8 Interesting Facts About the Chain Bridge in Budapest

8/21/2018

1. Chain Bridge (Széchenyi lánchíd) is a suspension bridge that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest, the western and eastern sides of Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

Architect William Tierney Clark (credit: wikipedia)

2. Opened in 1849, Chain Bridge was designed by the English engineer William Tierney Clark and built by the Scottish engineer Adam Clark, after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and thus became the first permanent bridge in the Hungarian capital across the Danube in Hungary.

3. One of the first walkers across the bridge were the soldiers of the Hungarian Army of Independence. They retreated from the Austrian troops in 1849. The Austrians attempted to blow up the bridge, but luckily the explosives did not go off.

Transport Museum - Budapest - (credit: TracesOfWar.com)

4. During World War II, the bridge was severely damaged and restored completely in 1949. The original parts of bridge from its reconstructions are kept today in the Transport Museum in Budapest.

5. Two stone lion statues guard both bridgeheads.The lions were carved in stone by the sculptor, János Marschalkó and installed in 1852.

6. The bridge is 375 meters long and 16 meters wide. The span between the pillars measures 202 meters.

7. Chain Bridge is one of the best known landmarks of Budapest. The picturesque historic stone bridge straddles the Danube between Széchenyi Square on the Pest side and Clark Ádám Square in Buda.

Spy - shot in Budapest at Chain Bridge (credit: IMC.com)

8. The bridge is featured in the movies I Spy, Au Pair, Walking with the Enemy and Spy, as well as at the beginning of Katy Perry's music video for "Firework"

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