Castle Hill ( hu, Várhegy) is a hill in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

's 1st district. Geographically, it is connected to the

Buda Hills The Buda Hills ( Hungarian: ''Budai-hegység'') are a low mountain range of numerous hills which dot the Buda side of Budapest, capital of Hungary. The most famous ones located within city limits are Gellért Hill, Castle Hill, Rózsadomb, , J ...

and Rose Hill (''Rózsadomb''). The Castle Quarter (''Várnegyed'') is located on the top of the hill with many monuments around the

Buda Castle Buda Castle ( hu, Budavári Palota, german: link=no, Burgpalast) is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian Kings in Budapest. It was first completed in 1265, although the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the si ...

. The area is one of the most popular attractions in the capital, and can be accessed by bus or in the carriages of a

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

(''Budavári sikló'').

Background

The hill rises to a height of above sea level on the right bank of the

Danube River The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

, part of the

, between

Gellért Hill Gellért Hill ( hu, Gellért-hegy; german: Blocksberg; la, Mons Sancti Gerhardi tr, Gürz İlyas Bayırı) is a high hill overlooking the Danube in Budapest, Hungary. It is located in the 1st and the 11th districts. The hill was named after ...

and Rose Hill. it is approximately long and wide. It can be reached by

from the direction of the river and by bus from the

city center A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

. The hill is mainly composed of Buda marl. During the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...

era, thick layer of

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a p ...

was deposited, protecting from erosion. Freshwater springs formed the cavities of the . The Castle Quarter (''Várnegyed'') refers to the area located within the defensive walls and bastions of the

complex, corresponding with the medieval royal city of Buda. It is the oldest part of Budapest and the center of the quarter lies between the Royal Palace and the

Matthias Church , other name = , native_name = hu, Mátyás-templom , native_name_lang = , image = Matthias Church, Budapest, 2017.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt ...

History

All Hungarian kings have added something to the fort or the palace. King Béla IV built the first fort on Castle Hill between 1247 and 1265 after a

first Mongol invasion of Hungary The first Mongol invasion of Hungary ( hu, tatárjárás) started in March 1241, and the Mongols started to withdraw in late March 1242. Background Mongol invasion of Europe The Hungarians had first learned about the Mongol threat in 1229, when ...

in 1242. Béla surrounded the settlement with fortified walls. The neighborhood grew with Hungarians and Germans, and the first royal palace was built. During the first half of the 14th century was built, named after

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

, son of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. Prince Stephen's brother, who later became King Louis I, relocated his seat from

Visegrád Visegrád (; german: Plintenburg; la, Pone Navata or ; sk, Vyšehrad) is a castle town in Pest County, Hungary. It is north of Budapest on the right bank of the Danube in the Danube Bend. It had a population of 1,864 in 2010. The town is the ...

to Buda in 1347 and began construction of the royal palace and its defense system, which lasted two centuries. Louis's buildings were located north of Stephen's Tower, and his palace overlooked the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...

. When he was Holy Roman Emperor,

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it '' Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

enlarged the palace and strengthened its fortifications. Construction on the ''Fresh Palace'' (Hungarian: ''Friss-palota'') began in the 1410s and was largely finished in the 1420s, although some minor works continued until the death of Sigismund in 1437. In 1458,

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...

led the last phase of large-scale building activity. During the first decades of his reign he finished the work on the Gothic palace, and the Royal Chapel, with the surviving

Lower Church Lower Church is a historic Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church (building), church located near Hartfield, Virginia, Hartfield, Middlesex County, Virginia. It was constructed in 1717, and is a one-story, rectangular brick building ...

. Matthias' successor, Vladislaus II, carried on the works of the ''Matthias Palace''. Under Ottoman rule, the palace fell into decay. The medieval palace was destroyed in the great siege of 1686 when Buda was captured by allied Christian forces. With the expulsion of the Ottomans, reconstruction of the castle began and would continue for the next 150 years. Construction accelerated during the reign of Maria Theresa at the request of the Hungarian nobility. After the 1867 Austro-Hungarian pact, there was a need for a representative royal palace in Buda. In 1881 architect

Miklós Ybl Miklós Ybl (6 April 1814 in Székesfehérvár – 22 January 1891 in Budapest) was one of Europe's leading architects in the mid to late nineteenth century as well as Hungary's most influential architect during his career. His most well-known wo ...

was commissioned to rebuild the palace.

Gallery

File:Budapest, view to Buda Castle Hill and Buda Hills.jpg,

File:Budapest - Budai Váralagút (38481946321).jpg, File:Budai Várnegyed, Halászbástya nyugat felől. - panoramio.jpg,

Fisherman's Bastion ) , image = Halászbástya 2017.jpg , location = Budapest, Hungary , map_type = Hungary Budapest#Hungary , coordinates = , map_size = , owner = , constructi ...

File:MatthiaskircheBeiNacht Budapest.jpg,

Matthias Church , other name = , native_name = hu, Mátyás-templom , native_name_lang = , image = Matthias Church, Budapest, 2017.jpg , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle Hill Neighbourhoods of Budapest