Liberty Bridge

Look up at the tops of the piers: those four bronze birds with spread wings are turul, the mythical bird of the ancient Magyars. To understand why they preside over this bridge, we have to go back to a legend.

1Emese's dream

Medieval Hungarian chronicles, such as the one by Anonymus and the Illuminated Chronicle, tell how Emese, a princess of the steppes, dreamt that a turul descended upon her and that from her womb sprang a torrent that spread over distant lands. The dream was read as a sign that her son, Álmos, would found a line of kings. His son Árpád led the Magyars into the Carpathian Basin. And so the turul became the guardian bird of the nation.

2The millennium bridge

The bridge was designed by János Feketeházy and built between 1894 and 1896 for the millennium. It opened on 4 October 1896 as the Franz Joseph Bridge, and the emperor-king himself hammered in the last rivet, made of silver, at the Pest end. At 333 metres, it's the shortest of the central bridges.

In January 1945 retreating German troops blew it up. It was the first to be rebuilt and reopened in 1946 under its present name: Liberty Bridge.

A legendary bird watching over an iron bridge: that's how Hungary celebrated its thousand years.

3What to look for

• The four bronze turul birds on top of the piers.
• The Hungarian coat of arms and crowns at the top of the structure.
• The Central Market Hall at the Pest end: a fine place to finish the route.