Margaret Island
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Margaret Island ( hu, Margitsziget ; german: Margareteninsel; tr, Kızadası) is a long island, wide, ( in area) in the middle of the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
in central
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
,
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
. The island is mostly covered by landscape parks, and is a popular recreational area. Its medieval ruins are reminders of its importance in the Middle Ages as a religious centre. The island spans the area between the ''
Margaret Bridge Margaret Bridge or Margit híd (sometimes ''Margit Bridge'') is a three-way bridge in Budapest, Hungary, connecting Buda and Pest across the Danube and linking Margaret Island to the banks. It is the second-northernmost and second-oldest publi ...
'' (south) and the ''
Árpád Bridge Árpád Bridge or Árpád híd is a bridge in Budapest, Hungary, connecting northern Buda ( Óbuda) and Pest across the Danube. Until the inauguration of Megyeri Bridge in 2008, it was the longest bridge in Hungary, spanning about 2 k ...
'' (north). Before the 14th century the island was called ''Insula leporum'' (Island of Rabbits). Administratively Margaret Island used to belong to the 13th district, but now is directly under the control of the city. Its appearance today was developed through the connection of three separate islands, the Festő (''Painter''), the Fürdő (''Bath'') and the Nyulak (''Rabbits''), during the end of the 19th century, to control the flow of the Danube. Originally, the island was 102.5 metres above sea level, but now has been built up to 104.85 metres above sea level to control flooding.


Name

The island was called Insula leporum before being named after Saint Margaret (1242–1270) in the 14th century. Margaret was the daughter of
Béla IV of Hungary Béla IV (1206 – 3 May 1270) was King of Hungary and Croatia between 1235 and 1270, and Duke of Styria from 1254 to 1258. As the oldest son of King Andrew II, he was crowned upon the initiative of a group of influential noblemen in his father ...
, and she lived in the Dominican convent on the island. Other names of the island were during 13th century: ''Nyulak's Island'', ''Nagyboldogasszony-Island'', ''Úr-island'', ''Budai-Island'', ''Dunai-Island'', during the 1790s: ''Nádor-Island'', ''Palatinus-Island''. (The names mean Island of Rabbits, Island of Our Lady, Island of Nobles, Buda Island, Danube Island, Palatine Island.)


History

The
Knights of St. John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...
settled on the island in the 12th century. Among the present historical monuments of the island are the 13th century ruins of a
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
church and a Dominican church and convent, as well as a
Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
church from the 12th century. Members of the
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...
order also lived on the island. The island was dominated by nunneries, churches and cloisters until the 16th century. During the Ottoman wars the monks and nuns fled and the buildings were destroyed. In the 18th century it was chosen to be the resort of
palatine A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.
s. It was declared a public garden in 1908. During World War II and the siege of Budapest the island was a site of fierce combat. Soviet troops attempted to cross from the Pest riverside by boats in January 1945, but the defending Hungarian and German units thwarted their attempt and sunk the rubber dinghies. On the night of January 19 the ice on the river was thick enough for a few Soviet patrols to cross on foot, and as the sentries in the boat houses overlooking the river fell asleep, they managed to infiltrate and established a bridgehead. The attack soon stalled as the defenders, now trapped in the northern end of the island, managed to stop their advance. Additionally a Soviet marine platoon was also trapped in the northernmost tip of the island, among the half-finished pillars of Árpád Bridge. Several days of close quarters battle followed for the buildings of the island, particularly in the bath houses where the opposing units spent days in their close vicinity. During this time both sides pounded the island with artillery, the Soviets from the Pest side, the Hungarians from the Castle of Buda. Ultimately on January 28 the defenders managed to sneak out under the darkness of the night on rowboats and through the still standing western span of Margaret Bridge to Buda, which was later blown up by Ukrainian SS troops. Since the 1980s, entry by cars has been limited; only a single bus line and taxis, alongside the service traffic of local stores and restaurants are allowed to enter. On the northern end of the island a car park houses the cars of hotel guests.


Sports and recreation

The island houses various sports establishments, like the Palatinus
water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...
(the largest open-air swimming complex in Budapest) and the
Alfréd Hajós Alfréd Hajós (1 February 1878 – 12 November 1955) was a Hungarian swimmer, football player and manager, and architect. He was the first modern Olympic swimming champion and the first Olympic champion of Hungary. No other swimmer ever won s ...
sports pool (where the European LC Championships 1958,
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
took place). The indoor swimming pool was built in 1930, with the articulated reinforced concrete arches being designed by
Eszter Pécsi Eszter Pécsi (March 8, 1898 – May 4, 1975) was the first female Hungarian architect and a structural engineer. She designed a number of iconic buildings in Hungary, Austria and America. Early life and education Eszter Pécsi was born Eszter ...
, Hungary's first female architect and structural engineer. There is also a tennis stadium and an athletics centre. The island has a rubber-coated running track measuring 5.35 kilometers (3.33 miles), and is popular among both locals and tourists.


Main sights

Sights in the island include: * the Centennial Memorial of 1973, by István Kiss, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the city's unification * a small
Japanese Garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...
with a mildly thermal fish pond * a tiny zoo featuring a wide range of exotic
waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...
among other animals * the "Music Well" (''Zenélő kút''), a small pavilion, which was originally built for open-air concerts * the "Music Fountain" (''Zenélő szökőkút''), a fountain near which music is played and light shows are performed in summer (it is close to Margaret bridge). The water springs out according to music, so that the fountain seems to ''dance'' at the various classical themes reproduced. * an octagonal Water Tower built in
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
style in 1911, today functioning as a lookout tower and an exhibition hall The Music Fountain and the Water Tower are protected
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
sites. Two hotels provide accommodation: the
fin de siècle () is a French term meaning "end of century,” a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom "turn of the century" and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without context ...
Grand Hotel Margitsziget, and the modern Thermal Hotel Margitsziget with thermal spa and various medical services. There is also an open-air theatre accommodating an audience of 3500, and several clubs and restaurants. For exploration and pastime, four-person cycle cars or small electric cars can be rented for use on the area of the island.


Image gallery

File:Margitsziget-1888-Meyers-Lexikon.jpg, Margaret Island in 1888: the bridge was not connected to the island; future Újlipótváros streets shown on map File:Margitsziget-1905-Meyers-Lexikon3.jpg, Margaret Island in 1905: the bridge is already connected to the island and Újlipótváros developed File:Aerial photograph of Margaret Bridge and Budapest Chain-Bridge 01.jpg, Margaret Island today (top of picture) File:Emberek a medencében, Palatinus Strandfürdő. Fortepan 12314.jpg, Margaret Island 1939 File:Margitsziget légifotó2.jpg, The water tower and the open-air theater File:Margitsziget légifotó3.jpg, Hotels at the northern end File:Palatinus_Strandf%C3%BCrd%C5%91._Fortepan_720.jpg, Palatinus water park,
modern architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that form ...
by István Janáky, two years after opening, 1939 File:Margitsziget légifotó1.jpg, Hajós Alfréd Sports Pool File:Margitsziget légifotó5.jpg, The sports pool and the trees of the island File:Margitsziget légifotó4.jpg, Ruins of the old church File:Díszvirágok a szigeten.jpg, Bloom garden on the island I. File:Virágok a Margitszigeten.jpg, Bloom garden on the island II.


References


External links


Archived travel guide webpage on Margaret Island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margitsziget Neighbourhoods of Budapest Islands of the Danube River islands of Hungary