Chain Bridge (Budapest)

Chain Bridge

Coordinates	47°29′56″N 19°02′37″E / 47.49889°N 19.04361°E / 47.49889; 19.04361Coordinates: 47°29′56″N 19°02′37″E / 47.49889°N 19.04361°E / 47.49889; 19.04361
Carries	two road lanes
Crosses	Danube River
Locale	Budapest
Official name	Széchenyi Lánchíd
Other name(s)	Lánchíd
Characteristics
Design	chain Suspension bridge
Material	wrought iron and stone^[1]
Total length	375 metres (1,230 ft)
Width	14.8 metres (49 ft)
Longest span	202 metres (663 ft)
History
Designer	William Tierney Clark
Construction begin	1840^[1]
Construction end	1849^[1]
Opened	November 20, 1849 (1849-11-20)
Chain Bridge Location in Budapest

Aerial view of the Chain Bridge

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge (Hungarian: Széchenyi lánchíd, Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈseːt͡ʃeːɲi ˈlaːnt͡shiːd]) is a suspension bridge that spans the River Danube between Buda and Pest, the western and eastern sides of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Designed by the English engineer William Tierney Clark, it was the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Hungary, and was opened in 1849.

It is anchored on the Pest side of the river to Széchenyi (formerly Roosevelt) Square, adjacent to the Gresham Palace and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and on the Buda side to Adam Clark Square, near the Zero Kilometre Stone and the lower end of the Castle Hill Funicular, leading to Buda Castle.

The bridge has the name of István Széchenyi, a major supporter of its construction, attached to it, but is most commonly known as the Chain Bridge. At the time of its construction, it was regarded as one of the modern world's engineering wonders. It has asserted an enormous significance in the country's economic, social and cultural life, much as the Brooklyn Bridge has in New York and United States of America. Its decorations made of cast iron, and its construction, radiating calm dignity and balance, have elevated the Chain Bridge to a high stature in Europe. It became a symbol of advancement, national awakening, and the linkage between East and West.

History

Laying the foundation-stone for the bridge (painted by Miklós Barabás, 1864)

The Széchenyi Chain Bridge and the Buda Castle in ruins after World War II (1946)

The bridge was designed by the English engineer William Tierney Clark in 1839, following an initiative by the influential Count István Széchenyi, with construction supervised locally by Scottish engineer Adam Clark (no relation). It is a larger scale version of William Tierney Clark's earlier Marlow Bridge, across the River Thames in Marlow, England.

It was funded to a considerable extent by the Vlach Greek merchant Georgios Sinas who had considerable financial and land interests in the city and whose name is inscribed on the base of the south western foundation of the bridge on the Buda side.

The bridge was opened in 1849, after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, and thus became the first permanent bridge in the Hungarian capital. At the time, its center span of 202 metres (663 ft) was one of the largest in the world. The lions at each of the abutments were carved in stone by the sculptor, János Marschalkó.^[2] They are visibly similar in design to the famous bronze lions of Trafalgar Square by Edwin Henry Landseer with Marochetti (commissioned 1858, installed 1867), but they were earlier - installed 1852.^[3] They are also smaller (and appear from below to lack tongues). The bridge was given its current name in 1898.

It was designed in sections and shipped from the United Kingdom to Hungary for final construction.

The bridge's cast iron structure was updated and strengthened in 1914. In World War II, the bridge was blown up on 18 January 1945 by the retreating Germans during the Siege of Budapest, with only the towers remaining. It was rebuilt, and it reopened in 1949.^[3]

In popular culture

In 2001, Hungarian stunt pilot Péter Besenyei flew upside down under the bridge, a maneuver that became a standard in Red Bull air races today. The bridge is featured in the 2002 movie I Spy. Also, in Katy Perry's music video Firework, it is featured at the beginning. The climax scene in Bollywood blockbuster Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was shot on this bridge.

The inscription on each side of the bridge is to "Clark Adam", the bridge builder's name in the local Eastern name order.

A plaque on the Pest side of the river reads "To commemorate the only two surviving bridges designed by William Tierney Clark: The Széchenyi Chain Bridge over the Danube at Budapest and the suspension bridge over the Thames at Marlow, England."

The bridge featured prominently Matthew Barney's Cremaster 5, serving as a reference to Harry Houdini.

Image gallery

One of the guardian lions (with his tongue hidden)
Chain Bridge with Royal Castle in the back
The bridge in sunset
The bridge with green colors, few seconds after it has been lit up
On the bridge by night

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chain Bridge (Budapest).

Budapest

Landmarks

Bridges	Árpád Bridge Elisabeth Bridge Liberty Bridge Margaret Bridge Megyeri Bridge Petőfi Bridge Rákóczi Bridge Széchenyi Chain Bridge

Castles and palaces	Buda Castle Danube Palace Gresham Palace Hotel Astoria Hotel Gellért Labyrinth of Buda Castle Nagytétény Castle New York Palace Vajdahunyad Castle

Government	Budapest City Hall Hungarian National Bank Hungarian Parliament Building House of Magnates Sándor Palace

Memorials	Holocaust Memorial Center Kossuth Memorial Liberty Statue Little Princess Statue Matthias Fountain Shoes on Danube Bank

Museums and galleries	Aquincum Museum Ethnographic Museum Geological Museum Kunsthalle Hospital in the Rock House of Terror National Gallery National Museum Natural History Museum Railway History Park Koller Gallery Memento Park Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library Palace of Arts Museum of Applied Arts Museum of Fine Arts National Széchényi Library Transportation Museum Southeast Asian Gold Museum

Parks and gardens	Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden City Park City Park Ice Rink Gellért Hill Haller Park Fiume Road National Graveyard Margaret Island Népliget Normafa Óbuda Island

Places of worship	Dohány Street Synagogue Gellért Hill Cave Lutheran Church of Budavár Matthias Church Palace Chapel Rumbach Street Synagogue Szilágyi Dezső Square Reformed Church St. Stephen's Basilica Tomb of Gül Baba

Sports venues	Alfréd Hajós National Swimming Stadium City Park Ice Rink Ferenc Szusza Stadium Groupama Arena Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium Hungaroring-Formula One Kincsem Park Kisstadion Puskás Ferenc Stadium

Squares and Streets	Andrássy Avenue Citadella Danube Promenade Deák Ferenc Square Ferenciek Square Grand Boulevard Heroes' Square Hungary Boulevard Kossuth Square Liberty Square Oktogon Small Boulevard Váci Street Vörösmarty Square

Theaters and opera	Comedy Theatre Court Theatre of Buda Erkel Theatre Hungarian State Opera House Magyar Theatre National Theatre Vigadó Concert Hall

Thermal spas	Gellért Baths Király Baths Lukács Baths Rudas Baths Rácz Thermal Bath Széchenyi Medicinal Bath

Other	Café Gerbeaud Elizabeth Lookout Fisherman's Bastion Great Market Hall Gundel Restaurant Hungarian Academy of Sciences Millennium Underground Railway F-4 Object

Districts

Events and
traditions

Universities

Economy

Transport

History of Budapest
Budapest
Commons
Category

World Heritage Sites in Hungary

Cultural	Budapest, including the Banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter and Andrássy Avenue Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs (Sopianae) Old Village of Hollókő and its Surroundings Hortobágy National Park - the Puszta Fertő / Neusiedlersee Cultural Landscape¹ Millenary Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma and its Natural Environment Tokaj Wine Region Historic Cultural Landscape

Natural	Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst²

¹ Shared with Austria ² Shared with Slovakia

The Danube

Countries	Germany Austria Slovakia Hungary Croatia Serbia Bulgaria Romania Moldova Ukraine

Cities	Ulm Ingolstadt Regensburg Passau Linz Vienna Bratislava Győr Budapest Novi Sad Belgrade Ruse Brăila Galați Izmail Tulcea

Tributaries	Iller Lech Regen Isar Inn Morava Váh Hron Ipeľ/Ipoly Drava Tisza/Tisa Sava Timiș/Tamiš Great Morava Timok Jiu Iskar Olt Osam Yantra Vedea Argeș Ialomița Siret Prut

See also	List of islands in the Danube List of crossings of the Danube

Bridges of Budapest

Road Bridges	Megyeri Bridge (northern M0 bridge) Árpád Bridge Margaret Bridge Chain Bridge Elisabeth Bridge Liberty Bridge Petőfi Bridge Rákóczi Bridge Ferenc Deák bridge (southern M0 bridge)

Rail Bridges	Northern Rail Bridge Southern Railway Bridge

Former Bridges	Kossuth Bridge

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