Buda Castle

The first castle on Castle Hill was built to defend against the Mongol-Tatars. It was constructed by King Bela IV of Hungary between 1247 and 1265. The oldest part of the modern palace was built in the 14th century by Duke Stephen of Slavonia.

In the early 15th century, King Sigismund greatly expanded and fortified the palace. Sigismund, who was the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, needed a lavish residence, for which he chose the Buda Castle.

After the marriage of Matthias, King of Hungary, and Beatrice of Naples in 1476, Italian humanists, artists, and craftsmen came to Buda, turning the capital into the first Renaissance center north of the Alps. The royal palace was reconstructed in the style of this era. In the 16th century, the fortress was destroyed during the Ottoman conquests and again in 1686 when it was taken by the Holy League. Subsequently, the castle was replaced with several palaces, including one in the Baroque style in 1715 and in Neo-Classical Baroque style in 1867 under Franz Joseph. The palace was restored after World War II and now includes over 200 rooms with a central dome.

The current incarnation of Buda Fortress, also sometimes referred to as Castle Palace, is a massive structure from the 18th and 19th centuries in the Neo-Baroque style. The palace features symmetrical wings around a 62-meter central dome facing the Danube. In front of the dome stands a statue of Eugene of Savoy, who freed Budapest from Ottoman rule.

A medieval fortification part of the southern wall of the castle, built in the 14th century. The tower has witnessed several sieges. Several Turkish tombstones can still be seen beyond its walls.

Located in the main wing of Buda Fortress overlooking the Danube, it showcases the finest examples of Hungarian sculpture and painting, from the Magyar invasion through the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods to the fruitful modern times. It particularly highlights Medieval and Renaissance works, as well as extensive collections of late Baroque paintings, 19th-20th century paintings, and sculptures by renowned Hungarian masters.

The four floors of the Budapest History Museum in the southern wing of Buda Fortress are filled with artifacts and exhibits relating to Hungary's long and rich history, including rare documents, ceramics, wrought ironworks, ancient textiles, and domestic utensils.

One of Budapest's most famous attractions, built at the end of the 19th century to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Hungarian state. Inspired by Medieval motifs, this Neo-Romanesque monument is adorned with conical towers, arcades, and balustrades, vaguely resembling a defensive structure. It is primarily decorative and offers one of the best panoramic views of Budapest.

One of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Budapest, located in the heart of the Buda Fortress district near the Fisherman's Bastion. It is believed that this sacred building was founded in the early 11th century, though no evidence of this has been found. The current building of St. Matthias Church was constructed in the vivid style of late Gothic in the second half of the 14th century and meticulously restored in the Neo-Gothic style at the end of the 19th century. It was the second-largest church of medieval Buda and the seventh-largest church of medieval Hungary.

The main square of the Castle Quarter in Budapest. One of its most interesting features, besides the beautiful Church of Matthias, is a large plague column in the Baroque style, dating from the early 18th century. Such columns were common throughout Europe. They were erected in honor of being spared from the plague or to protect against the disease.

A beautiful old square named after a book printer. It is one of the most atmospheric places in Buda, where medieval remnants are skillfully integrated into the architecture of the modern Hilton hotel. Particularly notable is St. Nicholas Tower - a relic of a late Gothic church founded by the Dominicans.

Beneath Castle Hill lies an extensive and complex system of natural caves and passageways, which have been interconnected over the centuries to form an entire labyrinth. Mysterious stone monuments and the somber atmosphere of these undergrounds have spawned urban legends that blend with history. In the 15th century, these labyrinths served as a prison where Vlad Tepes, better known as Count Dracula, was once imprisoned.