Budapest: Buda Castle … The Bastion

One of the landmarks of the Buda Castle District is the Fisherman’s Bastion … Halaszbastya in Hungarian. It is located behind Matthias Church. We knew from its location that it probably offered some amazing views of the city. Thus, we headed there after our snack break.

Here, we were greeted by a statue of St Stephen, which we had noticed earlier when we were visiting the church.. Stephen I was the first king of Hungary … the founder of the state. He was canonized 45 years after his death in 1038. As such he is considered the country’s spiritual patron. The day celebrated as his feast day is also the State Foundation Day.

In light of how far back the history of the Castle District goes, it is surprising that the statue has only been installed since 1906. Nonetheless, it is an impressive, well-executed statue with beautiful detail work despite — or perhaps because of — the interventions to the sculptor’s original design. The result … St Stephen is on horseback — not on the throne — with the Holy Crown on his head. Also, because Emperor Franz Joseph objected to the spear that was placed in the king’s hand, it was changed to a double-cross. While some may have found the decorations of the saddle cover distracting when the statue was unveiled, I thought it was a lovely piece of craftsmanship.

Stopping at the sales window near the statue, we purchased tickets to go up for a wander along the top of the Fisherman’s Bastion. This was perhaps unnecessary since the views are just as easy to see for free elsewhere around the viewing terrace. But I liked the idea of checking out the towers and turrets, and as I was hoping, it proved to be a good vantage point for photographing Matthias Church. The admission was under $2pp so it wasn’t a huge expense anyway.

Considering the bastion’s neo-Romanesque style, one might be forgiven for thinking that it is quite an old structure. After all, this was one of the styles popular during Medieval times. In fact, it was’t until 1895-1902 that the bastion was constructed as a scenic lookout terrace on the base of the castle walls. Like so many other structures in the Castle District, the bastion was damaged during WWII. It was restored, of course.

The seven towers of the bastion represent the seven Hungarian chieftains who brought their tribes to present day Hungary in 895. As a matter of history, without these tribes, there might not have been a State of Hungary. It is said, that the bastion is named for the guild of fishermen who historically lived below the castle walls … in an area known as “Fishtown” or “Watertown.” They were responsible for defending that section of the city walls during medieval times. While the guild might be the generally accepted namesake of the bastion, there is apparently no real proof that is the case.

As we slowly strolled the bastion pathway, we enjoyed the panoramic views of Buda and Pest laid out below us … the Danube meandering between the two like a café au lait ribbon. Spectacular.Read more