Revamped Chain Bridge inaugurated

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony said the renovation had been completed “in a timely manner and not exceeding the budget” of 26.7 billion forints (EUR 68m).

“The Chain Bridge is a miracle to be admired by all Budapest residents and the city’s visitors,” the mayor said before symbolically handing over a spanner used in the operations to Janos Fazekas, the facility’s manager.

Karacsony said the bridge was a symbol of unity, “both physically and metaphorically”. He added that the bridge, completed in 1849, was the first step in integrating earlier components of the city lying on both sides of the River Danube.

He said the bridge was the creation of “an era that believed that Hungary could join Europe’s nations through building a capital by European standards”. He added that the Chain Bridge was an asset “not only for Budapest residents . therefore the city awaits a contribution from the national government”.

To celebrate the completion of the renovation project, the municipality and the Budapest transport centre BKK will organise a picnic on Friday night with shows, music, food and drink.

The revamped bridge will be open to buses, taxis, motorbikes, bicycles and scooters, as well as pedestrians from Saturday morning on, while cars will be banned.