Buda Castle area at Night

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http://www.heygo.com 16th March - Pest Castle area at night



I had seen this tour before but during the day so it was nice to revisit at night-time and enjoy the glowing images.



We started the tour by the Pest Castle looking down onto the famous Chain Bridge that will be closed shortly for a 3 year renovation. It was lit in green to celebrate St.Patrick’s Day on 17th.



The Chain Bridge was built between 1839 and 1849. The main driving force behind the project was the Hungarian Count István Széchenyi. He visited England in 1832 to get ideas for bridge design and particularly admired Hammersmith Bridge in west London. Hammersmith Bridge engineer William Tierney Clark was then hired to design and build the Chain Bridge.



The Chain Bridge physically united Buda – the ancient capital of Hungary – with the city of Pest, on the east bank of the Danube. Connecting the two sides led to the cities eventually merging to create Budapest in 1873.

The Chain Bridge is one of the national symbols of Hungary – regarded as an image of advancement and national awakening. It appears on every Hungarian passport.



The river presented challenges for engineers as the Danube was often icebound during winter months. The constant buffeting of ice sheets made construction much harder.

Superintendent engineer Adam Clark and his team built cofferdams to help deal with the ice. A cofferdam is an enclosure where water can be pumped out, creating a dry environment for building to take place.

Iron sections of the bridge were made in England and transported to Hungary by barge.

As the first chain for the bridge was being raised, a link broke and 400 tons of iron crashed into the river – almost killing Count Széchenyi, who was watching the work from a boat.



The Sandor Palace (or Hungarian Presidential Palace) is a prestigious mansion that has been a key seat of political power for over 200 years. Since 22 January, 2003 the building is housing the Office of the President of the Republic of Hungary and it also serves as his official residence.

Originally built for the aristocratic and extremely rich Sandor family between 1803-1806 according to the plans of Mihaly Pollack, one of the most important architects of Hungarian classicism. The neoclassical Palace was so luxurious in its time that even the stables were made from marble.

Interestingly, there are no gates or fences blocking Sandor Palace off from the crowds passing by so it is easy to get close and appreciate the exterior of this beautiful mansion.



Matthias Church (officially called the Church of Our Lady, but all locals call it “Matyas Templom”) has quite the history and a story to tell.

According to historians a church called Church of Mary stood on the site of the current building founded by Saint Stephen, the first king of Hungary in 1015.

The current Roman Catholic church was founded by King Bela IV. after the Mongol invaders left Hungary in 1242 in complete ruins, and King Bela IV decided to move the royal residence from Esztergom in the Danube Bend to the the Buda Hills.



In 1526 the Turks occupied Buda, ruined most of the churches, but left the Church of Our Lady erected and turned it into a mosque. Artefacts were taken away, ornate furnishings were destroyed, altars and paintings were covered with whitewashed brick walls.

When the Christian mercenary troops led by Charles V, Karl V. Leopold imperial generalissimo re-gained the Buda Castle from the Turks, not much survived the Ottoman years by the end of the siege of Buda in 1686. After the Turkish era, a new church was constructed on the remains in Baroque style.



In the early 19th century the church was finally restored in Neo-Gothic style by Frigyes Schulek between 1873 and 1896. Not only did he restore Matthias Church, but he also made it a beautiful gem on the Buda Castle hill, surrounded by the Fisherman’s Bastion viewing towers, the historical Holy Trinity Square.



According to its architectural style, the Fisherman’s Bastion may seem to be a very old building, but the truth is it was built on the turn of the century (finished in 1902), to celebrate the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian state.



The views from the Fisherman’s Bastion across to Pest were wonderful at night.

Another good tour with Adam.

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