The World Heritage Site consists of the area on the Buda side between the University of Technology buildings and the Lanchid (Chain Bridge), including the Gellert spa baths, the Freedom Statue and the Citadel on Gellert Hill, and the buildings of the Buda Castle. On the Pest side the area includes the Parliament building, Roosevelt Square at the Pest end of the Lanchid, together with the Hungarian Academy of Science and the Gresham palace. The four bridges over the Danube in this area are also a part of the World Heritage Site.
The settlement of Buda is as old as the Conquest itself (896), but it only started to develop in the 13th century when Bela IV built a castle on the hill for protection against the Mongol attacks. The court moved to Buda in 1347, and at this time the castle was enlarged into a palace in the Gothic style of the time. During the reign of king Matthias it became a dazzling Renaissance royal residence. The town was freed from one and a half centuries of Turkish rule in 1686. The three months of siege caused significant damage to both the castle and the town itself. Based upon the medieval ruins, the rebuilding started in the baroque style.
Budapest was born in 1873 with the unification of Buda, Obuda and Pest, for which a new, representative royal palace was built. However, the building and the Castle Quarter suffered serious damage during the Second World War. With the clearing up of the wreckage, archaeological digs were begun, and the excavations and restoration of medieval ruins are still going on today. The majority of the buildings in the Castle are historical monuments; the gateways have Gothic seat niches and the carved stone of the rebuilt façades is reminiscent of the Middle Ages.
Today the Buda Castle Palace is the country's most important cultural centre. Here you can find the Budapest History Museum, including some medieval castle sections, the Hungarian National Gallery, the Ludwig Museum and the Szechenyi National Library.
In the centre of the Castle Quarter you can see one of Budapest's best-known buildings, the Church of our Lady or, as it is popularly known, the Matthias Church. It's been a venue for famous events, as several Hungarian kings were crowned here and King Matthias was married here. It gained its present form at the end of the 19th century. The greatest artists of the age worked on the restoration. After this, the Fisherman's Bastion was built in the Neo-Romanesque style upon the medieval castle walls.
Opposite, on the Pest side, stands one of the world's most beautiful parliament building. With its length of 268 metres and 96-metre-high dome, it's an imposing sight above the waves of the Danube. Visitors may tour the building in groups, which is worth doing not only for the beautiful interiors, golden decoration, famous frescos and statues, but to see the 1000-year-old crown of the first Hungarian king, Saint Stephen.
The first stone bridge built here over the Danube, the Lanchid, has become a symbol of the city.
ikonnal bővítheti túráját.
