Two Stations of the Budapest Metro
The Budapest Metro is considered the world's second oldest subway line, with the London Underground being the oldest. The "Millennium-Line" M1 began service in 1896 and has remained an integral part of the subway network ever since. In 2014 the M4 line with its ten new stations was included. It connects Buda, the part of the city located west of the Danube, to Pest, the part of the city along the eastern banks. Until recently the public transportation system in Hungary was planned exclusively by engineers and traffic planners. Inspired by the urban planning director at the time and the local architect's chamber, a competition initiated in 2003 was intended to explore the potential of architectural design for future subway stations. The aim was to improve the image of the subway system. It was not very popular, also due to the spatial deficits of a technocratic type of planning that was implemented during the past decades and originally influenced by the Soviet Union.