Devil's Ditch (Ördög-árok)

Budapest · Ungern · Tunnel

The devil himself dug the streambed, said the people of Buda. Others say it is a fairy's tears — and that evil spirits live by the water.

The stream that carries the name Devil's Ditch now runs in a culvert beneath Városmajor and Krisztinaváros, but in the Middle Ages it was notorious. It could rise within hours and roll out over the houses, and the people of Buda said it was the devil hurling the water down from the hills — some held that he had dug the channel with his own hands. Other tales speak of evil spirits living along its banks, bringing misfortune on anyone who built too close. The loveliest version is also the saddest: at the spring there lived a fairy girl who fell in love with a mortal youth. The lord of the mountains, her father, forbade the match, and the girl's tears became the stream that runs down toward the boy's village. Since the stream was culverted it is heard only as a dull rush beneath the paving.

FAQ

Where is Devil's Ditch (Ördög-árok) located?

Devil's Ditch (Ördög-árok) is in Budapest, Ungern.

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