BudGuide.eu

The Citadella, the fortress on the top of the Gellért Hill, which was set up after the repressing of the war of independence of 1848-49, in 1854 by the Habsburgs. The Gellért Hill with the Castle Hill, the panorama of the two sides of the river Danube were pronounced to be part of the world heritage in 1987 by the UNESCO.
The 220 meters long, with 12-16 meters high walls was built by Julius Jakob Haynau. Its speciality is that out of an ordinary fortress, it wasn’t constructed to protect the town below, but on the contrary: the rule of the Citadella (the citadella is an Italian word, it means fortification, which is similar to a castle, built on high ground or defensible parts compassed around with walls on the highest point of the city) was to intimidate the people of Pest. The emplacements, which turn towards the town, also certify these facts, but fortunately the guns were used only for firing salutes.
After the experiences of the siege of Buda castle in 1849, the court-martial of Vienna came to a decision that instead of the Buda castle which was behind the times, a well-defensible system of fortress had to be built around Budapest - its aim was to put a check on the Hungarian people being disposed to revolutions. Its first fortification was established on the Gellért-Hill in 1850 (Ferenc József emperor authorised 200000 Forint to cover the costs). According to the plans, behind the battlements of the 220 meters long, 60 meters wide, 4 meters thick walls to defend the fortress, 60 modern guns could be located. Four years later, the Austrian army could march in the casemates whose guns looked darkly towards the Pest side of the Danube. The other parts of the fortress have never been built. With the accord of 1867, the military aim of the Citadella was lost, but the army left the fortress only in 1899.
Its last use for military actions was to protect Budapest in 1944-45 during the Second World War against the Red Army, when the fortress served as anti-aircraft base for the Germans and Hungarians, in its casemates storages and injured-centre were created. During the battles, the defensive parts were damaged and those signs can be seen even today.
From the 60s, the fortress has been given a tourism role that’s why it was transformed: a hotel and a restaurant were opened there. Its main charm in great part due to the wonderful sight from its walls: the view of the extending city under the mountain is really impaired.
The Liberty Statue is situated on the Eastern part of the Citadella. Now a restaurant and a hotel are running on the territory of the citadella, and a waxworks about the siege of 1944 can be seen in the casemates. The “Budapest anno” (means Budapest long ago) photo exhibition shows the pictures of Budapest in the 19th century (between 1850 and 1945), it can be visited without entrance fees.

  Budapest, Citadella

<< zurück