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!

History of the Budapest Keleti Train Station

In 1867, when the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, Budapest has five railway stations. In 1883, due to the increase in passenger traffic to the Hungarian capital, the future is built Keleti instead of grants Kerepesi út, located on the current Baross tér. The Budapest municipality decides to align the front of the large hall on the perspective of Rákóczi utca. Due to the configuration of the site, this decision forced manufacturers to extend the railway along Thököly út, which complicates still maneuvering and handling.

In the early years, the Keleti railway station is connected by a double track the rest of the Hungarian national network. Originally, the junction was via the station Józsefváros, located a few hundred meters to the south. The rapid degradation routes pushes designers to consider their own access to the Keleti railway station. Over the years, the station is constantly redesigned and reconfigured. The railway line runs gradually equips a rotunda, a train repair shop, but also an area dedicated to postal transport. During the First World War, the station essentially responds to the needs of the army, which blocks the expansion envisaged.

In 1926, the station receives only 72 trains per day. To fight against the decline of passenger traffic, cars are added to each train to increase the length. Due to the small size of the siting of the station, engineers create a new system of correspondences to deal with the increased traffic. The first catenary is installed in 1931.
After the Second World War, Keleti was badly damaged by bombing in succession. In 1969, the arrival of the Budapest M2 metro line transforms the station forecourt in open forum, allowing access to subways.

A Three-Hour Walk Around Óbuda

At frist glace Óbuda today seems little more than a concrete jungle of tower blocks and flyovers. Behind the grey facade, however, there is a strong local identity and clues to the area’s long and colourful past abound. Arriving here in AD 89, the Romans built a garrison in this district shortly before founding the civilian town of Aquincum to the north. After the departure of Romans in the 5th century AD, successive waves of invaders, including the Magyars all left their mark on Obuda (literally “Old Buda”). By the end of the 16th century, Obuda was a thriving market town, eventually forming part of the city of Budapest in 1873.

Amphitheatre to the Roman Camp Museum Begin the walk at the corner of Becsi utca and Pacsirtamez≥ ut, which is dominated by the remains of a very fine Roman amphitheatre 1. The Romans arrived in the region soon after the time of Christ, building this impressive amphitheatre in the middle of the 2nd century AD, by which time Aquincum was the thriving capital of the province of Lower Pannonia. Originally used by the Roman soldiers from the nearby garrison, it became a fortress in the 9th century for the invading Magyar army. Not much remains of its once huge walls, but the scale of the theatre, which was designed to seat 14,000, is still awe inspiring. From the amphitheatre, continue along Pacsirtamez≥ ut to No. 63, the Roman Camp (Taborvaros) Museum 2. In the 1950s, this modern residential district, built on top of a Roman military camp complex, was found to be enormously rich in Roman artifacts. The museum (open Sundays and public holidays) houses Roman finds from the area, including ceramics, glassware and household tools.