Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Madonna appeared before the
Turks while they were praying.
They took this as a sign of defeat
and lost the city of Buda to the
Habsburgs. The church was also
the scene of ierce ighting
during World War II, and wasn't
renovated until 1968
(see pp24-5)
.
^
Lords' Street
Baroque and Gothic faćades
give Lords' Street (Úri utca) its
unique medieval character, though
most of the houses were rebuilt
from 1950 to 1960, after being
destroyed during World War II.
The street runs the full length of
Castle Hill and its highlights
include the Höbling House at No.
31, with its sublime Gothic
façade, the Telephone Museum
at No. 49, and the bizarre but
exceptional Buda Castle Labyrinth
(see p45)
, whose entrance is at
No. 9. The real highlight, how-
ever, is to walk from one end to
the other.
d
Map G2; I, Úri utca
&
Vienna Gate Square
Pulpit at Mátyás Church
%
Mátyás Church
Standing on the site of a
13th-century structure, Mátyás
Church was rebuilt and named
after King Mátyás in 1470.
Through most of the Middle Ages,
Hungarians were not permitted
in the church; only Germans could
worship here. It has witnessed
several signiicant events, from
the marriage of Mátyás to the
coronations of Franz József I and
Charles IV. Béla III and his wife
are also buried here. When the
Turks came to power in the early
1500s, they converted Mátyás
Church into a mosque. According
to legend, in 1686 a statue of the
The gate you see today is, in
fact, a replica of the original struc-
ture that once led from Buda
towards Vienna. It was built in
1936 to celebrate the 250th anni-
versary of Buda's liberation from
the Turks. Quintessential Gothic
and Baroque houses line the sides
of the square. The huge building
on the square's left-hand side is
the Hungarian National Archive,
a Neo-Romanesque structure
famous for its multicoloured
roof.
d
Map G1 • I, Bécsi kapu tér
*
Church of St
Alagút
The famous tunnel (alagút) that
runs through Castle Hill was one
of the later projects of Adam
Clark, the Scottish engineer who
built the Chain Bridge. Clark
adored Budapest and settled here
after completing the bridge. He
engineered the tunnel from 1853
to 1857, and the square that faces
its entrance on the Danube side
bears his name. The tunnel itself,
350-m (1,150-ft) long and 11m
(36-ft) high, remains unnamed.
Mary Magdalene
Built in the 13th century for the
city's Hungarian citizens, who
were forbidden from praying at
Mátyás Church, this church now
lies in ruins. All that remains is
the tower and gate, after the
64
The Telephone Museum (201 81 88) on Lords' Street is open
10am-4pm Tue-Sun and has an admission fee (free on Sunday).
