Margaret Island

---

http://www.heygo.com

3rd- 9th May This certainly is a hidden gem. Zsuzsi will be discovering the island in 3 parts

Margaret Island is a 225-acre of land on the Danube River in the middle of Budapest, Called Margit-sziget in Hungarian, it is named after Margit, the beautiful daughter of a 13th-century king. The island is shaped like an art nouveau teardrop, an emerald jewel set in a river bordered on either side by the bustling city.



Among the island’s century-old oaks and poplars are the ruins of a Dominican convent where the princess lived. Margit—known to the world as St. Margaret of Hungary—became a legend here, beloved and pitied. It was within the convent walls that she, as a teenager, defied her father’s order that she marry a neighboring king. Instead, she devoted herself to God and died an early death.



The island was dominated by nunneries, churches and cloisters until the 16th century. During the Ottoman wars the monks and nuns fled and the buildings were destroyed. In the 18th century it was chosen to be the resort of High Ranking Officials (Palatines).

It was declared a public garden in 1908.



Part 1 - We saw the beautiful Water Tower built in Art Nouveau style in 1911, Artist Promenade with beautiful sculptures, St. Michael Chapel & Ruins of a Dominican monastery.

We finished with beautiful views on the banks of the Danube.



Part 2 - The special Japanese Garden was very peaceful - we saw the ruins of the Franciscan Monastery , the park with its beautiful flowers and interesting trees.

The Palatinus Bath, closed at the moment so you could only imagine how busy it would be in the summer. The indoor swimming pool was built in 1930, Eszter Pesci, Hungary's first female architect and structural engineer, designed the articulated reinforced concrete arches.

Of course Zsuzsi’s visit to Margaret Island would not be the same without the views to the Danube river.



Part 3 - We finish with the South part of the Island: the Mini Zoo, the building of the old Casino, Athletic Center, the Centennial Monument, (the Musical Fountain i not yet operating) , the views once more to the Danube river and we finished our tour from the Margaret Bridge overlooking the Island and the panoramic view of the city.



Margaret Bridge is a three way bridge. It is the second-northernmost and second-oldest public bridge in Budapest, its two parts enclosing 165 degrees with each other at the embranchment towards the island. The reason for this unusual geometry is that the small extension to connect to Margaret Island was hastily inserted into the original design but not built until two decades later due to lack of funds.



23rd June - returned to the Island to view the magical dancing fountains.

---