Buda Castle

Perched on the southern tip of Castle Hill, the sprawling Buda Castle was originally established by Béla IV in 1265. Over the centuries, the palatial castle has been repeatedly destroyed and reconstructed, most notably following the siege of 1686 between the Turks and allied Christian forces. The castle was laid to waste, only to be rebuilt soon after in the Baroque style. Ravaged once more by the World Wars, the castle that stands today is a modernized reconstruction of the 18th-century palace, the Medieval Wing in its present form is an approximation of the Gothic period. A defining feature of the city skyline and part of the Budapest World Heritage Site, the Buda Castle is the city's grande dame of historic architecture, with its elegant dome and medieval fortifications overlooking the city below. A cultural icon of Budapest, the Buda Castle is now home to the Hungarian National Gallery, the Castle Museum, and the National Széchenyi Library. It is a symbol of the perseverance and unflagging spirit of the Hungarians, a phoenix rising from the rubble of a war-torn past.