The story of this place
Before 1849, crossing the Danube between Buda and Pest meant boats or a shaky pontoon that vanished in winter ice. Count István Széchenyi, the reforming aristocrat later called 'the greatest Hungarian', championed a permanent bridge; English engineer William Tierney Clark designed it and Scotsman Adam Clark built it. When it opened in 1849 the Chain Bridge was an engineering marvel, its stone lions guarding both ends. Retreating German troops blew it up along with every Danube bridge in January 1945; it was rebuilt and reopened on its centenary in 1949. Uniting the twin towns paved the way for their 1873 merger into Budapest, making this elegant suspension span the symbol of the modern capital.