Adam Clark

Adam Clark (Hungarian: Clark Ádám; 14 August 1811 – 23 June 1866) was a Scottish civil engineer who is best known for his career in Hungary. His most famous work is the Széchenyi Chain Bridge over the Danube River in Budapest, which was one of the longest bridges in the world when it opened. Clark oversaw its construction from 1839 to 1849, and ensured its safety during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. He remained in Hungary after the bridge's completion, and married a Hungarian.

Early life Clark was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 14 August 1811. He served his engineering apprenticeship with Darling & Hume and G. Manwaring & Co., and then found work with Hunter & English. In 1834, Clark was sent to Budapest to supervise the construction of a new dredger, which had been ordered by Count István Széchenyi for use on the Danube. He returned to Scotland after two years.

Széchenyi Chain Bridge

In 1839, Clark moved back to Hungary to serve as resident engineer on the Chain Bridge, which was being built to link the twin towns of Buda and Pest across the Danube. The bridge's designer and chief engineer was an Englishman, William Tierney Clark (no relation), but he was unable or unwilling to remain in Hungary to supervise its construction. Clark spent ten years working on the bridge, with an annual salary of £400. In the early stages of the revolution, a crowd of demonstrators gathered at the bridge to demand the expulsion of foreign workers. Clark refused to meet their request, and the demonstrators were eventually dispersed by police. Clark in fact supported the revolutionaries, and in late 1848 assisted Lajos Kossuth's army in retreating across his bridge – still unfinished and untested. By one estimate, 70,000 men and 300 pieces of artillery crossed over in a single day. After the completion of the tunnel, Clark worked on several smaller commissions. He is one of the very few foreigners who have been buried there.

Personal life In 1855, Clark married Mária Áldásy, a member of the local aristocracy, with whom he had three children. The couple and their children lived in a large villa in the Buda Hills that Clark had built for himself.

Legacy A commemorative coin was issued in honour of the 200th anniversary of Clark's birth. Because of his contributions to the Budapest cityscape and his support for the Revolution of 1848, Clark became "something of a folk hero in Hungary". He is virtually unknown in his native Scotland, however. Clark was deprecated somewhat by the Hungarian People's Republic during the 1950s, due to his association with the aristocracy, but his reputation was rehabilitated by later governments. In 2011, the Hungarian National Bank issued a 5000 forint coin to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Clark's birth. It was designed by László Szlávics. A floating crane of 200 t lifting capacity, used in the raising of the sunken passenger ship Hableány is named after him.