Birth of a Metropolis – Gergely Karácsony Major’s Intro
One hundred and fifty years ago, in 1873, the capital of Hungary was born through the merger of three independent cities: Buda, Óbuda and Pest.
The birth of Budapest is the birth of a metropolis, and the beginning of an unparalleled period of development. The millennial celebrations to mark 1,000 years of Hungarian statehood in 1896, along with the inauguration of buildings, structures and infrastructural developments connected to it, were a defining event of the newly created city. It was true then as it is now: Budapest builds on the past while looking toward the future. And we still do that today, as we celebrate the birthday of our capital. What has connected us over the past 150 years is our cultural openness, the diversity and our curiosity for what’s different, foreign, new. Even though they tried to take it away, we still have the desire for freedom and respect for the freedom of others. That is what inspired so many miracles of arts and culture here in the heart of Central and Eastern Europe. As other large cities of the world, Budapest is also characterised by the interaction of different cultures, creating new values.
Gergely Karácsony (source: the Mayor's Office)
This publication was created with the intention of giving a new perspective on the cultural life of 150-year-old Budapest to visitors who are interested in more than a cursory visit and want to experience the vibrant culture of our city. Through historic parallels, we would like to showcase the current cultural and artistic scenes through the eyes of people who are part of these communities or are selfless supporters of them. We do this to convey, across linguistic and cultural divides, what these places, these great people, and these unique artistic creations and productions mean to us, Hungarians in Budapest.
We also want to give you a taste of how the countries that influence our culture present themselves and their culture in Budapest.
As the mayor of Budapest, I am thankful for your interest in our wonderful city. I hope that this publication will help you understand what Budapest, our home, means to us.
Gergely Karácsony
Published on the 150th anniversary of the birth of Budapest in cooperation with Budapest Brand.
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The Alrite speech recognation (speech-to-text) program helped to write the publication.
Photo: Birth of a Metropolis book (source: Art is Business)
Szenvedélyesen szeretjük a kultúrát, a művészeteket és a stratégiai gondolkodást. Ez ingyen van. A lapkiadás és az online magazin működtetése azonban pénzbe kerül. Kérjük, ha teheti, támogassa az Art is Business hiánypótló munkáját!
