Buda Castle

Background

Buda Castle (the Royal Palace) stands at the southern end of Castle Hill in District I of Budapest, on the west bank of the Danube. This entry covers only the palace complex; Matthias Church and Fisherman's Bastion at the northern end of Castle Hill are separate sights and not part of the palace. The palace now houses the Hungarian National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum and the National Széchényi Library. In the forecourt stands the Matthias Fountain by Alajos Stróbl, a hunting scene; a pillar in the eastern forecourt is crowned by the legendary Turul bird; and in front of the Danube façade is the equestrian statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Castle Hill Funicular links Clark Ádám Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge with the palace quarter. Beneath Castle Hill runs a network of caves, of which the Buda Castle Labyrinth is open with its own ticket. Between 1247 and 1265 Béla IV built the first royal residence on Castle Hill, though nothing of this 13th-century structure survives. In the 14th century the Angevins built a Gothic palace here, which Sigismund of Luxembourg greatly enlarged and fortified; under Matthias Corvinus (reigned 1458–1490) the palace held the famous Corvina Library. The Ottomans occupied Buda in 1541, and the medieval palace was destroyed when Christian allied forces besieged the city in 1686. The foundation stone of the Baroque palace was laid in 1749 and it was finished in 1769; between 1875 and 1912 the palace was rebuilt and greatly extended, under Miklós Ybl from 1890 and, after his death in 1891, under Alajos Hauszmann, giving it its present Neo-Baroque appearance. In the Siege of Budapest of 1944–1945 the palace was reduced to ruins; the government decided on reconstruction in 1948, the exterior was largely restored by 1966 and the interiors only in the 1980s, and many original rooms were altered or demolished in the post-war rebuilding. In 1987 the Castle Quarter was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Banks of the Danube in Budapest.

Local customs

• Stroll the palace courtyards and terraces free of charge, looking out over the Danube, the Chain Bridge and the roofs of Pest
• choose one of the three museums to explore in depth (each sells its own tickets)
• see the Matthias Fountain and the sculptures of the forecourt
• ride the Castle Hill Funicular up and down
• visit the restored St Stephen's Hall
• explore the Buda Castle Labyrinth beneath Castle Hill.

Travel tips

• The palace quarter and each museum are separately ticketed institutions, while the courtyards and terraces are public spaces
• allow the better part of a day for the whole quarter plus one museum. The main roads and broad courtyards are step-free, but the approaches are steep, with many cobbles, stairs and level changes, and access to the ruins, towers and the Labyrinth is limited. For winter and holiday opening arrangements, check each museum's official website.
• You can go up by the Castle Hill Funicular, by the Castle Bus or on foot
• a Danube cruise also gives a full view of the palace. You can visit all year round, with the most pleasant weather in spring and autumn
• summer brings more events and more visitors
• winter has a Christmas atmosphere
• cobbles are slippery in rain and snow.