The Fisherman's Bastion - Enjoy the view

The Fisherman’s Bastion (Halászbástya) is one of the best known landmarks of Budapest - the terrace with many walkpaths, corridors and stairs, built in Neo-Gothic and Neo-Romanesque stlye, is situated on the Buda side of the Danube river, on Castle Hill. Designed and built between 1895 and 1902 by Frigyes Schulek on the remains the old Buda Fortress’ walls, the place was almost completely destroyed during World War II and restored half a century later by the architect’s son. It got its name from the district located beneath it, once inhabited mainly by fishermen, whose guild was responsible for defending this stretch of the town wallsduring the Middle Ages; its seven towers represent the Magyar tribes that settled int he Carpathian Basin in 896.

The area in the immediate surroundings of the Fisherman’s Bastion has several famous sights: in its courtyard there is the bronze statue of Saint Stephen of Hungary, a bit further the one of the most heroic Hungarian military commander of all times, János Hunyadi, and the one of the legendary Saint George, the dragon killer; then right next to the walls is the beautiful Matthias Church, and just a few steps away Szentháromság tér, the square dedicated to the Holy Trinity where one can hop on a horse-drawn carriage to take a tour of the entire castle district.

There are several hotels located close to the Fisherman’s Bastion, the two closest ones being the elegant luxury hotel Hilton Budapest***** and the small and friendly Hotel Burg***, both offering several rooms with an amazing panoramic view of the Pest side of the capital across the Danube.
As far as this breathtaking view is concerned, it’s also important that until the 15th of March 2010, so for many months from now on, the entrance to the Fisherman’s Bastion is free for everyone, so tourists who visit it in this period can climb up to the towers and take a look at basically the entire Budapest spread out in front of them, from the Buda Hills to Margaret Island, from the Parliament to Saint Stephan’s Basilica, from the Chain Bridge to Gellért Hill.