Landmarks

The Dohaney Synagogue in Budapest is the second largest in the world. It is second only to Temple Emmanuel in New York City. It is interesting in its architectural style because the exterior has turrets that indicate some middle eastern influence and the interior is designed in much the same manner as a Catholic cathedral with 3 naves. The guide explained that the synagogue was designed in the mid 1800's and the architect was primarily familiar with designing catholic cathedrals. It has 2 balconies which are the seperate accomodations for the women. The guide said that only during the Jewish holidays when there are many worshippers in the synagogue that the balconies are used. During the winter months, they do not use the main synagogue for worship because of the cost of heating it. There is another synagogue on the grounds that is smaller and is used for weekly worship. They do have a beautiful pipe organ and the synagogue is sometimes used for concerts. I would love to hear an organ concert there. Some of the Catholic cathedrals also host concerts, and we attended a baroque concert in one of them earlier this fall. One of the historical points of interest is the memorial to the holocaust victims of Budapest. It is made in the form of a weeping willow and has metal plaques with the names of contributors to this memorial. The guide told us that if the weeping willow were inverted that it would be in the form of a menorrah. There are also plaques listing "righteous gentiles" who helped liberate Jews from Budapest. There is also a cemetary within the grounds of the synagogue where 3000 are buried, who were victims of the Budapest ghetto. When the Germans occupied Budapest, they sealed off the Jewish quarter - nothing could go in or out. Though the occupation lasted only 7 weeks, the victims who died could not be buried, because all the cemetaries of Budapest were outside the sealed ghetto. The cemetary was originally a garden but now contains mass graves for the 3000 who perished during the occupation.

On the Buda side of the Danube, there is a dramatic cliff that rises up, called Gellert Hill. We went to the top of Gellert Hill and had some incredible views of the city. There is a citadel or fortification that dates from the mid 1800's that was built to intimidate the Hungarians by the occupying Austrians. There is also a liberation monument that can be seen from anywhere in the city and even outlying areas. This area is very close to where the library is. This liberation monument is so large that I was unable to take a picture from the front. It faces out toward the Danube River. This city has many monuments and statues and many streets are named after the heroes or famous people of Hungary. There is history every where we go.

The Bridge at Andau by James Michener tells the story of the Hungarian uprising in 1956. I am reading it now and am fascinated by it because most of the uprising took place in Budapest and mentions landmarks that I know here. Though the Hungarians were ultimately defeated by the Russian occupiers, the stories of their ingenuity in the battle is a little like the David and Goliath story from the Bible. The Hungarians were motivated by the extreme oppression they were living under and it was amazing what they were able to accomplish without any established military to lead them. There were many Hungarians who immigrated to the US following this uprising.