• Coronavirus in Hungary
  • Budapest
  • Hungary border control
  • HelloMagyar
EnglishFrenchGermanSpanish
EnglishFrenchGermanSpanish
Things you may not know about Budapest’s fortress, the CitadelThings you may not know about Budapest’s fortress, the CitadelThings you may not know about Budapest’s fortress, the CitadelThings you may not know about Budapest’s fortress, the Citadel
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Society
  • Sport
  • Culture
  • Special Hungary
  • News To Go
  • World
  • Contact Us
  • About us
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
✕
Breaking News
Support us
John Woods John Woods · 19/05/2022
· Special Hungary

Things you may not know about Budapest’s fortress, the Citadel

architecture Budapest building Hungarian history Hungary
citadella

source: Civertan Grafikai Stúdió - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=877656

The Citadel built on Budapest’s Gellért Hill is probably one of the most famous and well-known landmarks of the Hungarian capital. Ruling Budapest from 235 metres above sea level, it is also a famous tourist spot where astonishing photos and videos can be taken. Below you can find some details even many Hungarians do not know about why and how it was built in the heart of Budapest.

According to pestbuda.hu, most tourists do not even believe that the Gellért hill is natural. Many think it was built by Hungarians to provide an excellent panorama of the nation’s astonishing capital. Even so, Gellért Hill is the gift of nature but it was not used for military aims for hundreds of years. The Citadel was only built in the 1850s on the top of the hill and it is now under renovation and development. The project’s aim is to create a place where both tourists and locals can enjoy the magnificent vistas, and drink a coffee or cocktail after climbing up the hill.

The word ‘citadel’ is of Italian origin, and it translates to a fortress built on the highest point of a city. Interestingly, this citadel was not built by the residents of Budapest. Instead, it is the creation of the Habsburg military which ruled over Hungary after the failed 1848-1849 war of independence. However, it is a common mistake to think that the citadel was built to subdue the rebels of Pest. Pestbuda.hu argues that such an idea would be pointless since there were two huge buildings in Pest to serve that purpose: the Maria Therese barracks and the New Building, where the first Hungarian prime minister responsible for the parliament, Lajos Batthány was executed in 1849.

The citadel was built as part of a fortification project concerning all parts of the Habsburg Empire. Emanuel Zitta designed the general plans that involved all hills around Budapest and aimed to create a chain of forts around Budapest. However, Vienna thought these would be too close to Castle Hill and in case of foreign occupation they would serve well to destroy everything around them. Therefore, only one citadel was built, the one on Gellért Hill.

  • Read also: Budapest attractions whose twins you can find abroad – PHOTOS

Since the Danube river provided a natural obstacle, the Citadel was built to protect the city from an attack coming from the west. That is why the military engineers fortified the western part of the fortress with a massive cannon tower. Furthermore, they created a flat terrain in front of the tower making the enemy vulnerable to possible cannon fire.

First, they preserved the observatory built on the east side of the fortress. However, in 1871, they tore this symbolic building. 

It is also an urban legend that Hungarian Ferenc Kasselik made the final plans and supervised the execution of the project.

https://www.facebook.com/nemzetihauszmannprogram

The Citadel is a long fortress ending in a D-shape western cannon tower. The eastern end is a semicircular bastion. There were barracks and ammunition stores inside, while the officers lived in the D-shape tower. Moreover, there is a cistern in the building to help defenders resist extended enemy attacks. Two additional bastions were built on the Danube and the southwestern side of the Citadel. They allowed the defenders to attack those who managed to get close to the walls.

  • Read also: Here is how Budapest will be developed in the near future

Interestingly, the citadel was never used because nobody ever wanted to lay siege against it. Romanian soldiers occupied Budapest without serious resistance in 1919. In 1944-45, the Citadel could not stop the Soviet Red Army. In 1897, the leadership of Budapest wanted to demolish the building, but they calculated that the project would cost a fortune.

Today it is being renewed to create a place where both tourists and locals can enjoy the Budapest panorama. There will be promenades, a small lake, a café and even an exhibition showing the freedom fights of the Hungarians. Furthermore, on 15 March this year, the largest Hungarian flag was placed in the yard of the Citadel. It commemorates the heroes who fought for Hungarian freedom.

Biggest flag in the Citadel

Photo: FB

18 years - 18 km Budapest running competition
Read alsoBudapest one of the best European destinations for marathon runners?

Source: pestbuda.hu

architecture Budapest building Hungarian history Hungary
Share
John Woods
John Woods

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

SUPPORT US

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive daily updates, news & stories about Hungary!

Select your location below or enter your country so we can deliver our morning newsletters to you in time.


Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.


.

Latest news
  • What happened today in Hungary? 26 January, 2023
  • Hungarian economy will skyrocket in 2024?
  • Hungarian green party calls for a referendum on the establishment of battery factories
  • Budapest ranked 7th best cultural destination in the world by Tripadvisor
  • Good news for passengers! Budapest Airport to be renovated
  • The Indian community also celebrated the Republic Day in Budapest – Photo gallery
  • Orbán government loses billions in EU funding
  • A surprising twist! HUF has not done this for a long time

About us

Contact us

Copyright rules

© 2023 DailyNewsHungary. All rights reserved! | Server and development by Svigelj Levente E.V