Budapest, the Wonderful: 11/07/12

The Zoo - a special place in Budapest

If you ask me, what is interesting in Budapest, I would definitely say: The Zoo!
The Budapest Zoo was founded in 1866, so it is almost 150 years old. With this age, it is the second oldest Zoo in Europe.
The best thing, that you can visit a Zoo with your children, with your friends - or you can go by yourself - it's going to be fun, anyway.

Main gate: Two elephants watch the visitors

In the Zoo you can see about 5000 animals from 1000 species. They do a lot of programs for endangered and rescued animals. In 2010, a gorilla baby was born in the Apes' House, and named Golo.

You can also visit the Tropical House, the Aquarium, the Crocodile House, and a lot of other interesting part of the Zoo. If you want to see everything, you can easily spend a whole day there. Since it is also a Botanical garden, you can enjoy the mood of the Great Lake - full with flamingos and pellicans - or relax at the Japanese Garden. For those, who like special things, there is the Butterfly's House, or the Night Animals's House - with bats, night foxes. Kids will love the petting zoo, and the playgrounds all over the Zoo.
The most special animals maybe the wombat or the Comodo dragon.

Walking Wombat

The Elephant's house is in the Background

The Budapest Zoo is opened for 365 day in a year, so you are always welcome here!

Short history

Budapest is the capital of Hungary. Its history began with Aquincum, which was originally a celtic settlement, but became the roman capital of Lower Pannonia around AD 106. The old ruins are still visible in the 3th district of Budapest.
The hungarians arrived in the 9th century. They got rid the wild mongol tribes, and re-estabilished the town, which became one of the biggest central of the renessaince humanist Europe.
Hungary was under the Ottoman forces for 150 years in the 15th century, and belonged to the Habsburg Empire from the late 19th century till 1918.
After the World War I., in 1920, Hungary lost 72% of its former territory. The twenieth century haven't bring luck for this country: After the World War II. the soviet forces invaded to the territory of Hungary (in 1945), and kept up the invasion till 1989, when the Soviet Union simply collapsed, and the russian soldiers went home.
We must also mention the great revolution against the soviets in 1956, what unfortunaly failed after two weeks.
Third Hungarian Republic finally had been proclaimed in May, 1990.

But Hungary is not the place only for suffering, invasions, wars or terror: hungarians never gave up their dreams about freedom and liberty. Through the centuries the nation always had been very opened to the european culture.