Tales, legends and historical stories about the Buda Castle

Learn about the stormy history of the Buda Palace from the Anjou kings' fortress through World War II to the present day.

The Buda Palace, the former residence of Hungarian rulers and the centre of culture and art, is a national symbol. On a guided walk, you can learn about the adventurous history of the building complex that is visible today, from the fortress of Anjou kings to the present day. What happened to King Matthias' Renaissance palace during the Ottoman occupation? Who started building on Castle Hill again after Buda was recaptured? How was the luxurious European-rank Royal Palace built for Franz Joseph and Elizabeth? How was the governor's residence destroyed in World War II, and what happened to it in the decades that followed? During the walk, you will get answers to these questions, and you can also hear about the large-scale constructions currently taking place under the National Haussmann Programme.

The story of one of Miklós Ybl's masterpieces from its construction to the present day, with a stunning panorama of Budapest.

Why and how was the imposing Neo-Renaissance building complex built on the eastern side of the Castle Hill, on the banks of the Danube? During the walk, you will hear about Miklós Ybl, the designer of Várkert Bazár, which is known as the gem of the capital. You can admire the captivating details of his work, the sparkling Zsolnay ceramics, the artistically shaped wrought iron elements, the perfectly painted glass windows and the fragrant rose gardens. The tour guides will show you how the medieval defence structure was turned into a creative place for generations of sculptors, and later, after decades of loud concerts in the Youth Park the place became a centre of culture and art, and one of the capital's most beautiful recreation spots.

A palace of hidden secrets? A spiritual, historical and architectural adventure? Both of these things are true of the former pharmacy and residential building, which stands in the Buda Castle District, on Dísz tér.

Walking on the cobbled streets and looking at the houses, you might be imagining who lived there and what their lives were like in the 18th and 19th centuries. Looking at the De la Motte–Beer palace on Dísz tér you probably wouldn’t guess that it hides a Baroque treasure; a home with a rich past. Two buildings stood here on medieval foundations, and Baron Ferenc Károly De la Motte, and the modest-looking palace, which was built by the baron’s wife. Maria Theresa asked the baron to supervise constructions in the Buda Castle. He built the two-storey, barrel-vaulted house with five rooms in 1760, but he did not live there for long. From 1763, József Beer Kajetán, an imperial and royal military pharmacist of Czech-Moravian origin rented the ground floor of the house as a dispensary. The building's finest part is the row of Baroque living spaces on the second floor, where you can see a beautifully painted wall covering nearly 250 square metres, which was found in 1962 under 15 layers of paint. Interestingly, the pharmacy owner designed all the levels of the building in the image of his profession. Take a tour of the premises in the building with the tour guides, from the water storage cellar to the attic where medicinal herbs were dried, and learn about the story of the residents from the 18th century to the present day.

The Buda Castle tour guides will show you the reborn Riding Hall from the basement to the attic – watch out: secrets will be revealed! 

After the damage caused during World War II, the Main Guard, the Riding Hall and the Stöckl Stairs were demolished instead of being restored due to the cultural policy of the 1950s and 1960s. They were reconstructed recently. During the tour you can walk around the Main Guard, the official building of the royal bodyguards, and then you can visit the Riding Hall through the ramp previously used for bringing horses up and down. On entering the imposing building, you will see the marble lobby, the grandiose contemporary-style equestrian hall with technical equipment meeting current event needs, the carpentered decorative ceiling and the unique “Hauszmann green" glass windows as well as the orchestra box and the royal lodge.

1013 Budapest, Ybl Miklós tér 2-6.

General information: info@budaivarsetak.hu

+36 30 126 0123

You can call every day between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

https://budaivarsetak.hu/ https://budacastlewalks.com/