest suburb of Újpest (now part of Budapest). The religious make-up was 60.9% Catholic, 23.1% Jewish, 9.9% Calvinist and 5.0% Lutheran. Újpest was 65.9% Catholic, 18.4% Jewish, 9.7% Calvinist and 4.5% Lutheran. The percentage of ethnic Germans was 9.0% in Budapest and 5.7% in Újpest, while 2.3% of the population claimed to be Slovak.

1913 - Bozsik Stadion (stadium) built.

1915 - A Tett cultural magazine begins publication.

1916 - Helios cinema and Magyar Zsidó Museum open.

1918

31 October: Socialist Aster Revolution begins. Revolution and the 133 days of the Hungarian Republic of Councils (March–August 1919) under the leadership of Béla Kun. It is the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.

1919

21 March: City becomes capital of the Hungarian Soviet Republic.

6 August: French-supported Romanian forces enter city. The Communist government collapsed and its leaders fled. In retaliation for the Red Terror, reactionary crews now exacted revenge in a two-year wave of violent repression known today as the White Terror.

1 November: Budapest becomes capital of the Hungarian Democratic Republic, established by Mihály Károlyi.

14 November: Romanian occupation ends.

16 November: Miklós Horthy and National Army enter Budapest; regency government established in 1920.

1921 - Magyar Írás newspaper begins publication.

1924 - Hungarian National Bank is founded.

1925 - Hungarian Radio commences broadcasting.

1926

Corvin Áruház (shop) in business on Blaha Lujza tér.

Forum Cinema active.

1930 - Population: 1,442,869.

1933

Disassembly of the Tabán commences.

April: National Socialist demonstrations.

1937 - Petőfi Bridge built.

1938

Magyar Optical Works active.

Barlang cinema opens.

1944

19 March - German forces occupy Budapest. At the time of the occupation, there were 184,000 Jews and between 65,000 and 80,000 Christians of Jewish descent in the town. The Arrow Cross collaborated with the Germans in murdering Jews. Fewer than half of Budapest's Jews (approximately 119,000) survived the following 11 months.

3 November: Budapest Offensive by Soviet forces begins.

26 December: Siege of Budapest begins.

1945

15–18 January: Soviet and Romanian troops besiege Budapest. The retreating Germans destroy all Danube bridges. On 18 January, the soviets complete the occupation of Pest.

13 February: The Buda castle falls; Siege of Budapest ends. World War II took the lives of close to 200,000 Budapest residents and caused widespread damage to the buildings of the city.

1946–1990s

1946

Kossuth Bridge built.

Széll Kálmán Square renamed "Moscow Square."

1947 - Liberty Statue (Budapest) erected.

1949 - City becomes capital of the Hungarian People's Republic.

1950 - Árpád Bridge opens.

1952 - Esti Budapest newspaper begins publication.

1956

23 October - 4 November - The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 breaks out, ending in the invasion of a large Soviet force.

Népszabadság newspaper headquartered in city.

1959 - Béla Balázs Studio of film established.

1960s - Wartime damage is largely repaired.

1963 - Rákosi bunker built.

1964 - Elizabeth Bridge rebuilt, the final bridge to be repaired postwar.

1968

Budapest Transport established.

Iparterv art group active.

1969 - Marriott hotel built.

1970

The first phase of the East-Western Metro begin operating.

Population: 1,945,083.

1972 - Moszkva tér (Budapest Metro) opens at Moscow Square.

1974 - Rubik's Cube invented.

1975 - Budapest-Déli Railway Terminal built.

1976

The first phase of the North-Southern Metro begins.

Hilton hotel built.

1979 - Artpool founded.

1983 - Budapest Festival Orchestra founded.

1985 - Petőfi Csarnok youth center opens.

1987

Budapest designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dimitrov Square renamed "Church Square."

1989 - City becomes part of the Third Hungarian Republic.

1990

Gábor Demszky becomes mayor.

Budapest Stock Exchange re-established.

Population: The city is home to 2,016,100 residents.

Gyöngyösi utca (Budapest Metro) opens.

1992 - Kempinski Hotel Corvinus in business.

1995 - Rákóczi Bridge opens.

1996

European Roma Rights Center established.

Polus Center (shopping mall), Duna Plaza shopping mall, and Corvin cinema established.

1997 - Budapest Pride event begins.

1999 - WestEnd City Center shopping mall in business.

21st century

2000 - Buda Health Center established.

2002

August: Flood.

National Theatre (Budapest) rebuilt.

Andrássy Avenue is added to the list of World heritage Sites, along with the Millennium Underground railway and Heroes' Square.

2004

1 May: Hungary joins the European Union.

Budapest City Archives new building opens.

2006

September–October: Anti-government protests in Kossuth Lajos square.

Budapest Fringe Festival begins.

200 km of the 1000 km road in capital level local government handling is reconstructed after 80 km in the former year. The world's longest trams, Siemens Combino Supras start service on Grand Boulevard, by the end of the year 150 Volvo 7700 buses take part in replacing the aging BKV fleet. Reconstruction of metro line 2 finishes.

2008

The Eastern part of the M0 motorway around the city with Megyeri Bridge is finished and given to public. The new Northern Railway Bridge is finished and is opened to public.

By this year 400 km road have been reconstructed due to the road reconstruction program paired with pipe (heating and water) replacements to modern, narrow and heat-conserving ones, and where needed sewer system expansion or replacement.

2009 - The 2007-2009 complete reconstruction of Liberty Bridge finishes.

2010

István Tarlós becomes mayor.

The Central Wastewater Treatment Plant starts its normal operation. This increases biologically treated sewage from 51% to 100%.

2011

The 2009-2011 complete and historical reconstruction of Margaret Bridge finishes.

Population: 1,729,040 city; 3,284,110 metro.

2012 - Protest related to new Constitution of Hungary.

2014

First phase of Line 4 (Budapest Metro) opens for use by the public.

2014 Hungarian Internet tax protests.

2015 - September: Demonstration by migrants.

2016 - March: Share of modern, air conditioned low-floor buses increases over 80%.