The location Budapest

The ports of the Danube: history – architecture – people

 Much is said about the architecture of the cities along the Danube, but surprisingly little attention is paid to the classic meeting places of the river and water, the ports. Yet during the modernization that began in the 19th century, urban complexes were created from Germany to the estuary that still unite the culturally fragmented Danube basin today. Noteworthy works of architectural history were created on the waterfronts, such as the brick warehouses in Regensburg and Passau, the world's pioneering reinforced concrete grain silos in Romania, the Budapest Great Market Hall, and the reinforced concrete structure "floating" above the water in the central hall in Belgrade. Meanwhile, city centers were enriched with buildings such as the DDSG headquarters in Vienna, the MAHART palace next to the Vigadó, and the boat stations representing the Romanian national style.                                                                                                                                  The exhibition, based on international scientific research, is organized around ten themes and presents the Danube ports from Ulm to the Black Sea, from the market ports before the advent of steam navigation to the modern ports of today, with the help of photos, plans, posters, and works of art to present the Danube ports from Ulm to the Black Sea, from the market ports before steam navigation, to the quays, then to the closed basin commercial ports, until their liquidation and reuse.

After the Budapest exhibition, the material will travel to Ulm and Novi Sad in 2026, and will also be on display in other cities along the Danube.                                                  The project is being carried out under the leadership of the Institute for Danube Swabian History and Regional Studies (Institut für donauschwäbische Geschichte und Landeskunde, IDGL) in Tübingen, in cooperation with the Hungarian National Archives (MNL) and the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Novi Sad, with the support of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung.