The economic growth of Budapest (15th-16th c.)
The economic role of this centre was enhanced by the important trade routes
crossing the Danube at Buda, linking Eastern and Western Europe together.
Cattle for slaughter played an important role in East-West economic relations,
driven from the grazing lands of the Hungarian Plain to the cities of the
northern Italy, Austria and Bavaria. Its role in the wine trade was also
renowned. Miklós Oláh, Secretary to Queen Mária, wrote in 1536: 'The city of
Buda is famous merchants, who gather here as if this place were the emporium of
the whole of Hungary' (Horváth, Budapest története [The history of
Budapest],vol.2,p.97).