Ságvári Ágnes (szerk.): Budapest. The History of a Capital (Budapest, 1975)

Documents

Decree

To the cities of Buda and Pest, and the whole of Pest County

Whereas the Chain Bridge will be fully completed in a short time, and this will remove the material obstacle impeding the union and spiritual fusion of the two sister capitals which have lived and existed separately in the two municipalities;

Whereas an administrative reorganization throughout the whole Hungarian state is now urgent, and in so far as natural obstacles and political attitudes permit the municipalities should be more suitably repartitioned according to the population and territory, in part by merger, in part by division, on these grounds that the two sister capitals together with Ó-Buda, are destined to form one municipality as both in their situation and in the number of their inhabitants;

Whereas these three municipalities are together destined to constitute the capital of the Hungarian state, and our administration would always lack unity, concord, simplicity, speed and accuracy without this union, and personal safety and the security of property are also lacking where the three, now separate, authorities provide a refuge for the offender;

Whereas the capital will only grow in strength if subject to one governing power, and will only lead a flourishing existence if its aspirations are guided by one soul and one will, and will only be happy and peaceful if separate interests merge into one common interest;

Whereas the Hungarian state can only have one capital in which Pest chiefly provides the living strength and Buda chiefly provides its ancient historic memory;

Whereas the splendour, strength, power and greatness of the national capital is dependent on its unity, of which our country, attacked in an unjust war, now stands in most particular need;

For all these reasons I decree as follows:

1. The union of the respective municipalities of Buda and Pest and Ó-Buda is hereby decreed, and the two sister capitals are hereby united as Budapest.

2. Upon receipt of this decree the two municipalities shall meet in a general assembly within three days, and shall each delegate seven members to it who shall form a committee headed by a chairman to be appointed by me, and shall devise a plan for the settlement of difficulties, interests and rights, and the unification of the administrative staffs and shall submit this plan to me within twelve days or will answer for it.

Pál Nyáry, sub-prefect of the County of Pest, is appointed chairman of the Committee.

3. And whereas the area of the City of Buda bordering on Ó-Buda is built so that the latter town has become a suburb of Buda, Ó-Buda is hereby incorporated in the municipality of Buda-Pest.

Budapest, June 24th, 1849 Bertalan Szemere, Minister of the Interior

Original text in Hungarian. Közlöny (The official gazette of the Revolutionary Government), June 1849.

90