PHOTOS: Ottoman pasha’s renewed spire opened to the public in the Buda Castle

The interior and exterior of the spire of Karakas pasha in the Buda Castle have been completely renewed in the Northern end of the Csikós Garden. Furthermore, this week, it opened to the public. There is an info centre, a gift shop and a café in the 400-year-old building.

According to pestbuda.hu, the renovation of the tower is part of the renewal of the Buda Castle District. In the Middle Ages, the Csikós Garden was surrounded by walls since it was part of the fort’s defence system. That is where a new district was born during the Ottoman occupation (1541-1683). Moreover, Mehmed Karakas, a pasha of the Budin Pashalik around 1620, built here a tower, Krisztina Sikota, deputy CEO of the Várkapitányság Zrt, the operator of the Buda Castle, said in a press conference.

The twelvefold cannon tower was built of carved cobblestone and was in its original form even in the 19th century. However, during the renovation and renewal of the castle designed by Alajos Hauszmann in 1898, the tower was dismantled. That is how they created the brand-new Palota Street. Interestingly, László Zsolnai, a Hungarian archaeologist, highlighted that the Karakas pasha spire was built before the Ottoman occupation. He added that it was part of the Zsigmond-era (1387-1437) defence system of the Buda fort. HERE we wrote about the Middle Ages public baths of Budapest.

The Csikós Garden. The Karakas pasha tower is behind the photographer. Photo: facebook.com/nemzetihauszmannprogram

After WWII, the Communist regime did not pay attention to rebuilding the original palace due to the lack of financial resources. However, they rebuilt the tower. But they dismantled other buildings in the Csikós Garden, the Stöckl-steps and the Royal Riding Hall due to ideological reasons, Sikota added.

The deputy CEO said the tower got a new exterior, and they renewed its interior. Now there is a toilet, a café, an info point and a gift shop in the tower. That will be the seventh info point in the Castle District. There is also a Moorish-style decorated fountain creating an Eastern atmosphere. You can get to the Karakas pasha tower by climbing some steps from the Szent György Square and with an elevator from Palota Street and Csikós Garden.

Here are some photos: