Castle District - World Heritage
The Buda Castle District in itself makes a trip to Budapest worthwhile. No wonder travellers in the Middle Ages regarded "Buda on the hill" as one of the gems of Europe, alongside Venice of the waters and Florence of the plain. The Castle District has been like a precious stone ever since and is today even an officially designated World Heritage site. For locals the district on the hill stands for irresistible adventure, since it signifies something different for each generation: an exciting discovery for the little ones, who can ride real cannons in front of the Military History Museum; the first shy kiss on Tóth Árpád Avenue for those newly fallen in love; and great conversation for old friends recalling the past in the cobbled streets under the yellow light of gas lamps. The Castle District accompanies the lives of Budapest residents. It is something magical which can never bore you.
Naturally, you do not have to be born locally to hear the stories told by the Castle, the construction of which was begun by King Béla IV, the second founder of the Hungarian state. The stormy history of the Castle faithfully reflects Hungary's turbulent past: its residents were once declared heretical and damned by the Church; it saw Anjou kings and the Turkish sultan; it was annually besieged by Transylvanian voivods, Hungarian kings and Habsburg generals. Both World War II and the Hungarian Revolution left their severe marks.
The Castle survived everything, while preserving the traces of sieges and looting, as well as intervening golden times. Although the Royal Palace has not given home to crowned heads for a long time but to museums and libraries, it is still majestic and monumental. Standing in its enclosed rear courtyard you get the feeling that a royal carriage might roll in at any moment. The statues also tell their stories. Towering above the main stairs to the Palace is the turul, that mythological bird of the Hungarians which, according to legend, led the Hungarians to the former land of Attila. Not far away there is King Matthias, "the just king" and the legendary hero of folk tales, who transformed Buda into a noted scientific and artistic centre of Renaissance Europe. Facing the city there is Eugene of Savoy, who took part in the 1686 liberation of Buda Castle from the Turks. Once we are here it is worth taking a long look over the city spread out below - it is a miraculous spectacle. If we had not known so far, we would now realise, here in this spot, why this city is so lovable.
In the middle of the Castle District there stands the Church of Our Lady, commonly known as the Matthias Church. Inside today we find curious tourists ambling around or music enthusiasts filling the benches at an organ concert, yet royals used to be crowned here - Francis Joseph I and his wife Elisabeth, Sisy of the Hungarians, to the music of the Coronation Mass composed for the occasion by Ferenc Liszt, or the last Hungarian royal couple, Charles IV and Queen Zita.
The Matthias Church is also a place of pilgrimage. During the siege of 1686 the Turks were praying here, in what had become their main mosque, when a huge explosion demolished a wall and a statue of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Hungarians, emerged. The Turkish defenders of the Castle are alleged to have been seized by such superstitious fear that they were no longer able to perform their duties and the Castle was captured by the Christians that very evening.
Not only periods change in the Castle District but also the atmosphere: a real 'pre-1914' cream slice in the Ruszwurm is only a few steps away from the trendy cocktails in the Café Miró or a romantic evening accompanied by piano music in the Café Pierrot. Apetito's "like home-made" dishes are only two bus stops from the pleasantly elegant Rivalda restaurant in the Dominican Courtyard. Thinking of bus stops, don't take your car to the Castle - four wheel vehicles are banned, apart from those belonging to residents. You can, however, use the small Castle buses or the funicular running from Hungary's 'Zero Kilometre Stone', near the Chain Bridge. And of course, we can stroll along the cobbled streets or take a real carriage with real horses and driver to see the Fishermen's Bastion with its small turrets, the Alexander Palace housing the offices of the President of Hungary with its changing of the guard accompanied by music at noon, or the Mary Magdalene Tower rising above its garden of ruins.
"Shall we go up to the Castle?" The question forms part of the life of those who live in Budapest. After all, the Castle District preserves our history and culture, not to mention our own memories of museums, walks and those first kisses. What else could we answer but: "Yes, of course!"
Anna Nagy
Museums
Budapest History Museum - Castle Museum
Exhibition about the history of Budapest. History of the Hungarian capital from modern times to recent decades.
(Szent György tér 2, Former Royal Palace, Building E)
Hungarian National Gallery
The largest public collection of Hungarian art can also be found in the Palace building. The museum, which marks its fiftieth anniversary this year, covers the development of Hungarian art from the 11th century to modern times.
(Former Royal Palace, Buildings B, C and D)
Museum of Military History
Hungarian military emblems and military history from the Conquest to the 20th century. A special exhibition covers the military history of the decades spent behind the Iron Curtain.
(Tóth Árpád sétány 40)
Alexander Palace
Every weekend until the end of September, free admission to the chamber exhibition, covering the history of the building. The historic rooms of the palace, which today houses the office of the President of the Republic, are open to the public on 15-16 September.
(Szent György tér 1)
Other collections
Matthias Church Ecclesiastical Collection
(Szentháromság tér 2)
Medical History Museum
(Apród utca 1-3)
Museum of Theatre History
(Krisztina körút 57)
Telephone Museum
(Úri utca 49)
Music History Museum
(Táncsics Mihály utca 7)
Fishermen's Bastion
Despite the implication of its name, the Fishermen's Bastion never served defence purposes, at least not in its present form. The white turreted bastion, so characteristic of Budapest, has stood at the rear of the Matthias Church on Castle Hill for only 100 years. The name serves as a reminder - architect Frigyes Schulek designed the bastion in place of an old fortress, which was alleged to have been defended in old times by the guild of fishermen. Legend says that from here they observed the shoals of fish in the Danube. Thus the Fishermen's Bastion of 1905 is rather a walkway and vantage point from where there is a spectacular view over the city and the Danube. Its main adornment includes the granite steps which lead down to Budapest's Water Town district. The elevated promenade was a favourite place for lovers up to a few years ago, but since an entrance fee must now be paid from mid- March to mid-October it is mainly tourists walking among the white turrets of the Fishermen's Bastion.
Exhibitions
Buda Castle Labyrinth,·Medieval Jewish Prayer House,·National Széchényi Library, Várfok Gallery,·Golden Eagle Pharmacy Museum
Hotels (in the Castle District or close by)
Hilton, Carlton, Gold Hotel, Mercure Budapest Buda,·Victoria, Artotel ,Burg Hotel, Kulturinnov Hotel, Best, Western Hotel Orion ,Szent György Guest House, Budavár Guest House
Restaurants
Apetito, Király, Rivalda, Alabárdos, Arany Kaviár,·Articsóka, Vár, Budavári Fortuna, Café Miró, Café Pierrot, Fekete Holló,·Fortuna, Hadik, Old Firenze,·Pest-Buda, Portofino, Terasz, ·Sissi, Tárnok, Vörös Ördög,·Régi Országház
Shops and services
Bingi Gift Shop, Blue Land Folk Art, Carillon Folk Shop, Corvinus Publisher, Dóczy Delicatessen, Fortuna Antiques, Fortuna Gallery, Gesta Book Publisher,·Hermit Enterieur Antiques,·Idea Castellum Gallery, Kisecset Gallery, Koller Gallery, Litea Bookshop and Café, House of Hungarian Wines, Monarchia Gallery and Antiques, Pál és Társa Jeweller,·Régiség Gallery, Ruszwurm Confectioner's, Secco Art Gallery, Somlai Interior Design, Uri utca Gallery,·Vadász Gift Shop, Vár Gallery, Vár Beautician