Bonus trip · Gossip Walk
Grand Boulevard
The great ring road around the centre · 1880s · Nagykörút
The ring's sections were named after the cities that helped after the flood. Then came Moscow, and it all got tangled.
Built after the 1879 flood, it is about six kilometres long and 38 metres wide. The width has a reason: the engineers also meant it as a refuge in case of flood.
Its sections were named after the six most generous donor cities: Vienna gave 552,000, Berlin 396,000, Paris 283,000, London 144,000, Rome 52,000 and Brussels 47,000 forints. Russia gave about 34,000 and Romania about 35,000 forints; neither got a boulevard.
In June 1945 Berlin Boulevard was renamed Moscow Boulevard. In 1879, by the way, Russia's capital was still St Petersburg.
In 1972 Berlin Boulevard came back, just somewhere else: a piece was cut off Paris Boulevard. So today Moscow Boulevard is 550 metres long and Berlin only 300.
After 1989 there were proposals to make Moscow Boulevard Berlin again, but in the end everything stayed.
Open in the app →Animated scene, old photos, stamps and the full map. Free, nothing to install.Facts and labels
- TrueThe boulevard names remember the cities that helped.
- True1945: Berlin Boulevard became Moscow Boulevard.
- TrueSince 1973 Berlin Boulevard is elsewhere and only 300 metres long.