Budapest’s sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List

(First published on We Love Budapest, 4 December 2014)

The UNESCO World Heritage List is a prestigious group of cultural and natural sites of outstanding value to the heritage of humanity. It is administered by the World Heritage Programme – a part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Aside from naming these sites, the aim is also to help preserve what is World Heritage Listed. Hungary currently has eight places on the Heritage List, including its capital Budapest - more specifically the Buda Castle district, Budapest’s Danube banks and Andrássy Avenue. It is hoped that in the future other sites will also be added. While you’re in Budapest you will no doubt see many of these sites, but it’s worth taking a fresh look through the prism of the World Heritage List and consider their special historical and cultural significance.

Banks of the Danube
The banks of the Danube in Budapest were added to the World Heritage List in 1987. This encompasses from the Gellért Hill to Margaret Bridge. Sites along this stretch of the Danube include the Rudas Baths, the Chain Bridge, Liberty Bridge, Elizabeth Bridge, Gresham Palace, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the neo-gothic Parliament, and the Vigadó concert hall. 

In addition to these prominent buildings, the banks of the Danube are lined with 19th century buildings, which are also protected under the World Heritage List. We recommend the spectacular view of this part of the Danube from either Margaret Bridge or Chain Bridge, or from up-high on Gellért Hill or Fisherman’s Bastion.