The Funicular of Buda built on 2nd March 1870 was the second hill cable car in the world. The idea derived from the son of the builder of the Chain Bridge, Ödön Széchenyi, but Ödön Juraszek made the design. The power was provided by a steam machine, placed at the bottom station, and the cars hung on a wire passing through the turning disc of the upper station. The length of the ride is 95 meters, on a 30' slope. Its machinery had worked safely for 74 years. During the siege of Budapest in the Second World War, a bomb destroyed the engine room, and the track and the upper station were also damaged. Reconstruction work did not begin until four decades later on 4th July 1986. Today's cars are copies of the originals. 24 passengers can travel in a car. However, the function of the Funicular has changed: in the 19th century it was used by the officials of the government offices of the Castle, but today it is mainly for tourists.
