Obuda and Aquincum to Budapest

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Obuda and Aquincum

Obuda is the part of the city which has been lately subject to the most remarkable changes. From being the most ancient part of the city, with rests dating from the Roman age, it turned into a modern residential complex.

In the Middle Age Obuda was called Buda, and was the most important part of the area, being the seat of the Royal family. Along the bank of river Danube buildings and a royal palace grew up, of which only few parts were found.

After the Mongols invasion, king Bela IV moved the seat of his kingdom on top of the fortress hill, causing the slow decline of Obuda. But after the Turkish invasion, the area flourished again, turning into a farm town, particularly renowned for wine production. In the early years of the XX century, the small houses in baroque style and the numerous typical restaurants contribute in giving Obuda a romantic and intimate atmosphere, which partly evokes the far away past.

Aquincum

Today the area of Obuda has gained a more residential aspect, although some ancient finds of the Roman age were found during excavation works, which are now exhibited in the Aquincum Museum. The name of the museum comes from that of the ancient military Roman citadel Aquincum, which laid at the foot of Arpat Bridge, giving hospitality to 6000 soldiers. The military town included the consul’s palace, public buildings and the official’s residences, while one kilometre north the first civil town was founded , counting about 10.000 citizens. Among the most important monuments of the ancient Aquincum were the Amphitheatre, bearing a capacity of 16000 spectators, with a length of 131 m and a width of 110 mt, and Hercules’s Villa, where numerous mosaics were found, representing scenes of Hercules’s myth. Other props which were found in the area are now exhibited in the Museum (Szentendrei ut 139), like sealed argyle pots, bronze statues, ancient technical tools, an ancient oven for the potters and a perfectly preserved barrel.