During ancient times, two cities grew up on opposite sides of the Danube River in central Europe. Nicole tells us how a storm helped change history.

(Nicole) Budapest is the capital of Hungary, but it wasn't always one city. The River Danube divided Buda and Pest until a terrible storm led to the building of a bridge.

(Describer) By a street...

The story goes that Count Széchenyi's father fell ill here on the Pest side. The count was on the Buda side. By the time the count got across by boat, his father had died. He had even missed his father's funeral. The count took on the task of raising money for this bridge, so people would be able to cross the river. Called the "Chain Bridge," because its cables look like bicycle chains, it was completed in the mid-1800s.

(Describer) Nicole stands on it.

A few years later, the cities of Buda and Pest were officially united. For good measure, they threw in a third neighboring city, Obuda. It has been Budapest ever since. Some say the first king here was Attila the Hun, hence the name "Hungary." Others say the first king was actually Saint Stephen. There's a magnificent church built in his name.

(Describer) It has two towers and a dome.

The Funicular is a train that's more like an elevator. It travels up the steep Castle Hill. At the top is Buda Castle. For centuries this is where the rulers of Hungary lived. This city has seen some terrible times. The area has been conquered by the Turks, retaken by the Christians. Then, during World War II, the Germans occupied Budapest. The Nazis rounded up Jews, sending them to extermination camps. But this man, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, saved thousands virtually singlehanded. At great personal risk, he protected Hungarian Jews by issuing them Swedish passports. That's why there are memorials to Wallenberg throughout Budapest. When troops from the Soviet Union arrived, the Germans fled, but not before blowing up all the bridges across the Danube. The Soviets claimed they had liberated the city. They even erected this Liberty Monument, but the people were not truly liberated. Hungary was oppressed by Communist rule until the Soviet Union ended in 1990. Since then, the Hungarian Parliament has been home to officials elected by the people. Although divided by a wide river, the city is united by history and heritage. Budapest takes great pride in its nickname, "Capital of Freedom." Above the Danube, between Buda and Pest,

(Describer) She turns one way.

(Describer) She turns the other way.

I'm Nicole for Teen Kids News.