Sisi’s lost treasures found at the Buda Castle excavations – PHOTO GALLERY

Archaeologists working at a site at the Buda Castle have stumbled upon some interesting artefacts, including solid iron cannonballs, silver denarii, toy chips engraved with bears and swans, and an interesting piece of carved stone directly connected to the beloved historical figure, Sisi.

Gábor Kőrösi, the communication and marketing director of the Várkapitányság Nonprofit Zrt., told InfoRádió that the renovation of the historical gardens and parks of the Buda Castle District will continue this year, and the next phase of the renovation of the castle walls has begun. The first steps include a structural integrity check and archaeological excavations. During these excavations, experts found a number of

valuable ancient Roman, Medieval, early modern, and turn-of-the-century artefacts in the vicinity of the Southern Great Rondell. However, the most interesting find was a female lion statue that once adorned Sisi’s leisure house.

The leisure house was built by Alajos Hauszmann around the turn of the 20th century at the request of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Unfortunately, it was demolished after the Second World War, and the Medieval Sigismund Tower, which can be seen today, was rebuilt in its place.

The original article on Facebook can be found here. And if you would like to read more about Sisi and why she was such a beloved historical figure for Hungarians, we have many articles about her.

Within the framework of the Hungarian National Hauszmann Program, the dangerous, dilapidated, structurally loosened castle wall sections of the Buda Castle District are constantly being renovated and renewed.

The goal is for people living in the district or people visiting the historical city area to be able to recharge in a safe and orderly environment and to be able to walk around the Buda Castle safely.

The excavations were fruitful as, in addition to the relief depicting a female lion that was once up on the walls of Sisi’s leisure house, several other important artefacts were found. Ancient Roman coins, a silver denarius minted during the reign of King Ferdinand I, cannonballs made of solid iron, a ring decorated with a polished gemstone from the 17th century, pieces of a popular set of toy chips depicting an angel from the 19th century, and a 1918 railway seal made in Kassa (Košice today) were also found.

“Archaeological excavations of such a scale were never conducted at the Buda Castle before: archaeologists work at nearly a hundred locations at the same time,” said the Head of the Archaeological Office of the Várkapitányság Nonprofit Zrt.

The previous years were also quite successful in terms of finding important artefacts. During these preliminary excavations preparing the developments of the Buda Castle, they have found several significant relics related to the reign of Zsigmond (Emperor Sigismund), Mátyás I (Matthias Corvinus), Ferdinánd I, and Ferenc József I (Franz Joseph), unearthed over the years.

Read alsoSisi, Queen of Hungary and Empress of Austria – PHOTOS

Source: Infostart.hu