Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Behind the Hilton is the:
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Fisherman's Bastion
(Halászbástya)
This sprawling neo-Romanesque struc-
ture was built in 1905 on the site of an
old fish market (hence the name), and
affords a marvelous panorama of Pest.
Looking out over the Danube to Pest,
you can see (from left to right): Margaret
Island and the Margaret Bridge, Parlia-
ment, St. Stephen's Basilica, the Chain
Bridge, the Vigadó Concert Hall, the
Inner City Parish Church, the Erzsébet
Bridge, and the Szabadság Bridge. Avoid
the overpriced restaurant inside the Fish-
erman's Bastion.
postwar reconstruction work in the 1960s,
the remains of several synagogues were
uncovered.
Continue walking down the street to Táncsics
Mihály u. 26, where you'll find the:
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Medieval Jewish Prayer House
This building dates from the 14th cen-
tury. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the
Jews of Buda thrived under Turkish rule.
The 1686 Christian reconquest of Buda
was soon followed by a massacre of Jews.
Many survivors fled Buda; this tiny
Sephardic synagogue was turned into an
apartment.
After exiting the synagogue, retrace your steps
about 9m (30 ft.) back on Táncsics Mihály utca,
turn left onto Babits Mihály köz, and then turn
left onto Babits Mihály sétány. This path will
take you onto the top of the:
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Vienna Gate (Bécsi kapu)
This is one of the main entrances to the
Castle District. From the top of the gate,
you can look out onto the fashionable
Rose Hill (Rózsadomb) neighborhood in
the Buda Hills. The enormous neo-
Romanesque building towering above
Bécsi kapu tér houses the National
Archives. Bécsi kapu tér is also home to a
lovely row of houses (nos. 5-8).
From here, head up Fortuna utca to the house at:
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Fortuna u. 10
This is certainly one of the district's most
photographed houses. It dates from the
13th century but has been restored in
Louis XVI style. The facade incorporates
medieval details.
Continue to Fortuna u. 4, where you'll find the
charming, unassuming:
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Országház utca
This is one of two streets in the Castle
District that are best suited for viewing a
mysterious Hungarian contribution to
Gothic architecture: niches of unknown
function that were built into the entry-
ways of medieval buildings. When uncov-
ered during reconstruction, the niches
were either preserved or incorporated
TAKE A BREAK
You may want to stop at
Litea,
a
bookstore and tearoom located in
the Fortuna Passage, opposite the
Hilton. You can browse, then sit and enjoy a
cup of tea while looking over your selections.
If it is lunch you desire, head to the
Café
Miró,
opposite the Matthias Church on Úri
utca (p. 308), where you can have a light
lunch, coffee, tea, or a sumptuous pastry.
Because the entire length of each of the Castle
District's north-south streets is worth seeing,
the tour will now take you back and forth
between the immediate area of Szentháromság
tér and the northern end of the district. First,
head down Táncsics Mihály utca, to Táncsics
Mihály u. 7, the:
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Museum of Music History
Beethoven stayed here for a spell in 1800,
when this structure was a private home.
The museum now houses the archives of
the great composer Bartók. The building
next door, at Táncsics Mihály u. 9, served
for many years as a prison. Among those
incarcerated here were Mihály Táncsics,
the 19th-century champion of free press
after whom the street is named, and Lajos
Kossuth, the leader of the 1848-to-1849
anti-Habsburg revolution. Táncsics utca
was the center of Buda's Jewish community
during medieval times. During general
