Budapest, City (pop., 2019 est.: 1,752,286), capital of Hungary. Situated on the Danube River, it acquired its name in 1873 when the towns of Buda and Óbuda on the river’s right bank and the town of Pest on its left bank amalgamated. Inhabited from Neolithic times, Buda was the site of a Roman camp in the 2nd century ce. By the 13th century both Buda and Pest had German inhabitants. Buda was fortified by Matthias I Corvinus in the 15th century and became the capital of Hungary. It was taken and held by the Turks (1541–1686), then retaken by Charles V, duke of Lorraine. In 1848–49 both towns experienced nationalistic revolt, and Pest became the capital of Lajos Kossuth’s revolutionary government. It became the centre of revolt for Hungarian independence in 1918. After World War II it came under communist control. It was the base of an unsuccessful uprising in 1956 (see Hungarian Revolution). Antigovernment unrest there in the 1980s led to the declaration of the Hungarian republic in 1989. Budapest is a vital Hungarian transport centre; it is also the site of industry and commerce, a centre of government and education, and an important hub of cultural life.
