Római part (Roman Riverbank) is a riverside shore in the capital of Hungary, Budapest. It is located at an approximately 5 kilometers long stretch along the Danube in the city’s North-Western 3rd district (Óbuda-Békásmegyer). It is near to the remains of the ancient Roman town, Aquincum, hence its name. Római part is a local recreational area, natural reserve, water sports facility, and a popular entertainment area with numerous open air gastronomic facilities and bars.
The promenade
A 4.7 km long promenade runs along the Danube between the Újpest railway bridge at south and the settlement Budakalász at north. At the tree-lined south section of the walkway a lot of buildings can be found, like boathouses, hotels, restaurants and private resort houses. Some of the buildings are in bad shape, partly due to the frequent floods, partly to negligence. At the north part of the promenade in the 1970s a flood barrier was built, with a bike path on the top of it. In the early 2020s an eco-park was constructed next to the barrier, including numerous sport facilities, playgrounds for children and green areas with several benches. The park soon became popular among local inhabitants.
The south branch (Római fürdő)
The north branch (Pünkösdfürdő park)
Boathouses and water-life
The history of the famous boathouses of the Római-part dates to the 1920s. The buildings, of which only a small part survived today, had two golden ages over the decades: one from the 1920s until World War II, and the other after the war, from 1948 to the mid-1980s. At this time dozens of state companies, sport clubs and private persons have built boathouses. After 1990, the company resorts and their boathouses were privatized. A lot of resorts were then closed, some of them were demolished.
Summer and heat waves
In the last years heat waves during summer have become regular. The once popular tradition of bathing in the Danube was banned in 1973 due to deteriorating water quality. However, from 2024 bathing is allowed again under controlled conditions. On the southern section of the promenade a free public beach has been established, where the water quality is continuously monitored.
Floods and low waters
The water level of the Danube fluctuates enormously, causing regularly floods at the Római part. In the past decades serious floods took place in 2002, 2006, 2013 and recently in 2024. The north part of the area is well protected; however, in the south part of the promenade the high water can make severe damage to the buildings. There is a disagreement between the owners of the establishments and the environmentalists whether a flood barrier should be built at this section of the shore also.
