Castle Hill - Fishermans Bastion

Winding cobblestone streets and leafy promenades of Castle Hill lead past baroque houses, attractions include Buda Castle, a palace which has been razed and rebuilt over centuries, now home to the Hungarian National Gallery and Budapest History Museum. The turrets and terraces of Fisherman’s Bastion offer views over the Danube and Matthias Church.

Fisherman's Bastion has seven towers representing the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 895. The panoramic view of Danube, Margaret Island, Pest to the east and Gellert Hill can be seen from the terraces and towers.

The Buda side castle wall was protected by the fishermen's guild and this is the reason why it was called fishermen's Bastion. Other people say, it got the name from the part of the city, which lies beneath the tower. The guild of fishermen was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages.

A bronze statue of Stephen I of Hungary mounted on a horse, erected in 1906, can be seen between the Bastion and the Matthias Church. The pedestal was made by Alajos Stróbl, based on the plans of Frigyes Schulek, in Neo-Romanesque style, with episodes illustrating the King's life.Read more