The Buda Castle and other Budapest, Hungary Things to Do Tips

The Royal Palace is the largest building of Castle Hill that dominates and forms a separate “empire” of the Buda side. Since the 14th century, when Hungarian kings from the Italian Anjou dynasty decided to settle here and overlook the Panonian plateau the Palace was in constant changes.
The Castle was significantly modified by Sigmound of Luxembourg in the first part of the 15th Century, its Hall of Knights being one of the greatest in Europe in that time.
The Palace was converted into the Rennaissance-style palace by King Matthias Corvinus, but this didn’t survive the Ottoman invasion, occupation and battles of the reconquest.
The reconstruction started in the second half of the 18th Century by the Queen Maria Theresa. What we see today was in greatest part built in the late 19th Century during the reign of the Austrian-Hungarian Emperor and King Franz Joseph.
The Palace was heavily destroyed again during the Second World War when it almost totally burned out, but was carefully restored.

Today the Royal Palace is the home of the National Gallery (with great collection of Hungarian paintings and sculpture), and also of the Budapest History Museum. The entrance to its great courtyards is free – don’t miss the great views over Danube from its eastern courtyard. In the southern courtyard you’ll find the statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy while the 19th Century Matthias Well - considered to be the most beautiful fountain in Budapest – is dominating the northern courtyard.

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Directions: Buda side

Mátyás templom, the St. Matthias Church, dominates the Trinity Square and is considered to be the sacred place for Hungarians. The old gothic church was used as the place for coronations, and the church still hides the remains of King Bela III (who reigned from 1173 –1198) and Queen Anne of Chantillon. The Treasury of the church also keeps the so-called “Matthias-chalice” as well as many exceptionally beautiful lithurgic accessories. The exact copy of the Black Madonna from the Italian Loretto can also be found here.

Today’s structure of St. Mathias church is neo-gothic, redesigned by Frigyes Schulek in the late 19th Century. The interior was decorated by the most famous Hungarian historical painters of the 19th Century Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz.

The sculpture in front of the church is the 18th century thanks-giving memorial by the survivors of the plague epidemic, and dominates the Trinity Square.

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Address: I. Szenth?roms?g t?r 2, Varbusz.

The Fishermen’s bastions (Halászbástya) are one of the most popular spots on the Buda Hill, probably because of their location above Danube offering magnificent views of the river, Margaret Island, the Parliament and the Pest side of the city.

The bastions were built in late 19th Century by the same builder who did the reconstruction of St. Matthias church – Frigyes Schulek. His imagination was free here and he created numerous turrets, parapets and stairways forming an unusual building whose only function is to offer visitors a place for rest and great views.

Framed in the arches of Fishherman’s bastions is the statue of Hungarian first King St. Stephen (Szent István), carved in 1906 by Alajos Strobl. The sculptor also included a self-portrait in the relief around the base of the monument.

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Address: Castle District (Varhegy) in Buda
Directions: It can be reached by the Castle bus (Varbuz) from Moszkva ter.

A little bit to the north from the Trinity Square you’ll reach the Bécsi kapu – a replica of the original town gates. Everyone that knows Croatian will have no problems understanding that Becs means Vienna – one of the rare words that entered in Croatian from Hungarian. If you managed to recognize the Vienna gate your knowledge of Croatian won’t help you to recognize what hides behind the name Országos Levéltár. The neo-gothic building is the home of the National Archives. Its ceremonial stairway are worth a closer look.

(If you’ve ever been in Zagreb then note the coloured tiles on the roof in national Hungarian colours. The same thing was applied on the roof of St.Mark’s church in Zagreb – in fact during its recent reconstruction the new tiles were imported from the original factory in Hungary.)

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In the 19th Century old town walls lost its importance and many towns decided to get rid of them. This is the time when Vienna got its famous Ring at the place of the old walls, while in Buda this opened the opportunity to create a Promenade offering nice views from the hill. For me it was interesting to see that the same thing happenned in Zagreb – the Strossmayer Promenade around the Upper Town offering the same thing. Another example of the same history and similar approaches that left similar examples in urban structure.

The Castle promenade starts close to the National Archives and leads up to the funicular, offering nice views of the Buda part of the town. During the evenings the gas-lights illuminate the Promenade, giving a romantic atmosphere. If you look below the Lovas street you’ll notice a small exhibit of antique street lamps.

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The Parliament building on the left banks of Danube was built for a country three times larger than today's Hungary. Inspired by the London Parliament, this Hungary's largest building was conceived in 1896 by Imre Steindl but finished only in 1902, after the architect's death.

Impressive neo-gothic turrets and arches stretch for over 250 metres along the Danube embankment.
The building comprises of 691 rooms, immense halls and over 12.5 miles of corridors, has a central dome of 96-metres (precisely the same height as that of Szent István Basilica).

For the best view of the Parliament building go to the other side of the Danube, at Fisherman's bastions.

Visit the Parliament website for more info about this building and also for details about the guided tours. From May 2004 visit is free for all EU-Member's citizens (you must prove your citizenship with your passport).

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Address: Kossut Lajos tér (square)
Directions: Metro: M2 Kossuth Lajos tér, Tram 2
Website: http://www.mkogy.hu/parl_en.htm

The Romans conquered the area around today's Budapest in around 35BC and it became part of the Roman Empire within the province of Pannonia. In Roman times Danube acted as a defensive barrier against attacks from the Asiatic tribes. The Roman settlement was called Aquincum and its ruins can be found in Obuda part of modern Budapest. There were two amphitheatres in Aquincum, the one closer to the center is known as Military Amphitheatre.

The amphitheater has an elliptical shape, and was built taking advantage of a natural depression. Today it is set in a modern square surrounded by roads and modern blocks of buildings. It is believed that it could host as many as 10-13 thousand people.

There are more Roman ruins in Obuda neighbourhood, and Aquincum museum (see link below) offers comprehensive presentation of this period of the city.

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Address: Parcsirtamezo u. / Viador u.
Directions: Take tram 4 or 6 to Margit hid - it's a short walk from there through Obuda.
For Aquincum museum take the HEV train from Batthany Square or bus 34, 42 or 106 until the Aquincum stop
Website: http://www.aquincum.hu

The hill that dramatically rises over Danube a little south from the Buda hill is Citadella, and it offers great views of both Buda hill and Pest side of the city.

On top of the hill there is a citadel built by the Habsburgs in the middle of the 19th-century, its hill top position was used to strengthen their hold over Buda's inhabitants after the failed War of Independence between 1848-1849. Since then, the building has been used as a prison camp and an anti-aircraft battery by German forces during the World War II (some military devices are still on display). There is also a Soviet-style Liberation Monument overlooking the Danube, but the only real reason to visit this place are breathtaking views it offers.

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Address: Between Elisabeth and Szabadcsag Bridges
Directions: Bus 27, Tram 18
Website: www.citadella.hu

It took seven years to build the first bridge that connects Buda with Pest over the Danube. Opened in 1849 the Chain Bridge (Lánchíd) was considered to be one of the World wonders, and its importance is clear when we know that the next solid bridge over the Danube was as far away as Vienna.

The construction of the bridge was undertaken by Count István Szécheny, known as the “Greatest Hungarian” because of his ambitious state reforms and modernisation. The remarkable bridge structure was designed by the Englishmen William Thierney Clark. Its cast iron ornaments and structure still radiates the calm dignity and is the true monument to industrial achievements of the 19th Century Europe.

The popular (although not true) story says that the sculptor who did the stone sculptures of the lions, János Marsalkó, commited suicide after it was discovered that he has forgotten to carve their tongues and therefore they weren’t perfect.

The bridge was destroyed during the WWII bombings (as were all the others in Budapest) but was carefully reconstructed afterwards.

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The most famous of Budapest bridges is the Chain Bridge (Lanchid), the first permanent span across the Danube built in mid-19th Century. But this is not the only bridge in Budapest worth seeing.

Definitely don't miss the Liberty (Independence) Bridge (Szabadsag hid) - originally called Franz Joseph Bridge after the Habsburg Emperor. This bridge was opened in 1896 as part of the Millennium celebrations. The design is an elegant masterpiece of engineering and in my opinion this bridge leaves the Chain bridge in the shadow. Elegant ironwork and the inclusion of several Turul birds (a mystical symbol in Magyar history) perched atop the bridge's pillars enhance its attractiveness all the more.

Elizabeth Bridge (Erzsebet hid) was built in 1960s on the place of the original turn of the century bridge which was too badly damaged by the Germans in 1945 to be reconstructed in its original form. Only the old piers were used as bases for the two towers holding the suspension cables. Its modern looking span has become a great modern addition over Danube between the Chain bridge and the Liberty bridge.

Other bridges include Margaret Bridge (Margit hid) built between 1872 and 1876 by a firm of Paris based engineers, unusual for the fact it turns at an angle in the middle point where it touches Margaret Island.

Petofi Bridge (Petofi hid) and Arpad Bridge (Arpad híd) are relatively modern structures lacking bigger aesthetic qualities.

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Address: Over the Danube