The Tiny Tollhouse of the Liberty Bridge

Buda and Pest were separate towns during the Middle Ages, both holding royal privileges, with the wide Danube flowing between them. The Danube was a capricious river—flooding in spring and autumn and freezing during extremely cold winters. This forced ferries to halt their service and pontoon bridges to be dismantled, frequently interrupting the connection between the two sides. This was, of course, long before river regulation, locks, and global warming. 

The first permanent bridge of Budapest was the famous Chain Bridge, built in 1849, followed by the Margaret Bridge. 

All our bridges were destroyed in WWII. Fortunately, the Liberty Bridge was not blown up "properly," so the middle section could be replaced with pontoons. During the communist era, the bridge was painted to gray due to a shortage of green paint, and the Hungarian royal crown and coat of arms were not displayed. 

After grabbing some paprika from the Central Market Hall, take a short walk to the bridge's tollhouse to see Budapest's smallest exhibition, "Connected"—which tells the story of Budapest's bridges. If you climb to the first floor, you'll be rewarded with a stunning panorama. 

Best of all, it's free, making it well worth a quick visit.