name	Budapest
settlement type	City
image alt	290px
image shield	Coat of arms of Budapest.svg
shield alt	Coat of arms of Budapest
nickname	Heart of Europe, Pearl of Danube, Capital city of Freedom, Capital City of Spas and Termal Baths, Capital City of Festivals
map caption	Location of Budapest in Hungary
coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates region	HU
subdivision type	Country
subdivision name	Hungary
subdivision type1	Region
subdivision name1	Central Hungary
subdivision type2	Subregion
subdivision name2	Budapesti
parts	23 kerület
P1	Várkerület |p2II. kerület |p3Óbuda-Békásmegyer |p4Újpest |p5Belváros-Lipótváros |p6Terézváros |p7Erzsébetváros |p8Józsefváros |p9Ferencváros |p10Kőbánya |p11Újbuda |p12Hegyvidék |p13XIII. kerület |p14Zugló |p15XV. kerület |p16XVI. kerület |p17Rákosmente |p18Pestszentlőrinc-Pestszentimre |p19Kispest |p20Pesterzsébet |p21Csepel |p22Budafok-Tétény |p23Soroksár
established title	Unification of Buda, Pest and Óbuda
established date	17 November 1873
leader party	Fidesz-KDNP
leader title	Mayor
leader name	István Tarlós
unit pref	Metric
area total km2	525.16
area urban km2	2538
area metro km2	7626
elevation max m	527
elevation min m	96
population total	1,733,685
population urban	2,536,697
population metro	3,284,110
population as of	2011
population density km2	auto
population density urban km2	auto
population density metro km2	auto
population demonym	budapesti
timezone1	CET
utc offset1	+1
timezone1 dst	CEST
utc offset1 dst	+2
postal code type	Postal code(s)
postal code	1011–1239
area code type	Area code
area code	1
iso code	HU-BU
website	budapest.hutouristinfo:
footnotes	}}

Budapest (, or ; ; names in other languages) is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 because of the mass suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter Area is home to 3,284,110 people. The city covers an area of within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with a unification on 17 November 1873 of west-bank Buda and Óbuda with east-bank Pest.

Historically, Aquincum, originally a Celtic settlement, was the direct ancestor of Budapest, becoming the Roman capital of Lower Pannonia. Magyars arrived in the territory in the 9th century. Their first settlement was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241-42. The re-established town became one of the centres of Renaissance humanist culture in the 15th century. Following the Battle of Mohács and nearly 150 years of Ottoman rule, development of the region entered a new age of prosperity in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Budapest became a global city after the 1873 unification. It also became the second capital of Austria-Hungary, a great power that dissolved in 1918. Budapest was the focal point of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the Hungarian Soviet Republic of 1919, Operation Panzerfaust in 1944, the Battle of Budapest of 1945, and the Revolution of 1956.

Cited as one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, its extensive World Heritage Site includes the banks of the Danube, the Buda Castle Quarter, Andrássy Avenue, Heroes' Square and the Millennium Underground Railway, the second oldest in the world. Other highlights include a total of 80 geothermal springs, the world's largest thermal water cave system, second largest synagogue, and third largest Parliament building. The city attracts about 2.3 million tourists a year.

Considered a financial hub in Central Europe, the city ranked 3rd (out of 65 cities) on Mastercard's Emerging Markets Index, and ranked as the most livable Central/Eastern European city on EIU's quality of life index. It is also ranked as "Europe's 7th most idyllic place to live" by Forbes. It is the highest ranked Central/Eastern European city on Innovation Cities' Top 100 index.

Budapest is home to the headquarters of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), and the first foreign office of the CIPA.

The view

History

The first settlement on the territory of Budapest was built by Celts before 1 AD. It was later occupied by the Romans. The Roman settlement - Aquincum - became the main city of Lower Pannonia in 106 AD. The Romans constructed roads, amphitheaters, baths and houses with heated floors in this fortified military camp.

The peace treaty of 829 added Pannonia to Bulgaria due to the victory of Bulgarian army of Omurtag over Holy Roman Empire of Louis the Pious. Budapest arose out of two Bulgarian military frontier fortresses Buda and Pest, situated on the two banks of Danube. Hungarians led by Árpád settled in the territory at the end of the 9th century, and a century later officially founded the Kingdom of Hungary. Research places the probable residence of the Árpáds as an early place of central power near what became Budapest. The Tatar invasion in the 13th century quickly proved that defence is difficult on a plain. King Béla IV of Hungary therefore ordered the construction of reinforced stone walls around the towns and set his own royal palace on the top of the protecting hills of Buda. In 1361 it became the capital of Hungary.

The cultural role of Buda was particularly significant during the reign of Matthias Corvinus of Hungary. The Italian Renaissance had a great influence on the city. His library, the Bibliotheca Corviniana, was Europe's greatest collection of historical chronicles and philosophic and scientific works in the 15th century, and second only in size to the Vatican Library. After the foundation of the first Hungarian university in Pécs in 1367, the second one was established in Óbuda in 1395. The first Hungarian book was printed in Buda in 1473. Buda had about 5,000 inhabitants around 1500.

The Ottomans pillaged Buda in 1526, besieged it in 1529, and finally occupied it in 1541. The Turkish occupation lasted for more than 140 years. The Turks constructed some fine bathing facilities here. Under Ottoman rule almost all Christians left the city and it became a truly Muslim town. By 1547 the number of Christians was around one thousand. In 1647 it had fallen to about seventy. The unoccupied western part of the country became part of the Habsburg Empire as Royal Hungary.

In 1686, two years after the unsuccessful siege of Buda, a renewed campaign was started to enter the Hungarian capital. This time, the Holy League's army was twice as large, containing over 74,000 men, including German, Croat, Dutch, Hungarian, English, Spanish, Czech, Italian, French, Burgundian, Danish and Swedish soldiers, along with other Europeans as volunteers, artilleryman, and officers, the Christian forces reconquered Buda, and in the next few years, all of the former Hungarian lands, except areas near Timişoara (Temesvár), were taken from the Turks. In the 1699 Treaty of Karlowitz these territorial changes were officially recognized, and in 1718 the entire Kingdom of Hungary was removed from Ottoman rule.

The city was destroyed during the battle. Hungary was then incorporated into the Habsburg Empire.

The 19th century was dominated by the Hungarians' struggle for independence and modernization. The national insurrection against the Habsburgs began in the Hungarian capital in 1848 and was defeated a little more than a year later.

1867 was the year of Reconciliation that brought about the birth of Austria-Hungary.

This made Budapest the twin capital of a dual monarchy. It was this compromise which opened the second great phase of development in the history of Budapest, lasting until World War I. In 1873 Buda and Pest were officially merged with the third part, Óbuda (Ancient Buda), thus creating the new metropolis of Budapest. The dynamic Pest grew into the country's administrative, political, economic, trade and cultural hub. Budapest went from about 80% German-speaking in 1848 to about 80% Hungarian-speaking in 1880. The capital, Budapest, was 23% Jewish. Due to the prosperity and the large Jewish community of the city, Budapest was often called the "Jewish Mecca" World War I brought the Golden Age to an end. In 1918 Austria-Hungary lost the war and collapsed; Hungary declared itself an independent republic. In 1920 the Treaty of Trianon finalized the country's partition, as a result, Hungary lost over two-thirds of its territory, about two-thirds of its inhabitants under the treaty including 3.3 million out of 10 million ethnic Hungarians.

In 1944, towards the end of World War II, Budapest was partly destroyed by British and American air raids. From 24 December 1944 to 13 February 1945, the city was besieged during the Battle of Budapest. Budapest suffered major damage caused by the attacking Soviet troops and the defending German and Hungarian troops. All bridges were destroyed by the Germans. More than 38,000 civilians lost their lives during the conflict. thumb|left|[[Shoes on the Danube Promenade|Hungarian Jewish WWII Memorial]] Between 20% and 40% of Greater Budapest's 250,000 Jewish inhabitants died through Nazi and Arrow Cross Party genocide during 1944 and early 1945. Despite this, modern day Budapest has the highest number of Jewish citizens per capita of any European city. The Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg managed to save the lives of tens of thousands of Jews in Budapest by giving them Swedish passports and taking them under his consular protection.

In 1949, Hungary was declared a communist People's Republic. The new Communist government considered the buildings like the Buda Castle symbols of the former regime, and during the 1950s the palace was gutted and all the interiors were destroyed.

In 1956, peaceful demonstrations in Budapest led to the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution. The Leadership collapsed after mass demonstrations began on 23 October, but Soviet tanks entered Budapest to crush the revolt. Fighting continued until early November, leaving more than 3000 dead.

From the 1960s to the late 1980s Hungary was often satirically referred to as "the happiest barrack" within the Eastern bloc, and much of the wartime damage to the city was finally repaired. Work on Erzsébet Bridge, the last to be rebuilt, was finished in 1965. In the early 1970s, Budapest Metro's East-West M2 line was first opened, followed by the M3 line in 1982. In 1987, Buda Castle and the banks of the Danube were included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Andrassy Avenue (including the Millennium Underground Railway, Hősök tere and Városliget) was added to the UNESCO list in 2002. In the 1980s the city's population reached 2.1 million. In recent times a significant decrease in population occurred mainly due to a massive movement to the neighbouring agglomeration in Pest county. In the last decades of the 20th century the political changes of 1989-90 concealed changes in civil society and along the streets of Budapest. The monuments of the dictatorship were taken down from public places, into Memento Park. In the first 20 years of the new democracy the development of the city was managed by Gábor Demszky.

Timeline of the history of Budapest

{| |- !Year!!Event |- |BC ||Neolithic, Chalcolithic-, bronze and iron age cultures, Celtic and Eravisci settlements on present day Budapest. |- |1st century||Romans found the settlements known as Aquincum, Contra-Aquincum and Campona. Aquincum becomes the largest town of the Danubian region and one of the capitals of Pannonia. |- |5th century||The Age of Huns. King Attila builds a city for himself here according to later chronicles. After his death, the sons of his brother Mundzuk (Hungarian: Bendegúz, Turkish: Boncuk), Attila and Bleda (Hungarian:Buda), in control of the united Hun tribes. |- |896||Following the foundation of Hungary, Árpád, leader of the Hungarians, settles in the "Town of Attila", usually identified as Aquincum. |- |1046||Bishop Gellért dies at the hands of pagans on present-day Gellért Hill. |- |1241|| Tatar invasions destroy both towns. King Béla IV builds the first royal castle on Castle Hill, Buda in 1248. The new town adopts the name of Buda from the earlier one (present day Óbuda). Pest is surrounded by city walls. |- |1270||Saint Margaret of Hungary dies in a cloister on the Isle of Rabbits (present day Margaret Island). |- |1458||The noblemen of Hungary elect Matthias Corvinus (in Latin) or Hunyadi Mátyás (in Hungarian) as king on the ice of the Danube. Under his reign Buda becomes a main hub of European Renaissance. He dies in 1490, after capturing Vienna in 1485. |- |1541||The beginning of Ottoman occupation. The Turkish Pashas build multiple mosques and baths in Buda. |- |1686||Buda and Pest are reconquered from the Turks with Habsburg leadership. Both towns are destroyed completely in the battles. |- |1690s||Resettlement, initially only a few hundred German settlers. |- |1773||Election of the first Mayor of Pest. |- |1777||Maria Theresa of Austria moves Nagyszombat University to Castle Hill. |- |1783||Joseph II places the acting government (Helytartótanács) and Magyar Kamara on Buda. |- |1795 20 May||Ignác Martinovics and other Jacobin leaders are executed on Vérmező or 'The Field of Blood'. |- |1810||A fire in the Tabán district. |- |1825||Commencement of the Reform Era. Pest becomes the cultural and economic centre of the country. The first National Theatre is built, along with the Hungarian National Museum. |- |1838|| The biggest flood in recent memory in March completely inundates Pest. |- |1848 15 March||Start of the Revolution and War of Independence of 1848-49. Pest replaces Pozsony/Pressburg (Bratislava) as the new capital of Hungary and seat of the Batthyány government and the Parliament. |- |1849||The Austrians occupy the city in early January, but the Hungarian Honvédsereg (Army of National Defense) reclaims it in April, taking the fortress of Buda on May 21 after an 18-day siege. In July, the Habsburg army again captures the two towns. |- |1849 6 October||Lajos Batthyány, the first Hungarian Prime Minister is executed on the present-day Szabadság tér. |- |1849 ||Széchenyi Lánchíd, or Széchenyi Chain Bridge, the first permanent bridge across the Danube in Budapest was opened linking Buda (West bank) and Pest (East bank). |- |1867||Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, followed by unprecedented civic development, resulting in the style of present day Budapest. |- |1873|| The former cities: Pest, Buda and Óbuda are united, and with that the Hungarian capital is established with the name of Budapest. |- |1874|| The Budapest Cog-wheel Railway service is inaugurated. |- |1878|| Electric public lighting installed in the city centre. |- |1893|| Electrification of Budapest finished |- |1896||Millennium celebrations, the Millennium Underground is inaugurated, and the Ferenc József híd (today's Freedom Bridge) is opened. |- |1909–1910||Electric public lighting expanded to the suburbs, the nearby towns villages had Electric public lighting. |- |1910||The census finds 880,000 people in Budapest and 55,000 in the largest suburb of Újpest (now part of Budapest). The religious make-up was 60.9% Catholic, 23.1% Jewish, 9.9% Calvinist and 5.0% Lutheran. Újpest was 65.9% Catholic, 18.4% Jewish, 9.7% Calvinist and 4.5% Lutheran. The percentage of ethnic Germans was 9.0% in Budapest and 5.7% in Újpest, while 2.3% of the population claimed to be Slovakian. (Source: Történelmi Magyarország atlasza és adattára 1914, Budapest, 2001.) |- |1918–1919||Revolution and the 133 days of the Hungarian Soviet Republic (March–August 1919) under the leadership of Béla Kun. It is the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia. In the Hungarian–Romanian War of 1919 the Romanian Army invaded Hungary. Maj.General of USA army Harry Hill Bandholtz between August 1919 and February 9, 1920,was the US representative to the Inter-Allied Supreme Command's Military Mission in Hungary. The Military Mission was charged with disarming the Hungarian military and supervising the immediate withdrawal of the Serbian and Romanian armies who were occupying the territory of Hungary. According to his own accounts, he is said to have prevented the arresting of Hungarian PM István Friedrich by the Romanians. He is also remembered for preventing Romanian soldiers from taking the Transylvanian collection of the Hungarian National Museum on 5 October 1919. His statue is standing in front of the US embassy in downtown Budapest. General Bandholtz said : "I simply carried out the instruction of my government, as I understood them, as an officer and a gentleman of the United States Army". |- |1924||Hungarian National Bank is founded. |- |1925||Hungarian Radio commences broadcasting. |- |1933||Disassembly of the Tabán commences. |- |1944 19 March||The Germans occupy Budapest. At the time of the occupation, there were 184,000 Jews and between 65,000 and 80,000 Christians of Jewish descent in the town. The Arrow Cross collaborated with the Germans in murdering Jews. Fewer than half of Budapest's Jews (approximately 119,000) survived the following 11 months. |- |1944 26 December - 13 February||Soviet and Romanian troops besiege Budapest from 15 January to 18 January. The retreating Germans destroy all Danube bridges. On 18 January, the soviets complete the occupation of Pest. The Buda castle falls on 13 February. World War II took the lives of close to 200,000 Budapest residents and caused widespread damage to the buildings of the city. |- |1956 23 October - 4 November||The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 breaks out, ending in the invasion of a large Soviet force. |- |1960s||Wartime damage is largely repaired. Work on the final bridge to be repaired, the Elizabeth Bridge is finished in 1965. |- |1970–1972||The first phase of the East-Western Metro begins. |- |1982||The first phase of the North-Southern Metro begins. |- |1987||Castle Hill and the banks of the Danube are included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. |- |1990||The city is home to 2,016,100 residents. |- |2002||Andrássy Avenue is added to the list of World heritage Sites, along with the Millennium Underground railway and Heroes' Square. |- |2006||2006 Hungarian protests. |- |2006||200 km of the 1000 km road in capital level local government handling is reconstructed after 80 km in the former year. The world's longest trams, Siemens Combino Supras start service on Great Boulevard, by the end of the year 150 Volvo 7700 buses take part in replacing the aging BKV fleet. Reconstruction of metro line 2 finishes. |- |2008||The Eastern part of the M0 motorway with Megyeri Bridge around the city is finished and given to public. The new Northern Railway Bridge is finished and is opened to public. |- |2008||By this year 400 km road have been reconstructed due to the road reconstruction program paired with pipe (heating and water) replacements to modern, narrow and heat-conserving ones, and where needed sewer system expansion or replacement. |- |2009|| The 2007-2009 complete reconstruction of Liberty Bridge finishes, along with the tracks of tramlines shared with tramline 49 which is going through it. |- |2009||The reconstruction of Margaret Bridge begins, planned to be finished in 2011. |- |2010|| In August the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant starts its normal operation after one year of test service. This increases biologically treated sewage from 51% to 100%. As part of the Living Danube Project, along with finishing modernizations of the other Wastewater Treatment Plants and other subcenters, and expansion of the pipe system to 100% coverage (which included building the complete Central Danube main-collector, of which only less than was built back in the Reform Era (1880s)), the city, which was the only one in Hungary with a population level larger than the range that was required to reach Western European levels of Sewage Treatment by the end of December 2008 reached it before the 2010 December 31 deadline of its range, fulfilling this obligation of the EU Accession Treaty. |- |2010||The tunnel of Metro line 4 is finished. |}

Geography

The 525 km² area of Budapest lies in central Hungary surrounded by settlements of the agglomeration in Pest county. The capital extends 25 and 29 kilometers in the north-south, east-west direction respectively. The Danube enters the city from the north; later it encircles two islands, Óbuda Island and Margaret Island. The third island Csepel Island is the largest of the Budapest Danube islands, however only its northernmost tip is within city limits. The river that separates the two parts of the city is only wide at its narrowest point in Budapest. Pest lies on the flat terrain of the Great Plain while Buda is rather hilly. Pest's terrain rises with a slight eastward gradient, so the easternmost parts of the city lie at the same altitude as Buda's smallest hills, notably Gellért Hill and Castle Hill. The Buda hills consist mainly of limestone and dolomite, the water created speleothems, the most famous ones being the Pálvölgyi cave and the Szemlőhegyi cave. The hills were formed in the Triassic Era. The highest point of the hills and of Budapest is János hill, at above sea level. The lowest point is the line of the Danube which is above sea level. The forests of Buda hills are environmentally protected.

Climate

The city has a temperate, transitional climate - somewhere between the mild, snowy weather of Transdanubia, the variable continental climate of the flat and open Great Plain to the east and the almost sub-Mediterranean weather of the south.

Sports

City Park (Városliget) and Margit Island are perfect places to find some green area in the city. In the City Park in winter you can enjoy ice skating on one of the largest artificial ice surfaces in the world. Margaret Island offers a wide range of sports from running and cycling to tennis or swimming in the Alfréd Hajós Swimming Center where Budapest proudly hosted the LEN European Aquatics Championships in 2006 and 2010. Budapest was the host for the ITU Triathlon World Championships 2010, too. The 2011 IIHF World Championship (Division I, Group A) and Athletics - 2012 European Cross Country Championships will be held there.

The city is the proud home for many Olympic, World, and Europen Championship winners and medalists. The city's largest football stadium is named after the world famous Ferenc Puskás; top class player of Real Madrid and the Hungarian National Team, who was recognized as the top scorer of the 20th century and who the FIFA's Puskás Award (Ballon d'Or) was named after. (read more about the award {|here})

It's home to Hungarian bandy. The Bandy World Championship for women 2007 and the Bandy World Championship 2004 /B-group/ were held here .

Population

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groups	! Size (2001)
Magyars	1,631,043 (91.2%)
Germans	18,097 (1%)
Roma (Romani subgroup)	Roma	14,019 (0.8%)
Slovaks	4,929 (0.3%)
Others	16,762
No answer, unknown	93,071

A KSH report showed that the proportion of Roma in Budapest increased from 2% in 1990 to 4.6% in 2009.

Whilst only 1.7% of the population of Hungary in 2009 were foreigners, 43% of them lived in Budapest, making them 4.4% of the city's population. Nearly two-thirds of foreigners living in Hungary were under 40. The primary motivation for this age group living in Hungary was employment.

Religions

Denominations	! Size (2001)
Roman Catholic	808,460 (45.5%)
Calvinist	224,169 (12.6%)
Lutheran	46,449 (2.6%)
Greek Catholic	28,901 (1.6%)
Judaism	Jewish	9,468 (0.5%)
Other Christian	20,523
Other (non-Christian)	5,971
Atheist	374,209 (21%)
No answer, unknown	286,584

Districts

Originally Budapest had 10 districts after coming into existence upon the unification of the three cities in 1873. On 1 January 1950 Budapest was united with several neighboring towns and the number of its districts was raised to 22 (Greater Budapest). At that time there were changes both in the order of districts and in their sizes. Now there are 23 districts, 6 in Buda, 16 in Pest and 1 on Csepel Island between them. Each district can be associated with one or more city parts named after former towns within Budapest. The city centre itself in a broader sense comprises the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 13th districts on the Pest side, and the 1st, 2nd, 11th and 12th on the Buda side of the city.

Economy

Nearly all branches of industry can be found in Budapest. Main products are communication engineering and computer appliances, electric machines, incandescent lamps (General Electric). Pharmaceutical industry is also important, well-known Egis, Richter Gedeon and Chinoin companies are Hungarian, Teva also has a division here.The Malév Hunagrian Airlines is based in Budapest.

Industry is rather in the suburbs, the centre is place for the main national and international service and financial companies like Hungarian Telekom, General Electric, Vodafone, Telenor, Erste Bank, CIB Bank, K&H Bank&Insurance, UniCredit, Budapest Bank, Generali Providencia Insurance, ING, Aegon Insurance, Allianz. Regional base of Volvo Co., Saab, Ford, GE are in Budapest. MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas Company which with its Subsidiaries, is a leading integrated oil and gas company in Central & Eastern Europe, and OTP Bank which is the biggest Hungarian bank, with branches in 8 other countries as well, are based in the capital.

Budapest is the centre of services, financial counseling, money transactions, commercial and estate services. Trade and logistic services are well-developed. Tourism and catering also deserve mention, the capital being home to thousands of restaurants, bars, coffee houses and party places.

Main sights

The neo-Gothic Parliament, containing amongst other things the Hungarian Crown Jewels. Saint Stephen's Basilica, where the Holy Right Hand of the founder of Hungary, King Saint Stephen is on display. The Hungarian cuisine and café culture: for example, Gerbeaud Café, and the Százéves, Biarritz, Fortuna, Alabárdos, Arany Szarvas, Kárpátia and the world famous Mátyás Pince Restaurants. There are Roman remains at the Aquincum Museum, and historic furniture at the Nagytétény Castle Museum, just 2 out of 223 museums in Budapest.

The Castle Hill, the River Danube embankments and the whole of Andrássy út have been officially recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Castle Hill and the Castle District; there are three churches here, six museums, and a host of interesting buildings, streets and squares. The former Royal Palace is one of the symbols of Hungary – and has been the scene of battles and wars ever since the 13th century. Nowadays it houses two impressive museums and the National Széchenyi Library. The nearby Sándor Palace contains the offices and official residence of the President of Hungary. The seven-hundred year-old Matthias Church is one of the jewels of Budapest. Next to it is an equestrian statue of the first king of Hungary, King Saint Stephen, and behind that is the Fisherman's Bastion, from where opens out a panoramic view of the whole city. Statues of the Turul, the mythical guardian bird of Hungary, can be found in both the Castle District and the Twelfth District.

In Pest, arguably the most important sight is Andrássy út. As far as Kodály Körönd and Oktogon both sides are lined with large shops and flats built close together. Between there and Heroes’ Square the houses are detached and altogether grander. Under the whole runs continental Europe’s oldest Underground railway, most of whose stations retain their original appearance. Heroes’ Square is dominated by the Millenary Monument, with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front. To the sides are the Museum of Fine Arts and the Kunsthalle Budapest, and behind City Park opens out, with Vajdahunyad Castle. One of the jewels of Andrássy út is the Hungarian State Opera House. Statue Park, a theme park with striking statues of the Communist era, is located just outside the main city and is accessible by public transport.

The city is home to the largest synagogue in Europe (Dohány Street Synagogue), and second largest working in the World . The synagogue is located in the Jewish district taking up several blocks in central Budapest bordered by Király utca, Wesselényi utca, Grand Boulevard (Budapest) and Bajcsy Zsilinszky road. The city is also proud at the largest medicinal bath in Europe (Széchenyi Medicinal Bath) and the third largest Parliament building in the world, once the largest in the world. The third largest church in Europe (Esztergom Basilica) and the second largest Baroque castle in the world (Gödöllő) are in the vicinity.

The world's largest panorama photograph was created in (and of) Budapest in 2010.

Islands

Seven islands can be found on the Danube: Shipyard Island, Margaret Island, Csepel Island, Palotai-sziget (now a peninsula), Népsziget, Háros-sziget, and Molnár-sziget.

Notable islands include: Margaret Island is a long island and in area. The island mostly consists of a park and is a popular recreational area for tourists and locals alike. The island lies between bridges Margaret Bridge (south) and Árpád Bridge (north). Dance clubs, Swimming pools, an Aqua park, athletic and fitness centres, bicycle and running tracks can be found around the Island. During the day the island is occupied by people doing sports, or just resting. In the summer (generally on the weekends) mostly young people go to the island at night to party in its terraces, or to recreate with a bottle of alcohol on a bench or on the grass (this form of entertainment is sometimes referred to as bench-partying). Csepel Island () is the largest island of the River Danube in Hungary. It is long; its width is 6–8 km (3.75–5 mi) and its area comprises , whereas only the northern tip is inside the city limits. Hajógyári-sziget (, or Óbudai-sziget) is a man built island, located in the third district. This island hosts many activities such as: wake-boarding, jet-skiing during the day, and dance clubs during the night. This is the island where the famous Sziget Festival takes place, hosting hundreds of performances per year and now around 400,000 visitors in its last edition. Many building projects are taking place to make this island into one of the biggest entertainment centres of Europe, the plan is to build Apartment buildings, hotels, casinos and a marina.

Luppa-sziget is the smallest island of Budapest, located in the north region.

Spas

One of the reasons the Romans first colonized the area immediately to the west of the River Danube and established their regional capital at Aquincum (now part of Óbuda, in northern Budapest) is so that they could utilize and enjoy the thermal springs. There are still ruins visible today of the enormous baths that were built during that period. The new baths that were constructed during the Turkish period (1541–1686) served both bathing and medicinal purposes, and some of these are still in use to this day. Budapest gained its reputation as a city of spas in the 1920s, following the first realization of the economic potential of the thermal waters in drawing in visitors. Indeed, in 1934 Budapest was officially ranked as a "City of Spas". Today, the baths are mostly frequented by the older generation, as, with the exception of the “Magic Bath” and "Cinetrip" water discos, young people tend to prefer the lidos which are open in the summer. Construction of the Király Baths started in 1565, and most of the present-day building dates from the Turkish period, including most notably the fine cupola-topped pool.

The Rudas Baths are centrally placed – in the narrow strip of land between Gellért Hill and the River Danube – and also an outstanding example of architecture dating from the Turkish period. The central feature is an octagonal pool over which light shines from a 10 m diameter cupola, supported by eight pillars.

The Gellért Baths and Hotel were built in 1918, although there had once been Turkish baths on the site, and in the Middle Ages a hospital. In 1927 the Baths were extended to include the wave pool, and the effervescent bath was added in 1934. The well-preserved Art Nouveau interior includes colourful mosaics, marble columns, stained glass windows and statues.

The Lukács Baths are also in Buda and are also Turkish in origin, although they were only revived at the end of the 19th century. This was also when the spa and treatment centre were founded. There is still something of an atmosphere of fin-de-siècle about the place, and all around the inner courtyard there are marble tablets recalling the thanks of patrons who were cured there. Since the 1950s it has been regarded as a centre for intellectuals and artists.

The Széchenyi Baths are one of the largest bathing complexes in all Europe, and the only “old” medicinal baths to be found in the Pest side of the city. The indoor medicinal baths date from 1913 and the outdoor pools from 1927. There is an atmosphere of grandeur about the whole place with the bright, largest pools resembling aspects associated with Roman baths, the smaller bath tubs reminding one of the bathing culture of the Greeks, and the saunas and diving pools borrowed from traditions emanating in northern Europe. The three outdoor pools (one of which is a fun pool) are open all year, including winter. Indoors there are over ten separate pools, and a whole host of medical treatments is also available.

Transport

Airport

Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, which has 3 passenger terminals: Ferihegy 1, which tends to serve the many discount airlines now flying to and from Budapest, Ferihegy 2/A and Ferihegy 2/B. Terminal 3 is planned to be built. The airport is located to the east of the centre in the XVIII. district in Pestszentlőrinc.

Roads

Budapest is the most important Hungarian road terminus; most of the major highways end near the city-limits. The road system in the city is designed in a similar manner to that of Paris, with several ring roads, and avenues radiating out from the center.

Ring road (beltway) M0 around Budapest is nearly completed, with only one section missing on the west side due to local disputes. Currently the beltway is around 80 kilometers in length, and once finished it will be near 100 kilometers of highway in length.

Public transport

Budapest public transport is provided by BKV, the company operates buses, trolleybuses, trams, suburban railway lines, the metro, a boat service, a cogwheel railway, a funicular, and a chairlift, called ''Libegő''.

Budapest's tram network is extensive, and reliable despite poor track infrastructure and an ageing fleet. Routes 4 and 6 combined form the busiest traditional city tram line in the world, with the world's longest passenger trams ( long Siemens Combino) running at 60 to 90 second intervals at peak time and 3–4 minutes off-peak and usually packed with people.

Day services operate from 4:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. each day. Night traffic (a reduced overnight service) has a reputation for being excellent.

There are three metro lines and a fourth is currently under construction. The Yellow line, built in 1896, is one of the oldest subway lines in the world, following the London Underground built in 1863.

Railways

Hungarian main-line railways are operated by MÁV. There are three main railway termini in Budapest, Keleti (eastbound), Nyugati (westbound), and Déli (southbound), operating both domestic and international rail services. Budapest was one of the main stops of the Orient Express until 2001, when the service was cut back to Paris-Vienna. There is also a suburban rail service in and around Budapest, operated under the name HÉV.

Waterways

The river Danube flows through Budapest on its way to the Black Sea. The river is easily navigable and so Budapest has historically been a major commercial port (at Csepel). In the summer months a scheduled hydrofoil service operates up the Danube to Vienna.

Special vehicles

Beside metros, suburban rails, buses, trams and boats, there are a couple of less usual vehicles in Budapest:

trolleybus on several lines in Pest

the Castle Hill Funicular between the Chain Bridge and Buda Castle

cyclecar for rent in Margaret Island

chairlift

the Budapest Cog-wheel Railway

children's railway

The latter three vehicles run among Buda hills.

Education

Budapest is Hungary's main centre of education and home to numerous universities:

Eötvös Loránd University

Budapest Business School

Central European University

Budapest University of Technology and Economics

Corvinus University of Budapest

Semmelweis University (medical university)

Szent István University

Óbuda University

Pázmány Péter Catholic University

Károli Gáspár University of the Hungarian Reformed Church

Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies

International Business School-Budapest

Andrássy Gyula German Language University of Budapest

Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Budapest is twinned with:

! Country	City	County / District / Region / State	Date
	Istanbul	Istanbul	1985
	Vienna	Vienna	1990
	Sarajevo	Sarajevo Canton	1995
	Izmir	Izmir	1985
	Sofia	Sofia City
China (PRC)	Beijing	Beijing	2005
	Zagreb	Zagreb	1994
	Paris	Paris	1956
	Berlin	Berlin	1992
		Hessen	1990
	Jakarta	Jakarta Special Capital Region	2009
	Tel Aviv	Tel Aviv District	1989
	Florence	Tuscany	2008
	Warsaw	Masovian Voivodeship	2005
	Lisbon		1992
	Bucharest	Bucharest	1991
	Košice	Košice Region	1997
	Daejeon	Daejeon	1994
	Bangkok	Bangkok	2007
	Lviv	Ukraine	1993
		Texas	1990
	Gaziantep	Gaziantep	2010
	New York City	New York	1992

Some of the city's districts are also twinned to small cities or districts of other big cities, for details see the article List of districts and towns in Budapest.

Partnerships

	* Kraków, Poland

See also

List of cemeteries in Budapest

List of famous people of Budapest

Music of Budapest

Urban and Suburban Transit Association (most of its activity is centred around Budapest)

Budapest metropolitan area

Fort Budapest

List of films shot in Budapest

References

Sources

Notes

External links

Official homepage

Budapest Tourism Office

Public transport in Budapest

MÁV-Start Railway Passenger Transport Co.

Budapest Info

Budapest on Facebook

Beautiful Budapest: Vintage Photos - slideshow by ''Life magazine''

70 gigapixel photo of Budapest

Budapest All in One Guide

Personalised Budapest

Category:Capitals in Europe Category:Populated places on the Danube Category:Spa towns in Hungary Category:World Heritage Sites in Hungary Category:Roman legions' camps in Central Europe Category:NUTS 3 statistical regions of the European Union Category:Populated places established in 1873 Category:County seats in Hungary Category:IOC Session Host Cities

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name	Hugh Jackman
birth name	Hugh Michael Jackman
birth date	October 12, 1968
birth place	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
occupation	Actor
years active	1994–present
spouse	Deborra-Lee Furness (1996–present) }}

Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.

Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters. He is known for his role as Wolverine in the ''X-Men'' series, as well as for his leads in ''Kate & Leopold'', ''Van Helsing'', ''The Prestige'', and ''Australia''. Jackman is a singer, dancer, and actor in stage musicals, and won a Tony Award for his role in ''The Boy from Oz''.

In November 2008, ''Open Salon'' named Jackman one of the sexiest men alive. Later that same month, ''People'' magazine named Jackman "Sexiest Man Alive."

A three-time host of the Tony Awards, winning an Emmy Award for one of these appearances, Jackman also hosted the 81st Academy Awards on 22 February 2009.

Early life

Jackman was born in Sydney, New South Wales, the youngest of five children of English parents Chris Jackman and Grace Watson, and the second child to be born in Australia (he also has a younger half sister, from his mother's re-marriage). One of his paternal great-grandfathers was Greek. His parents divorced when he was eight, and he remained with his accountant father and siblings, while his mother moved back to England. As a child, Jackman liked the outdoors, spending a lot of time at the beach and on camping trips and vacations all over Australia. He wanted to see the world: "I used to spend nights looking at atlases. I decided I wanted to be a chef on a plane. Because I'd been on a plane and there was food on board, I presumed there was a chef. I thought that would be an ideal job."

Jackman went to primary school at Pymble Public School and later attended the all-boys Knox Grammar School, where he starred in its production of ''My Fair Lady'' in 1985, and became the captain of the school in 1986. Following graduation, he spent a gap year working at Uppingham School in England. On his return, he studied at the University of Technology, Sydney, graduating in 1991 with a BA in Communications. In his final year of university, he took a drama course to make up additional credits. The class did Václav Havel's The Memorandum with Jackman as the lead. He later commented, "In that week I felt more at home with those people than I did in the entire three years [at university]".

After obtaining his BA, Jackman completed the one-year course "The Journey" at the Actors' Centre in Sydney. About studying acting full-time, he stated, "It wasn't until I was 22 that I ever thought about my hobby being something I could make a living out of. As a boy, I'd always had an interest in theater. But the idea at my school was that drama and music were to round out the man. It wasn't what one did for a living. I got over that. I found the courage to stand up and say, 'I want to do it'." After completing "The Journey", he was offered a role on the popular soap opera ''Neighbours'' but turned it down to attend the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts of Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia, from which he graduated in 1994.

Career

Early work

On the night of his final Academy graduation performance, Jackman received a phone call offering him a role on ''Correlli'': "I was technically unemployed for thirteen seconds." ''Correlli'', devised by Australian actress Denise Roberts, was a 10-part drama series on ABC, Jackman's first major professional job, and where he met his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness: "Meeting my wife was the greatest thing to come out of it." The show lasted only one season.

After ''Correlli'' Jackman went on the stage in Melbourne. In 1996, Jackman played Gaston in the local Walt Disney production of ''Beauty and the Beast'', and Joe Gillis in ''Sunset Boulevard''. During his stage musical career in Melbourne, he starred in the 1998 Midsumma festival cabaret production ''Summa Cabaret''. He also hosted Melbourne's Carols by Candlelight and Sydney's Carols in the Domain.

Jackman's early film work includes ''Erskineville Kings'' and ''Paperback Hero'' (1999), and his television work includes ''Law of the Land'', ''Halifax f.p.'', ''Blue Heelers,'' and ''Banjo Paterson's The Man from Snowy River''.

''Oklahoma!''

Jackman became known outside of Australia in 1998, when he played the leading role of Curly in the Royal National Theatre's acclaimed stage production of ''Oklahoma!'', in London's West End. The performance earned him an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Jackman said "I totally felt like it can't get any better than this. On some level that production will be one of the highlights of my career." He also starred in the 1999 film version of the same stage musical, which has been screened in many countries.

''X-Men''

In 1999, Jackman was cast as Wolverine in Bryan Singer's ''X-Men'' (2000), replacing Dougray Scott. His co-stars included Patrick Stewart, James Marsden, Famke Janssen, and Ian McKellen. According to a CBS interview in November 2006, Jackman's wife Deborra-Lee Furness told him not to take the role, a comment she later told him she was glad he ignored.

Wolverine was tough for Jackman to portray because he had few lines, but a lot of emotion to convey in them. To prepare, he watched Clint Eastwood in the ''Dirty Harry'' movies and Mel Gibson in ''Road Warrior''. "Here were guys who had relatively little dialogue, like Wolverine had, but you knew and felt everything. I'm not normally one to copy, but I wanted to see how these guys achieved it." Jackman was adamant about doing his own stunts for the movie. "We worked a lot on the movement style of Wolverine, and I studied some martial arts. I watched a lot of Mike Tyson fights, especially his early fights. There's something about his style, the animal rage, that seemed right for Wolverine. I kept saying to the writers, 'Don't give me long, choreographed fights for the sake of it. Don't make the fights pretty."

Jackman also had to get used to wearing Wolverine's claws. "Every day in my living room, I'd just walk around with those claws, to get used to them. I've got scars on one leg, punctures straight through the cheek, on my forehead. I'm a bit clumsy. I'm lucky I didn't tell them that when I auditioned."

Jackman, at 6'2½ (1.89 m), stands a foot taller than Wolverine, who is said in the original comic book to be 5' 3". Hence, the filmmakers were frequently forced to shoot Jackman at unusual angles or only from the waist up to make him appear shorter than he actually is, and his co-stars wore platform soles. Jackman was also required to add a great deal of muscle for the role, and in preparing for the fourth film in the series, he bench-pressed over 300 pounds. An instant star upon the film's release, Jackman later reprised his role in 2003's ''X2: X-Men United'', 2006's ''X-Men: The Last Stand'', and 2009's ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine''. He also cameos as Wolverine in 2011's ''X-Men: First Class''.

2001

Jackman starred as Leopold in the 2001 romantic comedy film ''Kate & Leopold,'' a role for which he received a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination. Jackman plays a Victorian English duke who accidentally time-travels to 21st-century Manhattan, where he meets Kate (Meg Ryan), a cynical advertising executive. In 2001, Jackman also starred in the action/drama ''Swordfish'' with John Travolta and Halle Berry. This was the second time Jackman worked with Berry, and the two have worked together twice more in the ''X-Men'' movies.

He hosted an episode of ''Saturday Night Live'' in 2001.

Stage 2002–2009

In 2002, Jackman sang the role of Billy Bigelow in the musical ''Carousel'' in a special concert performance at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke's.

In 2004, Jackman won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for his 2003–2004 Broadway portrayal of Australian songwriter and performer Peter Allen in the hit musical ''The Boy from Oz'', which he also performed in Australia in 2006. In addition, Jackman hosted the Tony Awards in 2003, 2004, and 2005, garnering positive reviews. His hosting of the 2004 Tony Awards earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety, Musical or Comedy program.

Jackman co-starred with Daniel Craig on Broadway at the Schoenfeld Theatre in a limited engagement of the play ''A Steady Rain'', which opened in previews on 10 September 2009 and closed on 6 December 2009.

Films 2003–2008

After 2003's ''X2: X-Men United'', Jackman played the title role of monster killer Gabriel Van Helsing in the 2004 film ''Van Helsing''. Jackman and the film were noted in Bruce A. McClelland's book "Slayers and Their Vampires: A Cultural History of Killing the Dead".

Jackman was one of the choices to play James Bond in 2006's ''Casino Royale'', but eventually lost out to Daniel Craig. Jackman starred in the 2006 film ''The Prestige'', directed by Christopher Nolan and co-starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson. As Robert Angier, Jackman portrayed a magician who built up a rivalry with contemporary Alfred Borden in attempt to one-up each other in the art of deception. Jackman stated that his main reason for doing ''The Prestige'' was to work with the musician David Bowie, who played scientist Nikola Tesla.

Jackman portrayed three different characters in Darren Aronofsky's science-fiction film ''The Fountain'': Tommy Creo, a neuroscientist, who's torn between his wife, Izzi (Rachel Weisz) who is dying of a brain tumor, and his work at trying to cure her; Captain Tomas Creo, a Spanish Conquistador in 1532 Seville; and a future astronaut, Tom, travelling to a golden nebula in an eco-spacecraft seeking to be reunited with Izzi. Jackman said ''The Fountain'' was his most difficult film thus far due to the physical and emotional demands of the part.

Jackman also starred in Woody Allen's 2006 film ''Scoop'' opposite Scarlett Johansson. He rounded out 2006 with two animated films: ''Happy Feet'', directed by George Miller, in which he voiced the part of Memphis, an emperor penguin; and ''Flushed Away'', where Jackman supplied the voice of a rat named Roddy who ends up being flushed down a family's toilet into the London sewer system. ''Flushed Away'' co-starred Kate Winslet and Ian McKellen (Jackman's fourth time working with him).

In 2007, Jackman produced and guest-starred in the television musical-dramedy series ''Viva Laughlin'', which was canceled by CBS after two episodes. Jackman's 2008 movies included ''Deception'' (which he starred in and produced), ''Uncle Jonny'', and ''Australia''.

''Australia''

In 2008, director Baz Luhrmann cast Jackman to replace Russell Crowe as the male lead in his much-publicized epic film, ''Australia'', which co-starred Nicole Kidman. The movie was released in late November 2008 in Australia and the U.S.

Jackman played a tough, independent cattle drover, who reluctantly helps an English noblewoman in her quest to save both her philandering husband's Australian cattle station and the half-caste Aboriginal child she finds there.

Of the movie, Jackman said, "This is pretty much one of those roles that had me pinching myself all the way through the shoot. I got to shoot a big-budget, shamelessly old-fashioned romantic epic set against one of the most turbulent times in my native country's history, while, at the same time, celebrating that country's natural beauty, its people, its cultures.... I'll die a happy man knowing I've got this film on my CV."

2009 to present

Jackman's ''X-Men'' sequel film, ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', opened in 2009.

Jackman had a one-man show at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco from 3–15 May 2011. The production was a mixture of his favorite Broadway and Hollywood musical numbers, backed by a 17-piece orchestra, from shows including ''Oklahoma'' and ''The Boy from Oz''. The show had a run-time of approximately 100 minutes, and also included slide shows of Jackman's youth, family, and work, as well as some one-on-one interaction with the audience. Jackman was backed by fellow musical theatre veterans Merle Dandridge and Angel Reda.

Future projects

Jackman also plans to play Billy Bigelow in a remake of ''Carousel'' Jackman is being considered, along with Ewan McGregor, to reprise the role of Joe Gillis in a new film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''Sunset Boulevard''. Jackman is working on creating a new comic book series, ''Nowhere Man,'' with U.S. publisher Virgin Comics and writer Marc Guggenheim, with hopes of adapting it to a film as well. Jackman stars in an upcoming movie named ''Unbound Captives'', where he will play alongside his past co-star Rachel Weisz and Robert Pattinson. Jackman will star in ''The Greatest American Showman'', a contemporary musical based on the life of P.T. Barnum. The female love interest part is being written with Anne Hathaway in mind. ''Real Steel'' (2011), a DreamWorks science fiction film. Director Lee Daniels has confirmed Jackman has joined the cast of his upcoming film ''Selma'', a film about Martin Luther King Jr. and Lyndon Baines Johnson and the civil rights marches. On 27 January 2011, DreamWorks announced that Jackman will star in the film ''Rise of the Guardians'', scheduled to be released on 21 November 2012. Jackman has been cast in ''Movie 43'', an upcoming 2012 ensemble comedy. Jackman is in negotiations to star as Jean Valjean in a film adaptation of the musical rendition of ''Les Misérables''.

Production company

In 2005, Jackman joined with longtime assistant John Palermo to form a production company, Seed Productions, whose first project was ''Viva Laughlin'' in 2007. Jackman's wife Deborra-Lee Furness is also involved in the company, and Palermo had three rings made with a "unity" inscription for himself, Furness, and Jackman. Jackman said, "I'm very lucky in the partners I work with in my life, Deb and John Palermo. It really works. We all have different strengths. I love it. It's very exciting."

The Fox-based Seed label has grown in size to include execs Amanda Schweitzer, Kathryn Tamblyn, Allan Mandelbaum and Joe Marino, with Alana Free operating the Sydney-based production office whose goal is to mount modest-budget films to harness local talent in Jackman's home country.

Other interests

Charity work

As a philanthropist, Jackman is a longtime proponent of microcredit – the extension of very small loans to prospective entrepreneurs in impoverished countries. He is a vocal supporter of Muhammad Yunus, microcredit pioneer and the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Jackman is a global advisor of the Global Poverty Project, for which he narrated a documentary; and he and the project's founder Hugh Evans visited the UN for the cause in 2009. Jackman hosted a preview of the Global Poverty Project Presentation in New York together with Donna Karran, Lisa Fox and his wife Deborra-Lee. He is also a World Vision ambassador and participated in the climate week NYC ceremony on 21 September 2009.

Jackman supports The Art of Elysium and the MPTV Fund Foundation, and he and his wife Deborra-Lee Furness are patrons of the Bone Marrow Institute in Australia. Jackman also narrated the 2008 documentary about global warming, ''The Burning Season''.

Jackman also uses his Twitter account for charity. On 14 April 2009 Jackman posted on his Twitter page that he would donate $100,000 to one individual's favorite non profit organization. On 21 April 2009 he revealed his decision to donate $50,000 to Charity:Water and $50,000 to Operation of Hope.

Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig made a unique place for themselves in the history of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising 8 December 2009, when it was announced that they had raised $1,549,953 in the 21st annual Gypsy of the Year competition, from six weeks of curtain appeals at their hit Broadway drama, ''A Steady Rain''.

Sports and other activities

Jackman has shown keen interest in sports. In high school, he played rugby union and cricket, took part in high jumping and was on the swimming team. He enjoys basketball and kayaking. He has expressed an interest in football, committing his support to Norwich City FC. In the United States, Jackman supports the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer, attending a game at PPL Park in June 2010. On 22 June 2011, Jackman again attended a home Union match against Sporting KC, sitting in front of the Sons of Ben supporters section, nicknamed "The River End".

Jackman is a longtime fan and supporter of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, a NRL club based in Sydney's north. He sang the national anthem at the 1999 NRL Grand Final.

Jackman plays the piano, does yoga, and has been a member of the School of Practical Philosophy since 1992.

Personal life

Jackman married Deborra-Lee Furness on 11 April 1996. They met on ''Correlli'', an Australian television series. Jackman personally designed an engagement ring for Furness, and their wedding rings bore the Sanskrit inscription "Om paramar mainamar", translated as "we dedicate our union to a greater source".

Furness had two miscarriages, following which she and Jackman adopted two children, Oscar Maximillian (born 15 May 2000) and Ava Eliot (born 10 July 2005).

Filmography

! Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
1994	''Law of the Land''	Charles McCray	1 episode
1995	''Correlli''	Kevin Jones	10 episodes
1995	''Blue Heelers''	Brady Jackson	1 episode
1996	''''	Duncan Jones	5 episodes
1999	''Erskineville Kings''	Wace
1999		Jack Willis
2000			Saturn Award for Best Actor
2001	''Kate & Leopold''	Leopold	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2001		Eddie
2001		Stanley Jobson
2003
2004
2004	''Van Helsing: The London Assignment''	Gabriel Van Helsing	(voice)
2005	''Stories of Lost Souls''	Roger	segment "Standing Room Only"
2006	''Happy Feet''	Memphis	(voice)
2006	''Flushed Away''	Roddy	(voice)
2006	''''	Robert Angier	Nominated – Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor
2006	''''	Tomas / Tommy / Tom Creo	Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
2006		Peter Lyman
2006	''X-Men: The Last Stand''
2007	''Viva Laughlin''	Nicky Fontana	TV series, also executive producer
2008		Wyatt Bose	Producer
2008	''Uncle Jonny''	Uncle Russell	Tropfest 2008 Finalist Film
2008		The Drover	Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Actor in a Drama
2008	''''	Narrator	Documentary
2009	''X-Men Origins: Wolverine''	rowspan=2	Producer
2011	''X-Men: First Class''	Uncredited cameo
2011		Arthur
2011	''Real Steel''	Charlie Kenton	Post-production
2011		Boyd Bolton	Post-production

Awards and nominations

Awards

1997 Variety Club Award for Best Actor in a Musical – ''Sunset Boulevard''

1998 Mo Award for Best Actor in a Musical – ''Sunset Boulevard''

1999 Australian Movie Convention, Australian Star of the Year

2000 Saturn Award for Best Actor – ''X-Men''

2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical – ''The Boy from Oz''

2004 Theatre World Award – ''The Boy from Oz''

2004 Broadway Audience Award – ''The Boy from Oz''

2004 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance of the Year – ''The Boy from Oz''

2004 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Musical – ''The Boy from Oz''

2004 TDF-Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer in Theatre – ''The Boy from Oz''

2004 Theater Fan's Choice Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical – ''The Boy from Oz''

2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical – ''The Boy from Oz''

2004 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival – Short Film Award for Best Actor – "Making the Grade"

2004 Australian Showbusiness Ambassador of the Year

2005 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program – 58th Annual Tony Awards Ceremonies

2006 ShoWest Award for Male Star of the Year

2006 Mo Award for Australian Performer of the Year

2008 WAAPA – Chancellor's Alumni Award for Excellence, UTS Towering Achievement Award

2008 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance in a Stage Musical – ''The Boy from Oz''

2008 Australian Film Institute Award Readers' Choice

2008 ''People'' Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive Award

2008 Australian GQ Man of the Year

2008 Teen Choice Award for Choice Actor in an Action Adventure ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine''

2009 Jackman had his hand and footprint ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 21 April 2009.

2009 Best Performance By A Human Male at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards as Wolverine in ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine''

2010 People's Choice Award for Favorite Action Star – ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine''

Nominations

1997 Mo Award for Best Actor in a Musical – ''Beauty and the Beast''

1998 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical – ''Oklahoma!''

2001 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – ''Kate & Leopold''

2001 CFCA Award for Most Promising Actor

2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program – 59th Annual Tony Awards Ceremonies

2006 Green Room Award for Best Male Artist in a Leading Role – ''The Boy from Oz''

Mentions in popular culture

Jackman was chosen as ''People'' magazine's Sexiest Man Alive of 2008.

In the ABC comedy-drama ''Scrubs'', one of the more prominent running gags is Dr. Cox's (John C. McGinley) seemingly irrational hatred of Jackman.

In the 7th season of ''Punk'd'', Jackman was led to believe that he had accidentally blown up director Brett Ratner's house. On the Season 6, Episode 13 of ''Will & Grace'', which aired on 10 February 2004, the character Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes), mentions he is going to see ''The Boy From Oz'', because he can not wait to see Hugh Jackman. He later discusses wanting to sue Jackman for stealing some of his dance moves.

References

External links

'A Steady Rain' Rules Broadway – opening night blog at broadway.tv

Jackman, Hugh National Library of Australia, ''Trove, People and Organisation'' record for Hugh Jackman

Category:1968 births Category:Australian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian male singers Category:Australian musical theatre actors Category:Australian people of English descent Category:Australian stage actors Category:Australian television actors Category:Australian television presenters Category:Australian voice actors Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Living people Category:People educated at Knox Grammar School Category:People from Sydney Category:Tony Award winners Category:University of Technology, Sydney alumni

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name	Thomas Anders
background	solo_singer
birth name	Bernd Weidung
birth date	March 01, 1963
origin	Münstermaifeld, Germany
genre	Pop, Europop, Latin popDance-pop, pop rockBlue-eyed soul, jazz
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	1980–present
label	Teldec, East West, Polydor, BMG, Edel Records
website	www.thomas-anders.com }}

Thomas Anders (born Bernd Weidung, 1 March 1963, Koblenz, West Germany) is a German singer, composer and record producer. Anders was the lead singer of Germany's popular pop-duo Modern Talking in 1984–1987 and in 1998–2003. This drove Anders to leave Germany for the United States, where in 1989, Anders released his first solo album ''Different'' with more pop style rather than dance, which he produced together with Elton John's producer Gus Dudgeon and a-ha's producer Alan Tarney. The first single "Love of My Own" released in the same year is considered the biggest success of his solo career at that time. The second album ''Whispers'' was released in 1991, three singles were released off Anders' second solo album "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" written by Roxette member Per Gessle, "I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" and "True Love". In 1992, Anders released his third album ''Down on Sunset'', the singles "How Deep Is Your Love" and "Standing Alone" (Duet with Glenn Medeiros) found some success both in Germany and Austria. Anders released his fourth solo album ''When Will I See You Again'' in 1993. The first single "When Will I See You Again" featured the original singers of the song, The Three Degrees. Also, in 1993, Anders experienced something new as he got a part in a Swedish movie ''Stockholm Marathon''.

Anders announced the German Eurovision voting results once again in 2009. In the Spring of 2009, Anders was featured on the song called "The Night Is Still Young for which he collaborated with Sandra, the single peaked at No.46. Anders released his next solo single, "Why Do You Cry" in 2010 which peaked at No. 21 on Russian Airplay Chart. In the Spring of 2010, Anders released his next studio album, ''Strong'' for Russian market only. In 2011, Anders came back collaborating with Uwe Fahrenkrog, German musician and songwriter. The duo's first single together called "Gigolo" was released on May 27, 2011 in Germany which peaked at No.40 there. Their album ''Two'' was released on June 10, 2011 which debuted at No.11 on the German album chart. The single "Gigolo" is written and produced by Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen Thomas Troelsen. The duo appears under the name ''Anders | Fahrenkrog''.

Personal life

His parents are Helga and Peter Weidung. He has one brother, Achim, and one sister, Tania. He was married to Nora Balling from 1986 to 1999. |- ! scope="row" | ''Different'' |

Released: August 29, 1989

Label: Eastwest Germany (Warner Germany)

Formats: CD, Cassette, LP,

| — |- ! scope="row" | ''Whispers'' |

Released: May 17, 1991

Label: Eastwest Germany (Warner Germany)

Formats: CD, Cassette, LP

| — |- ! scope="row" | ''Down on Sunset'' |

Released: September 1, 1992

Label: Polydor Germany (Universal Germany)

Formats: CD, Cassette, LP,

| — |- ! scope="row" | ''When Will I See You Again'' |

Released: September 20, 1993

Label: Polydor Germany Universal Germany

Formats: CD, Cassette, LP,

| — |- ! scope="row" | ''Barcos de Cristal'' |

Released: April 19, 1994

Label: PolyGram records

Formats: CD, Cassette, LP

| — |- ! scope="row" | ''Souled'' |

Released: April 7, 1995

Label: Polydor Germany (Universal Germany)

Formats: CD, Cassette, LP

| — |- ! scope="row" | ''This Time'' |

Released: February 23, 2004

Label: Na Klar (Sony Music Germany)

Formats: CD, Cassette

| 14 |- ! scope="row" | ''Songs Forever'' |

Released: March 3, 2006

Label: Edel

Formats: CD

| 43 |- ! scope="row" | ''Strong'' |

Released: April, 2010

Label: CD Land

Formats: CD

| — |- |align="center" colspan="14" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released. |}

Compilation albums

+	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"
''For Your Love''		* Released: 1992	* Label: Convoy	Compact disc>CD, ''Golden Stars''		* Released: 1998	* Label: [[Polydor Records	* Formats: CD, Cassette, LP	—

Live album(s)

+	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"
! scope="row"		* Released: 1997	* Label: Panteon Records	CD">Compact Cassette	—
''Golden Stars''		* Released: 1998	* Label: [[Polydor Records	* Formats: CD, Cassette, LP	—

Live album(s)

+	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"
! scope="row"		* Released: 1997	* Label: Panteon Records	CD,
+	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"
''Two''Thomas Anders		* Released: June 10, 2011	* Label: [[Polydor Records	* Formats: [[Compact disc	11	85

Singles

As lead artist

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"
! scope="row"		—
"[[Du weinst um ihn">Compact Cassette	—

Collaboration album(s)

+	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"
''Two''Thomas Anders		* Released: June 10, 2011	* Label: [[Polydor Records	* Formats: [[Compact disc	11	85

Singles

As lead artist

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"
! scope="row"		—
"[[Du weinst um ihn"	—
"Es war die Nacht der ersten Liebe"		—
"Ich will nicht dein Leben"		—
"Was macht das schon"		—
"Wovon träumst du denn"	—
"Heißkalter Engel"	—
"Endstation Sehnsucht"		—
"Es geht mir gut heut' Nacht"	—
"Love of My Own"		24	rowspan=3
"One Thing"	—
"Soldier"	—
"The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye"		—	rowspan=3
"Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)"	73
"True Love"	—
"How Deep Is Your Love"		71
"Standing Alone"(featuring Glenn Medeiros)	—
"When Will I See You Again"(featuring The Three Degrees)		37	rowspan=3
"I'll Love You Forever"	79
"The Love in Me"		—
"Road to Higher Love"	—
"Never Knew Love Like This Before"		—
"A Little Bit of Lovin"	—
"Independent Girl"		17	rowspan=3
"King of Love"		37
"Tonight Is the Night"	60
"Just Dream!"	64
"A Very Special Feeling"		—
"Songs That Live Forever"	—
"All Around the World"	—
"Kisses for Christmas"		—
"Why Do You Cry"		—	rowspan=2
"Stay With Me"	—
"The Christmas Song"	—

As featured artist

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"
"Ibiza Baba Baya"Sound-Chateau (featuring Thomas Anders)		—
"For You"Sound-Chateau (featuring Thomas Anders)	—
"
Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"
"Ziele"Sistenova and Thomas Anders		—
"Gigolo"Anders		40

Videos

Video albums

! Year	Album details	! Notes
		*Released: April 28, 2006	Edel">The Night Is Still Young (Sandra featuring Thomas Anders song)		46	rowspan=1

Collaboration singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		!style="width:3em;font-size:85%"
"Ziele"Sistenova and Thomas Anders		—
"Gigolo"Anders		40

Videos

Video albums

! Year	Album details	! Notes
		*Released: April 28, 2006	Edel	*Formats: HiFi Sound, PAL		*Contains the music videos from Thomas Anders' solo albums as well as three singles from Modern Talking

Collaboration compositions

1988 "I Can Never Let You Go" (Co-wrote for Engelbert Humperdinck)

1989 "Soldier" (Written and produced by Alan Tarney)

1991 "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" (Written by Per Gessle)

1992 "Standing Alone" (Duet with Glenn Medeiros)

1993 "When Will I See You Again" (Duet with The Three Degrees)

1993 "Emotional Thing" (Co-wrote for The Three Degrees)

1993 "Question of Love" (Co-wrote for The Three Degrees)

1993 "Ain't No Woman" (Co-wrote for The Three Degrees)

1994 "Tal Vez" (Co-wrote for Marta Sánchez) (#1 Mexico)

1995 "Feel for the Physical" (Duet with The Pointer Sisters)

2001 "Hey Mr. President" (Produced T-Seven)

2001 "Cry for You" (Co-wrote for No Angels)

2002 "Stay" (Co-wrote for No Angels)

2002 "Funky Dance" (Co-wrote for No Angels)

2009 "The Night Is Still Young" (Sandra featuring Thomas Anders)

See also

Modern Talking

Nora Balling

References

External links

Official Website

http://www.thomasanders.ru - More than Talking - Tribute to Thomas Anders, a lot of information about the artist (English/Russian).

Thomas Anders World-Spain

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:German pop singers Category:German male singers Category:German songwriters Category:German record producers Category:English-language singers Category:German-language singers Category:Spanish-language singers Category:Modern Talking Category:People from Koblenz

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