Secrets of Budapest: Citadel, the symbol of the 1848-49 revolution’s defeat

On March 15^th we commemorated the heroic acts of enthusiastic, patriotic young adults, brave soldiers and wise politicians. However, funzine.hu writes that we don’t really talk about the reasons behind the defeat suffered in the war for independence. This article tells about the building known by all Budapest dwellers, which was built after the defeat, and symbolised the power of the unbeatable Austrian Emperor. This is the story of the Citadel.

The Citadel towering on top of Gellért Mountain is frequently visited by tourists, who want to go for a walk and admire the beautiful panorama of the city. Meanwhile, only a few people know that the monument was ordered by Julius Jacob von Haynau, the “Hyena of Brescia” in 1854, after the defeat of the 1848-49 revolution, with the aim of keeping an eye out for the rebellious rascals of Pest-Buda, so that they wouldn’t rebel against the Habsburg ruler again.

Litography by Johann Rauh

Haynau was the Austrian general who defeated the Hungarian war of independence and was entrusted by Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph to restore the order in the country and Pest-Buda. Haynau flung himself into the task with great “enthusiasm”. He was the one who ordered the execution of the 13 Martyrs of Arad and Lajos Batthyány, imprisoned hundreds of Hungarian soldiers who fought for independence and incorporated the other significant part of the Hungarian army into the Austrian army. He also made sure that his memory would be guarded by the capital city by building the Citadel.

The symbol of failure

Even though in most cases fortresses were built at the highest point to protect the city, Haynau had completely different plans with the Citadel: he wanted to keep a constant eye on the population of Pest. The red-handed general even designed gun-sites on the fortress in case they needed to fire at the dwellers of the city – fortunately, this never happened.