Budapest 2016 - Central Market Hall

One of the sights you should not miss in Budapest is the Central Market Hall. This is one of the most beautiful market buildings I have visited in Europe - and it is huge.

The market was built when the cities of Buda, Pest and Obuda merged to form Budapest. The city decided to build a better market hall that could rival those in Paris and London. The design was chosen through a competition and won by Hungarian architect Samu Pecz. Construction was delayed by a fire which destroyed a large portion of the roof just days before opening - and the building was finally completed in 1897.

The building has a beautiful neo-Gothic facade - but the most impressive feature is the huge cast-iron structure of the roof which looks extremely light and elegant. Clerestory windows let in a lot of natural light.

 

The market has 3 levels. Most of the action is on the ground floor - which has an endless number of stalls. If you are looking for Hungarian sausages - you will find literally thousands here. If you want paprika - they come packed in beautiful tins of various sizes.