Gellért Hill, Budapest Gellért-hegy

After having been renovated this famous medicinal baths and hotel complex is now one of the finest of its kind in Budapest.There was a medicinal spa here as early as the 13th C. According to the chronicler Evliya Celebi of Istanbul the Turks extended the establishment and converted it into a luxurious health spa. It was also very popular with the Habsburg rulers.After this building had been pulled down at the end of the 19th C the new one we see today, combining hotel and baths under one roof, was built in Secessionist style between 1911 and 1918 to plans by A. Hegedüs, A. Sebestyén and J. Stark. The opulent entrance to the baths lies on Kelenhegy út, while the hotel and café open onto Szent Gellért tér. The therapeutic bathing and treatment facilities have been excellently renovated and modernized since 1983 (covered thermal bath with sliding roof, jacuzzi, Turkish baths etc.) together with open-air facilities which include a thermal bath with wave-making equipment designed on ultra-modern technical lines.

The Liberation Monument was erected in 1947 in memory of the Soviet soldiers who died fighting the Nazis in the Second World War; in spite of a changed historical awareness it has become a symbol of Budapest. On the limestone plinth stands a giant female figure, 14m/46ft high, bearing a palm branch in her upraised arms. The two heroic male figures at the feet of the triumphant Goddess of Victory symbolize progress and destruction. Originally a Soviet soldier bearing a flag stood between them; this was taken away together with numerous other pro-Russian memorials and can now be seen with other statues in the Sculpture Park.

On the north-east slope of Gellért Hill, stands a large bronze statue of the Bishop, the work of G. Jankovits (1902); it is framed by an imitation antique pillared portico. Below the memorial is a man-made waterfall. The best view of the monumental memorial is from Elisabeth Bridge. In order to view it from close quarters it is necessary to climb the flight of steps leading from the bridge. From the Gellért Monument it is a further 20-minute climb to the top of Gellért Hill (Citadel), from where there are magnificent views over the city.

At the northeast foot of Gellért hill are the interesting Rudas Baths (Rudas-fürdõ). The thermal springs were already in use in the Middle Ages, and the first bath-houses date from that period. The installation was extended during the Turkish period, and a typical domed building with its octagonal main room has been preserved from that time. In the pump-room near the steam (Turkish) baths, medicinal water from the Juventus and Hungaria springs is available.

The modern Elisabeth Bridge (Erzsébet híd), 378m (1239ft) long and 37.5m (120ft) wide, spans the Danube to the north of Rudas Baths. It is a suspension bridge designed in 1964 by Pál Sávoly.

The steel Freedom Bridge, which links Gellért tér on the Buda bank of the Danube with Fovam tér on the Pest side, was opened to traffic in 1896 and originally known as Franz Joseph Bridge, the plans were by J. Feketeházy. The bridge, which is 331m/362yds long and 20m/22yds wide, was destroyed in the Second World War but was the first bridge to be rebuilt; it was reopened to traffic in 1946.

Jubilee Park (Jubileumi Park), on the southern slope of the hill, was laid out to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. Charming walks, flower-beds and valuable artistic sculptures, including "Budapest" by István Kiss, attract many visitors.