or OFEN, a free city, the capital of the Austrian kingdom of Hungary, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite Pesth, with which it is connected by a bridge of boats, and by a beautiful iron suspension bridge, 1227 feet long and 39 feet wide, opened in 1849. It is the residence of the palatines, and the seat of the boards of the several departments of government and of ecclesiastical affairs. The public buildings worthy of notice are the castle (in which the crown and regalia of Hungary were kept till the last revolution, after which they were removed to Vienna) the town-house, cathedral, observatory, the orphan asylum, and a number of churches. There are also a gymnasium and several libraries. Pop. 32,000, principally employed in the manufacture of leather, cutlery, silk and woollen goods, and in the cultivation of the vineyards in the vicinity, which yield an excellent red wine. Long. 19° 3' 12" E. Lat. 47° 29' 14" N.

The town has been long celebrated for its mineral baths, supplied from the hot sulphurous springs in the neighbourhood. These baths were highly appreciated in the time of the Romans and also by the Turks. Of those constructed by the Romans only a few fragments now remain; but of the Turkish, three remain to this day in so perfect a state as still to be used. The temperature of the water is about 118 Fahr. Buda was in the possession of the Romans till towards the end of the 4th century. About 900, Arpad the Magyar chief, made it his capital, and subsequent monarchs greatly enlarged and improved it. In 1526 it was taken by Solyman the Magnificent, but retaken by Ferdinand I. king of Bohemia, in the following year. It was again captured by Solyman in 1529, and held by the Turks till 1686, when it was recovered by the Austrians under the Prince of Lorraine after a desperate resistance. In 1849, it was taken by the Hungarian army, but soon after abandoned.