Várnegyed

(Castle District)

A limestone-capped plateau rising impressively above the Danube, Castle Hill was first settled in the 13th century; it remains the spiritual capital of Hungary. The district has been leveled periodically, most recently by the 1945 Soviet shelling of Nazi forces. It was always painstakingly rebuilt in the prevailing style of the day, thus shifting from Gothic to baroque to renaissance. After World War II, an attempt was made to incorporate various elements of the district's historic appearance into the general restoration. Castle Hill, recently added to UNESCO's list of World Cultural Heritage sites, consists of two parts: the Royal Palace itself and the so-called Castle District, a mostly reconstructed medieval city.

excerpt from
Frommer's Budapest and the Best of Hungary

20 May 2000

Royal Palace
(from across the Danube)

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Sikló (funicular)
up to the Castle District

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View from the top of the funicular
(Széchenyi Chain Bridge, Pest below)

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Equestrian Statue of
Prince Eugene of Savoy

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Shelly on the stairs ascending
Szent György tér

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Halászbástya
(Fisherman's Bastion)

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Mátyás templom
(Matthias Church)

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View of Pest
from Buda

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Rear of
Matthias Church

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Szentháromság tér
(Holy Trinity Square - named after the Holy Trinity
Column that stands in its center)

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