The legend of Normafa, Budapest’s beloved destination to relax
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If you have heard people from Budapest speak about ‘Normafa’ (Norma tree), you might picture a single tree somewhere and wonder why so many people want to see that tree. Actually, it is not a tree, it is a place. Well, it was an actual tree once, and that is why the name of the tree stuck and people just simply call this hill in Budapest the ‘Normafa’. But now, you can get to know more about this place and the tree it got named after.
First, a little bit more information about this place. ‘Normafa’ is on the Buda side of the Danube in District 12. It is part of the Buda Hills and is 477m high; there is also a lookout named after Sisi as it was said that she liked to visit that place due to how close it is to nature. ‘Normafa’ connects Svábhegy and János Hill with a long but narrow plateau. It is a beloved tourist destination as well as a very nice place to go hiking and to do other sports as, ever since winters in the 19th century, people come here to do some winter sports like skiing or going down the slope with sledges. It offers a beautiful panorama, although the once-forested area dotted with clearings was entirely green – now that view is somewhat obscured by the roofs of buildings at the foot of the hill.
“In the 19th century, ‘Normafa’ was a hunting ground where they hunted mainly foxes, partridges, snipes, and rabbits. The ancient right of the citizens of Buda was the ‘bear hunt of the 2nd February’. Although it was banned in 1855, they re-established this tradition in 1871, but by this time, due to the absence of bears, fun and drinking became the main feature of the event”, József Druzsin wrote in his book A Budai-hegység útikalauz (The Buda Hills Travel Guide).
The legendary tree
The ‘Normafa’, which the place got its name from, has a long history and even some legends around it. It was a ‘Fagus sylvatica’, which is the Latin name of the European or common beech. The old beech tree grew on the edge of the Normafa slope and, according to legends, the tree grew when the famous ‘Mátyás király’ (Matthias Corvinus) was born. There were many legends and tales that were about the king, and according to one of them, the king liked to rest in the shade of the tree, but unfortunately, there is no evidence that either story is true. Nonetheless, maybe the beech tree was not 500 years old, but it was certainly a couple of centuries old.
Normafa is in district 12, not 22
Oh, yes. That was a typo, I corrected it.