Count Ödön Széchenyi, son of Count István Széchenyi, first met the idea of an uphill funicular at the Paris International Exposition of 1867. On returning back to Hungary, he wanted to adapt it to the local environment right away.
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The heritage and history of the Széchenyi family go back to centuries; family members had always devoted their lives to the country and their profession. Count Ödön Széchenyi, the younger son of István Széchenyi paid attention, with insight before his age, to economic, social and technical deficiencies and demands. He initiated, among others, the launch of the Buda Castle Funicular. National Széchényi Library is the keeper of the foundation deed of the Buda Castle Hill Funicular (funicular railway) (1868), and of the document recognizing the merits of Count Ödön Széchenyi (1894).
The opening ceremony took place on March 2, 1870. The “Hill Funicular” had been licensed to operate for 40 years by the city of Buda. This funicular rail was the second in Europe, after a similar transportation system in Paris at that time. Passenger transport started prior to authorization for placing the system on the market by the authorities. People had been allowed to use the funicular free of charge before the official opening ceremony took place, which gave an extra boost to confidence in the new structure. You can read more about the history of the Buda Castle Funicular in our blog entry [2]. (The entry is available only in Hungarian.)