Created for the Hungarian millennial celebrations of 1896 and inaugurated exactly 127 years ago today, the Millennium Underground (yellow line 1 of the city’s metro network) was a pioneer of its day.
It was the first metro line in continental Europe and the second worldwide. But even more intriguing is that it took only 21 months to complete the line. Instead of drilling, they simply opened up the road above it (today's Andrássy út), then covered it back over once they finished.
Originally the stations had fancy entryways at street level, decorated with Zsolnay tiles below. For 70 years, the Underground operated according to a UK-style left-hand traffic order, as was the rule in Hungary until 1941, only switching sides during its renovation and extension in 1970. That is how the line, with its 11 stops between Vörösmarty tér and Mexikói út, was formed.
