The reason for this unusual geometry is that the small extension to connect to Margaret Island was hastily inserted into the original design but not built until two decades later due to lack of funds.

Estimates of the number of victims range from 100 to 600: Among them were innocent civilians, about 40 German soldiers, passengers in a tram that overturned and plunged into the river, and Jewish forced laborers (including Olympic champion fencer Endre Kabos), who were on the bridge in a truck.

Ships, boats and police craft were trying to save whoever they could.” Miklós Kovalovszky [1]All of the remaining bridges of Budapest were blown up by the Wehrmacht in January 1945 during their retreat to the Buda side of the surrounded capital.

During reconstruction of the Margaret Bridge, much of the original steel material was lifted from the river and incorporated into the rebuilt structure.

The wave of suicides inspired János Arany,[5] a renowned Hungarian poet to compose a ballad, "Híd-avatás" ("Bridge Inauguration"), about the jumpers.

It was widely distributed in leaflet format, illustrated with Mihály Zichy's romantic styled intricate pencil drawings.