Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sites
north of the centre: the Royal Palace and Solomon's Tower near the river, and the hill-
top citadel. All the river sites are in easy walking distance of each other but you might prefer
taking a bus up to the citadel, thus saving your energy for gung-ho
activities
in the
Visegrád
Hills
.
The layout of the
ruins
dates back to the thirteenth century, when Béla IV began fortifying
thenorthagainstarecurrenceoftheMongolinvasion,whiletheconstructionofaroyalpalace
below the hilltop citadel was a sign of greater security during the reign of the Angevins.
However,itsmagnificencewaseffacedbytheTurkishconquest,andlatermudwashingdown
from the hillside gradually buried the palace entirely. Subsequent generations doubted its ex-
istence until archeologist János Schulek had a lucky break after searching in vain for years.
At a New Year's Eve party in 1934, the wine ran out and Schulek was sent to get some more
from the neighbours. An old woman told him to go down to the wine cellar, and there he
found clues in the stones that convinced him the palace was there, beneath the surface.
Royal Palace
Királyi Palota • Fő utca 23 • Tues-Sun 9am-5pm • 1200Ft • 26 597 010,
visegradmuzeum.hu
Now excavated and tastefully reconstructed, Visegrád's
Royal Palace
spreads over four
terraces. Founded in 1323 by the Angevin king Charles Robert, it was the setting for the
Visegrád Congress of 1335, attended by the monarchs of Central Europe and the Grandmas-
ter of the Teutonic Knights. Although nothing remains of this palace, the
Court of Honour
constructed for his successor Louis, which provided the basis for additions by kings Sigis-
mund and Mátyás, is still to be seen on the second terrace.
A pilastered
Renaissance loggia
surrounds a replica of the famous
Hercules Fountain
,
which cools the tiled, gilded uppermost storey, overlooking the court. The surrounding rooms
house a voluminous display of exhibits, mainly ceramic vessels, weaponry and glazed stove
tiles. On the third terrace, where Mátyás and Beatrice resided, stands a copy of the
Lion
Fountain
, bearing his raven crest and standing on leg-rests in the form of sleepy-look-
ing lions and dogs. The reconstructed chapel is chiefly notable for housing the red marble
Visegrád Madonna
, a Renaissance masterpiece that shows many similarities to the works of
Italian Tomaso Fiamberti. The renovated royal suites, meanwhile, remain mostly bare, save
for some superb-looking stoves complete with dark green ceramic tiles depicting various
coats-of-arms. The bathhouse, with its underfloor heating, and the palace herb gardens, fur-
ther contribute to the impression of courtly life.
If you've got kids, you can bet that they'll make an immediate beeline for the wonderfully
colourful, medieval-themed playground directly opposite the palace.
