BUDAPEST
Peaceful and bustling, a big metropolis and yet friendly, it treasures the old and embraces the new. That is the sort of magnetic quality that Budapest radiates. Here the historic blends with the modern, the hills harmonize with the river, that is, the Danube, which flows through the city along a stretch of 28 kilometres.
The importance of BUDAPEST to Hungary is difficult to overestimate. More than two million people live in the capital - one fifth of the population - and everything converges here: roads and rail lines; air travel (Ferihegy is the biggest civilian airport); industry, commerce and culture; opportunities, wealth and power. Like Paris, the city has a history of revolutions - in 1848, 1918 and 1956 - buildings, parks and avenues on a monumental scale, and a reputation for hedonism, style and parochial pride.
