A castle that has survived many battles and destruction - The Royal Castle in Budapest (Hungary)

A week ago I returned from a short visit to the capital of Hungary. In my opiniom this city is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I never got tired of walking along the Danube River or looking at amazing architecture. Budapest has quite a long history as it has been the country's capital since the 13th century. This was the third time I have been to Budapest, but I am still as impressed as the first time. The Danube River divides the city in two. One side is called Buda and the other Pest. The Royal Castle is on the Buda side. Steep stairs characterize the old district that is also called the Castle District. This is where you find the oldest houses, the Fisherman's Bastion and the castle.

The first thing we did after arrival was to leave our luggage at the hotel and then pay the castle a visit. My first visit to Budapest was in 2019, but due to a wine festival at the castle premises, we didn't get to see the castle properly. All courtyards were filled with tents and lots of people. That's why I wanted to come here one more time.

The most visible building in the Castle District, is of course the castle itself. It's placed on a hill overlooking Danube River and the Pest side. It was the Mongols who came to the country in the 13th century and made Buda the capital. The castle has been destroyed several times throughout history. It was badly damaged during the battles fought when the Muslims took over the country in 1541, and again when the Christian forces took it back in 1686. Then there were the rebellions against the Habsburgs and most recently we have WWII. Then many of the buildings burned and the dome was bombed.

Over the years and between all these battles, the castle has been both rebuilt and upgraded. The castle as we see it today was built right after WW II, In some of the building you will find a historical museum and the national gallery.

We returned to the same gate where we entered. Before doing so, we took time to look at the city. The magnificent building we see to the left in the photo above is the Paliament. This is one of the most beautiful buildings in Budapest.

I had read somewhere that the castle is best seen from a distance. Here I am on the Pest side of the city and see it from a distance. It definitely looks bigger from this angle I think.