Pest (city)

Pest (in Slovak Pešť, pron. Pesht) was an independent city in Hungary located on the east bank of the Danube River. The first written mentions of the city are found dating to 1148; however, an ancient Celtic settlement and later Roman settlements existed in the same place. The city became an important economical center during 11th–13th centuries. It was destroyed in the 1241 Mongol invasion, but rebuilt once again soon thereafter. In 1849 the first chain bridge was constructed across the Danube connecting Pest to Buda. Consequently, in 1873, the two cities were unified with Obuda to become Budapest.