Budapest: the Buda side

The main Budapest sights on the Buda Side are:

Royal Palace

The Royal Palace (sometimes called the Buda Castle) has become the essence of the historic buildings in Budapest. The palace was the theatre of struggles and conflicts since the year 1200, and after being destroyed in the seventeenth century during the battles against the Turks, it was rebuilt by the Habsburgs. Today the building is dedicated to peaceful initiatives, since hosting the National Széchenyi Library and two museums: the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum.

Matthias Church

The church was founded by King Béla IV in the thirteenth century and at first dedicated to Our Lady,later the name chainged in Matthias after the restauration ordered by King Matthias Corvinus about 1470. On the facade of the tower is placed the royal coat of arms, which, in fact, gave the church its name. After the destruction occurred during the siege of 1686, when Charles of Lorraine finally fight off the Turks, the church was rebuilt, and took its present form. Still damaged in the 2nd World War, it was restored in the 60s. Matthias Church was the scene of the coronation of some Hungarian kings. In the church there is the collection of religious art, where are shown the lapidary, the reliquary and the history of the Hungarian Holy Crown and the masterpieces of jewelry treasure. The church tower is 80 meters high.

The Fishermen’s Bastions

During the Middle Ages instead of today's Fisherman's Bastion there was a fish market and a fishing village, and this is the reason of this curious name. The Bastion, built in 1901-03, is a Neo-Gothic and Neo-Romanesque ramparts system of the medieval walls even though he never played a defense purpose. Iits terraces presents an extraordinary view over the Danube and the Pest side. In 1988 the panorama of Buda with the Fishermen's Bastion was included in UNESCO World Heritage site.


These main sights of Budapest are essential in your Budapest city-tour!