Its Gothic parts were covered and / or rebuilt in Baroque style. In the 1890s the Matthias Church (Matyas templom) looked completely different. Matthias Church History in Jozsef Csemegi’s Castle Book (Source: Varoskepp) There was a little gate as a shortcut in the wall to cater for the foot traffic between Watertown and the Buda Castle, as the castle had its fish market too where the fishmongers could sell their fresh fish. In peace, they would fish, and sell their fish on the fishmarket up in the castle, in war time, they would climb up to the Castle, and take their due part in protecting their home town, Watertown (Vizivaros). Some historians say that this particular part of the walls was protected by the guild of fishermen (halasz), who lived under the walls in the so called Fishtown or Watertown, between the river Danube and the Castle walls (Water Town being a little town within Buda). The city atop the Castle Hill (Varhegy) was protected by thick stone walls, and the various sections of the walls were protected by the castle guards and royal arms, and if needed, by the residents of the castle. The castle was founded by Hungarian kings, conquered by the Turks in the 16th century, re-taken by the Austrians, attacked by the Nazi and Russian troops in the 20th century, so you can imagine that there were not many peaceful years in the history of the Buda Castle Hill. There were many sieges, and the castle building, including its walls, were often destroyed and rebuilt. History of the Fisherman’s Bastion BudapestĬonstruction Fisherman’s Bastion Budapest 1895 Beginningsĭuring the medieval times, up to the 19th century there were thick castle walls on the place of the current viewing tower. You can descend into the Chapel from the Fisherman’s Bastion. Thank to the Castle District municipality – urging the state and the capital to contribute to the enormous restoration costs – Halaszbastya is fully restored now.ĭuring the construction of the Fisherman Bastion, the medieval underground St Michael Chapel was revealed, and part of it, incorporated into the Bastion. Also, many of the statues were in neglect (losing limbs, crumbling face, etc.). By the 1980s, the walls of the Bastion became grey due to the household fumes, and urban air pollution. The Bastion was damaged in WW2, but soon restored by the son of the architect. The stairway features further historical statues, from bottom to top: the Statue of John Hunyadi, the statue of St George Piercing the Dragon (the replica of the 15th century statue in Prague made by medieval Hungarian masters, the Kolozsvari Brothers), and the 10th century soldiers guarding the gate (at the top of the stairs, under the arch). The ceremonial, wide stairs leading up to the Fishermen’s Bastion provide a dramatic entrance to the Castle Hill attractions and to the views of the Pest side sights. St Stephen King at Fishermans Bastion – Tom Magliery Photography It was meant to be like a fairy tale, feel like history rather than be history. The romantic notion was to recall the old times, so Halaszbastya is often likened to a castle prop, which does not feel real. ![]() Rather than building sturdy thick stone walls, the intention was to present the locals with a communal panorama terrace, as the Buda Castle was no longer considered to be a military place. The bastion was built as a viewing terrace with lookout towers on the base of a stretch of the castle walls (from the 17-18th century, built after the Buda Castle Siege). The T shaped Bastion arrangement was to embrace the church while enhancing its beauty, and also to connect the Castle hilltop with the Danube side settlement, Fishtown aka Watertown. The construction of the Fisherman’s Bastion is intertwined with the restoration of the church: its historical architectural style was also picked to suit the church redesigned in a later medieval style (Neo-Gothic). The architect of the Halaszbastya is Frigyes Schulek, who also restored and redesigned the Matthias Church (Church of Our Lady). The Original Buda Castle Walls – Janos Binder 18th century Etching
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