Budapest: Buda Castle, Citadel, bridges, panoramas (Hungary). Budapest
Gellert Mountain is one of the most famous tourist spots in Budapest. Usually tourists visit the popular ones - the Citadel, the observation deck, the Statue of Liberty and the Gellert Baths. In this article we will present a walking route that also includes other original, lesser-known attractions of Mount Gellért. And for travelers with children, we will tell you about interesting local children's trailer parks and playgrounds.
Mount Gellert with the Statue of Liberty is visible from afar. The height of the hill is only 235 m. The mountain is named in honor of the Catholic martyr saint Gellert, who was killed here by the pagans. There is a monument to him here. At the top, the Habsburgs built a Citadel with powerful walls in the 19th century. It’s worth going up here for the amazing panorama of the Danube, bridges and the entire capital of Hungary. The banks of the Danube and the urban landscape of Budapest are included in the list World Heritage UNESCO.
How to get to Mount Gellert:
By metro + on foot: are you going to The Szent Gellert ter metro station is further up the hill on foot, 1.3 km. Opposite the Gellert Bath (across the road) the paths up begin. There are paths with a steep climb - a short path, or other paths that are longer, but a gentler and easier climb. Walking route is on the map in the article below. First, you can go to the cave church at the foot of Mount Gellert.
By metro + bus: from the Móricz Zsigmond körtér metro station (green line) to Mount Gellert, bus number 27 runs to the Búsuló Juhász (Citadella) stop. Drive 5 minutes.
The easiest option- go up to the Citadel by bus, and then, exploring everything along the way, go down to the Gellert Baths.
By car: We drove up the GPS navigator through Szirtes út street (blue route on the map). Parking address near the Citadel: Budapest, Szirtes út 36,1016. Parking is paid using parking meters installed nearby.
On the map in blue and gray There are two routes to the top of Mount Gellert:
I really like maps in guidebooks. Using them, it is easy for independent travelers to find their way around))) Here I have made for you, friends, my hiking map on Gellert Mountain. We went down from the parking lot to the cave church, and then went back up. !!! Comfortable shoes and water (in summer time) are very desirable)))
Walking route along Mount Gellert:
For your convenience, we have marked the main points of the route with numbers:
1 — parking + observation decks;
2 — Citadel, bunker-museum
3 — Statue of Liberty, panoramic platform.
4 — Cave Church
5 — Monument to St. Gellert and waterfall
6 — Philosophical garden and sculptural composition “Meeting of the King of Buda and Queen of Pest”
7 and 8 points - for little travelers. These are children's trailer parks - playgrounds with original slides, swings, and entertainment.
1 Parking and Observation platforms.
Our Susanin (GPS) successfully led us to the parking lot. We paid for it at the parking meter and the first thing we took was a photo of Budapest from the heights of Mount Gellert. There is an observation deck everywhere - a stunning view of the capital of Hungary))) The urban landscape on the banks of the Danube is included in World List UNESCO heritage. Amazing beauty! Breathtaking!
In 1873, the three cities of Buda, Pest and Óbuda united into one under the name Budapest. In the photo on the left is green, hilly Buda. On the right in the photo is the flat administrative and business Pest, in the distance along the Danube you can see the buildings of the most ancient part of the capital of Hungary - Obuda. In the middle of the Danube is my favorite Margaret Island, a green oasis of calm and tranquility. 
We are against the backdrop of Budapest)))
This is such a hilly and green elite Buda. Fortress Mountain - clearly visible: Royal Palace, St. Matthias Cathedral, Fisherman's Bastion. The Buda Castle area is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the distance is the highest mountain of the Buda Hill (529 m) - Janos with the ancient Erzsebet Tower.
Read how to climb the highest mountain in Budapest in our author’s children’s guide, route No. 4:
But the lowland hard worker is Pest. This is the business, administrative and commercial part of Budapest. Its unique Andrássy Avenue is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The luxurious building of the Hungarian Parliament rises above Pest.
Seven bridges connect the two banks. In the photo closer: the main bridge of Budapest - Chain Bridge Széchenyi, then the Margaret Bridge and very far beyond Margaret Island is the Arpad Bridge.
2. Citadel on Mount Gellert. Bunker-museum.
The citadel is a powerful military fortification 220 m long. The height of the walls is 16 m. It was built over 4 years from 1850 to 1854. Typically, fortresses served to protect the entire city from enemies. But the citadel was built by the Habsburgs, rulers of the Austrian Empire (of which Hungary was then part), for defense against the Hungarians, control over the city and convenient shelling of Budapest. After all, Mount Gellert is an excellent strategic location. From here you have a great view of the entire city.
The reason for the construction of the fortress was the Hungarian revolution of 1848-1849. One of its goals was the independence of Hungary from Austria. Walking around Budapest, you will definitely come across the names of the organizers of this revolution, who became national heroes of Hungary, in the names of streets, metro stations, bridges, and monuments. For example, the famous city's main Szechenyi Chain Bridge is named after Count Istvan Szechenyi. The square and metro station on the Buda side are named after Count Lajos Battyany. central square Budapest and the metro hub station on the Pest side are named after Ferenc Deák. Streets, squares and the Petőfi Bridge are named after the poet Sándor Petőfi. The streets, square and metro station next to the Hungarian Parliament are named after Lajos Kossuth. 
The uprising was defeated “thanks” to the intervention of the Russian army, which came to the aid of weakened Austria. To protect themselves from future Hungarian revolutionaries, the Habsburgs ordered the construction of a Citadel on Mount Gellert after the uprising. Upon completion of construction, an Austrian military garrison was located in it. He left the fortification after the compromise proclamation of the state Austria-Hungary in 1867 Local residents tried to remove the empty fortification over the stones, but it ended with the dismantling of only the main gate of the fortress.
We go up the street with souvenir shops to the Citadel. As always, there are a lot of tourists here. Near the walls of the Citadel there is a small exhibition of weapons from the Second World War. These are mainly guns of different models and types. Traces of shells and bullets are still visible on the walls of the fortress.
During the war, the Citadel served as an air defense center for German troops. There were German barracks, a hospital, and an ammunition depot here. In February 1945, Soviet troops, liberating Budapest, stormed the Citadel. This was difficult, because the thick walls of the underground bunkers easily withstood powerful bombings. German garrison impregnable fortress became last stronghold resistance of Nazi troops in Budapest.
Inside, the Citadel had many tiers, rooms, and secret passages leading to the slopes of the hill. The last three tiers were reconstructed and a bunker museum dedicated to the Second World War was created. Entrance to it is paid. In its corridors and rooms there are exhibitions that tell about Budapest during the period of occupation and liberation from Nazi Germany. With the help of wax figures, the life of the German invaders of the Citadel is shown: hospital, rest room, headquarters, living quarters.
The exhibition contains many archival documents, photographs, and personal belongings. The museum leaves a difficult impression. But you need to visit it to remember again and understand that war is creepy, cruel and scary. This horror must not be repeated.
3. Statue of Liberty and panoramic platform.
The 40-meter Statue of Liberty on Mount Gellert is visible from afar. In 1947, this monumental composition was created in honor of the liberation of Budapest by the Soviet army. In the 90s, the sculpture of the Soviet liberator warrior was removed from here. She was taken to Memento Park, a special museum under open air on the outskirts of Budapest, where all the monuments from Hungary's communist era are kept. And the figure of a woman holding a palm branch in her hands is called the Statue of Liberty.
After the events of October 1956, when Soviet troops, using tanks, aircraft, and artillery, brutally suppressed the uprising against the communist dictatorship, Hungarians stopped perceiving Soviet troops as liberators. They believe that the German fascist dictatorship was replaced by another communist one.
At the foot of the Statue of Liberty there is a large observation deck with comfortable benches. This is the view of the beautiful Pest from here.
And another photo: One of seven bridges connects the two banks of the Danube. This is the Petőfi Bridge, named after the poet Sándor Petőfi, an active participant in the Hungarian uprising of 1848-1849, after which the Citadel on Mount Gellert was built.
Closer to the photo - green domes and red roof - this is the luxurious building of the Gellert Baths at the foot of the mountain.
From observation deck We go down steep paths and steps to the Cave Church. Opposite, across the road, are the famous Gellert Baths.
4. Cave Church and Gellert Bath
Hot springs at the site of the Gellert baths were known already in the 8th-9th century. In the Middle Ages, the hermit Istvan lived in a cave on the mountainside, who healed people with hot muddy springs that flowed at the foot of the hill. After his death, he was canonized and the Cave was named in honor of St. Stephen.
Due to the presence of silt in the water, this place was long called the Mud Bath. The luxurious Gellert baths and the luxurious Danubius Hotel Gellert in the Art Nouveau style were built on the basis of thermal mud springs almost 100 years ago. Find out more about this hotel here:
The Gellert Baths impress with their refined and original interior. We wrote more about the baths of Budapest in this article:
At the entrance to Cave Church- a monument to King Saint Stephen, the first king of Hungary from the Arpad dynasty. He holds the church in his hands. This symbol in the sculpture is not accidental. After all, it was King Istvan who converted the country to Christianity and founded the first bishopric in Esztergom. For this he was canonized. The Hungarian people deeply revere the king. He is called the patron saint and protector of Hungary. Istvan's baptism day, August 20, main National holiday countries.
It is interesting to travel from Budapest to Esztergom and learn more about István. Read:
Behind the monument - beautiful bridge capital of Hungary - Freedom Bridge. An elegant, as if openwork, bridge with metal spans looks surprisingly light and airy. Its four towers are decorated with the mythical Turula birds, which in legend were the messengers of the gods and predicted the most important events in the history of Hungary.
By the way, one of the legends is associated with Palanok Castle in Mukachevo. We wrote about this here:
The Freedom Bridge was built in 1896. At first it was called the Customs Bridge, later in honor of the Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph, who participated in its grand opening. In 1945, during the liberation of Budapest from Nazi troops, the bridge was blown up. But after 1.5 years the honey mushroom was restored.
That's entrance to the cave church. Payment is 600 forints, including an audio guide, but there is no audio guide in Russian. The temple is operational and services are held here.
People have lived in St. Stephen's Cave since ancient times. In addition to the medieval hermit Istvan, a poor family lived here in the 19th century. This is evidenced by paintings and photographs from 1860 and 1877. The residents built a small clay house nearby, and blocked the entrance with a wooden fence. The cave was used by the family as the master's courtyard.
The cave church was opened here only in 1924 by the order of monks - the Paulines. The monks were inspired to create such an original temple by visiting a French cave church in Lourdes. At first, services were held in a small room. In 1925, the cave was significantly expanded using explosives. A year later, on Trinity Sunday, the church was consecrated. The interior of the temple was very similar to its “inspiration” - the cave church in Lourdes. A few years later, next to St. Stephen's Cave, a monastery Paulinov. The temples were connected to each other by an underground passage.
During the Second World War, the premises of the Cave Church served as a military field hospital for German troops. After the liberation of Budapest from the Nazi army, services in the temple resumed. But this did not last long. On the night before Easter 1951, on the orders of the communist authorities, the church was seized by the Hungarian secret police. They arrested and imprisoned all the monks, and the head of the temple, Ferenc Weser, was sentenced to death. The entrance to the Cave Church was walled up with a concrete wall more than 2 meters thick. A dormitory for ballerinas was set up in the monastery nearby. This is how the Hungarian communist government fought against the Catholic churches in the country.
In 1989, the concrete wall that blocked the entrance to the cave church was destroyed. The temple gradually began to be restored. In 1992, the monks of the Pauline Order returned here and resumed regular services.
The inside of the Cave Church is peaceful. It's small but beautiful. The stones around create a special atmosphere. Everything here was created with love and reverence, with care for those praying.
Sculpture of St. Stephen.
Inside the cave church
Main altar.
A unique sculpture of the Virgin Mary with a crown on her head. According to legend, King Stephen, in order to unite the people of his country, invited the Virgin Mary to become the Queen of Hungary, its protector and patroness.
And some more photos of the cave church. 
7-8. Park and original playgrounds on Gellert Hill
We climb up to the Citadel along more gentle paths. They lead through beautiful park with original sculptures. In the 18th century, vineyards grew here on the slopes of Gellert Hill, and the area at the foot was considered a major wine-growing area. At the top of the mountain there was a small church to which believers went during Easter.
You can lie down on the grass in the park and relax.
An unusual monument to the Hungarian writer Szabo Deszo.
Children's playgrounds on Mount Gellert are an excellent opportunity for little travelers to relax. In between visiting all the attractions, you can unwind and have fun.
At number 7 on the route map for walking along Mount Gellert ( at the beginning of the article) - a children's park called Cerka-Firka.
And this is the Csuszdapark trailer park at number 8 on the map. It has a lot of different slides.
5. Monument to St. Gellert and waterfall
On the mountain, overlooking the Danube, is the monument to St. Gellert, after whom the hill is named. He raised the cross, blessing Budapest and the whole country. St. Gellert is considered one of the patron saints of Hungary. There are steps leading to the monument from the foot of the mountain. The waterfall cascades peacefully.
Gellert is a revered Hungarian saint. It is interesting that he is Italian by nationality, a representative of a noble Venetian family. Gellert was born in Venice in 977. His real name is Giorgio Sagredo. Giorgio spent his entire childhood and youth in monastery schools and university. After their graduation, he took monastic vows at the Benedictine monastery of St. George in Venice, and then in 1012 he became prior there.
How did the future educator of Hungary end up in this distant country? In 1015, Giorgio Sagredo went on a ship as a pilgrim to the Holy Land. But he never made it to Jerusalem due to a strong storm. On the way, Giorgio met an abbot from Hungary, who invited him to his country and promised to introduce him to King Stephen I.
Legend says that upon arrival in Hungary at the end of the solemn mass in honor of the Virgin Mary, George Sagredo had a vision of his death among the rocks. He took this as a sign from God to become a martyr and decided to stay in Hungary forever. King Stephen I highly appreciated the monk's wisdom and invited him to become a teacher for his son Imre. For 7 years Gellert lived as a hermit in the Benedictine monastery in the village. Bakonibel, Veszprém County. Here he healed sick people and animals. By order of King Stephen, he became a bishop in southern Hungary and preached Christianity throughout the country.
After the death of Istvan in 1038, the pagan tribes rebelled. Christian churches were destroyed, bishops and monks were killed. On September 24, 1046, Gellert was captured by them, beaten into a barrel of nails and thrown off the high mountain Kelenfeld. The half-dead bishop was finished off with stones and thrown into the Danube. The waters of the river were not able to wash Gellert’s blood from the rocks for another 7 years. Miraculous healings took place at his grave.
In 1083, Gellert, the Hungarian king Stephen I and his son Imre were canonized. And Mount Kelenfeld was renamed in honor of Bishop Gellert. On September 24, the Catholic Church celebrates St. Gellert's Day.
6. Philosophical Garden on Mount Gellert
The original sculptural composition was installed on Mount Gellert in 2001. The author, sculptor Nandor Wagner, devoted the last 15 years of his life to its creation. The Philosophical Garden was cast in Japan, where the artist lived, and bequeathed to his native Budapest. This is a place for thought and contemplation.
There are only 8 figures in the composition. On the round pedestal there are 5 representatives of the main religions of the world: Jesus, Buddha, the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, the ancient Egyptian pharaoh and religious figure Akhenaten, and on his knees is the biblical character Abraham. Nearby are three more statues of historical figures who became spiritual leaders for millions of people: the people's leader and fighter for Indian independence, Mahatma Gandhi; the founder of the Chan teachings in Buddhism and its first patriarch, Bodhidharma; Catholic saint, founder of the mendicant monastic order of the Franciscans, Francis of Assisi.
6. Sculptural composition “Meeting of the King of Buda and Queen of Pest”, or “Birth of Budapest”
Not far from the Philosophical Garden, about 10-15 m, on a round stone pedestal there is another interesting sculpture. It is small in size, so not all travelers find it right away.
This is a romantic story about King Buda and Queen Pest. Across the Danube River they stretch out their hands to each other, like bridges from one bank to the other. Thus was born the great city of Budapest. The possessions of Buda impress with luxurious castles and palaces on wooded hills. And the Pest side is famous for its craftsmen and artisans. All buildings in Pest are inclined. This means that the shore of Buda is higher than the shore of Pest.
We wish you bright travels!
The article was written with love and boundless gratitude to our dear Lyudmila and Alexey Yamkovenko.
The citadel was built by the Habsburgs in 1854, after the Hungarian democratic revolution of 1848-1849. The revolution was defeated, but the rulers chose to secure the rear and build a reliable fortress. The first fortifications began to be built in 1850 according to the design of engineer Emmanuel Sitt, and four years later the Austrian garrison was settled in barracks. The citadel was the main strategic object for shelling both Buda and Pest in the event of a future uprising, but it never served its intended purpose.
The citadel is a complex multi-tiered structure and has many secret passages, thanks to which one could find oneself far beyond the mountain in different parts of the city. Today, the citadel has been reconstructed; a three-story bunker with an area of 750 square meters houses a wax museum and an exhibition displaying many archival documents and photographs.
The walls of the citadel are also often used for various exhibitions, so when we walked there were hung various historical shots of Budapest:
Near the walls of the citadel there is a 40-meter-high Freedom Monument. It represents a female figure with a palm branch in her arms raised high. The statue was created by the Hungarian sculptor Zsigmond Strobl Kisfaludy in 1947. Initially, the monument was called the Liberation Monument and there was still a Soviet soldier there, but in the early 90s the soldier was removed and renamed, but in general you need to know that initially the monument was dedicated specifically to the liberation of Hungary from the Nazis, hehe
There are also a lot of interesting things inside the citadel, but we didn’t get there - everything was already closed at that moment. In general, the place itself is very popular for walking among both tourists and local residents, it is from here that the best views of the city open (for the highest point of Mount Gellert):
The Gellert mountain or hill rises 235 meters above the Danube. The mountain is named after Saint Gellert or Gerard of Hungary, who died from the pagans in this place on September 24, 1046. At the foot of the hill stands probably the most widely known hotel in Budapest - the Gellert Hotel and the baths of the same name, the street part of which is clearly visible from the mountain. A cave church is hidden in the mountain. And the top of Gellert Hill is decorated with the Statue of Liberty, erected in 1947 in honor of the liberation of Hungary from Nazi Germany, and the citadel erected by the Habsburgs in 1851 after the suppression of the revolution.
The most important thing about visiting Gellert Mountain is, of course, the amazing panoramic views of the city.
General view of the Citadel and the park on Mount Gellert (photo from Wikipedia)
In the Middle Ages, the mountain was called Kelen Hill (Kelen-hegy) or Pest Hill (Pesti-hegy) or Blocksberg. The first name is Hungarian, the second Slovak literally means “cave”, the last is German. This is a fairly widespread practice in Hungary, with many places having different names in Hungarian, Slovak and German.
The mountain received its present name in the 15th century in accordance with the legend of the death of St. Gellert. The holy bishop was killed by pagans during a revolt against the new Christian faith in 1046. The pagans put the bishop in a barrel filled with nails and rolled him down the mountain. Bishop Gellert was an Italian, had great influence on the King of Hungary, Istvan I, the local population considered him a stranger, and this probably predetermined his tragic fate.
How to get to Mount Gellert
You can get there in four ways, in any case you will have to go uphill:
Mount Gellert in Budapest, view from the Danube First way: Take the M4 metro line to the Szent Gellért tér metro station. And climb the mountain on foot from the Gellert Hotel. It will be a fairly steep climb up some stairs with excellent viewpoints along the way offering stunning views of the Danube and Pest, past the church in the rock.
Second way: Get to the Ferenciek tere station and go towards the Elisabeth Bridge, cross it and go up from the Elisabeth Bridge. In this case, you will first have to walk through the city and then across the bridge for about 1.2 km. You will still have to walk up the mountain along the stairs, past the monument to St. Gellert.
Third way: take bus number 7 to the Búsuló Juhász (Citadella) stop and climb up the mountain along a wide asphalt path without stairs, about 400 m. There will be no views on the way up, but nothing will stop you from going down the mountain by another road to take in the sights.
Fourth way: by car, there is paid parking, it was empty out of season, or by tourist bus, if you have a ticket for it and plan to use it at all. Read - there are 4 different companies there. This is the least physically strenuous method; in other cases, you will have to climb a steep mountain on foot.
All Gellert Hill monuments on the map
On the mountain, in various secluded corners, many interesting sculptures and a cave church are hidden behind the trees. From all points of the city, only the Statue of Liberty is visible; other monuments in the area are not easy to find. Therefore, I suggest you look at the map. Each point has a photo and an explanation of the height at which the point is located.
We chose the most non-trivial way to reach the foot of the mountain near St. Gellert Square. We arrived on a boat that is part of public transport Budapest, if you have a travel card, you do not need to pay for it on weekdays.
Therefore, the description of attractions will come from.
Hotel Gellert and the pier next to it This composition is used to decorate the source of healing water in front of the Gellert Hotel. This peculiar dome echoes one of the hotel's domes.
Healing spring in front of the Gellert Hotel From the hotel we will begin to climb the mountain. The first thing we will see on the slope will be a cave church.
In front of the church in the rock there is a monument to St. Stephen (975?-1038) - the first Hungarian king of the Arpad dynasty, who accepted the crown from the hands of the papal legate. Judging by its appearance, the monument is quite new.
Monument to Saint Stephen Church in the rock on Mount Gellert
The church is located in a natural cave in Gellert Hill. According to legend, in ancient times the monk Ivan settled in the cave. He practiced healing using local mud and thermal water. Nowadays the pools of the Gellert baths are filled with these waters. Later, the monk was canonized and the cave was named in his honor as the Cave of St. Ivan.
This cave church was officially opened in 1926 as a church and monastery of the Paulines. Now the most famous monastery of the Paulines is located in the Polish city of Chekhonstova; the order itself was founded in Hungary in the 13th century.
The church operated from 1926 to 1951 with a break for the war. During the war there was a German hospital there. And in 1951, the church was closed, the abbot was shot, and the monks were given 10 years in prison so that they would not distribute opium to the people. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, the church was reopened in 1989.
Entrance to the cave church Previously, entry to the rock church was free, but now everything has changed. Admission is paid, 600 HUF, in general it is not expensive. The audio guide is included in the price and is in Russian.
Church buildings in the rock The cave has only 4 rooms and corridors between them. In the first there is a ticket office and a small shop with books and tourist brochures, in the second, the largest, there is an altar and a hall with seats, like in any Catholic church.
Main hall of the church in the rock Opposite the altar hangs the Polish coat of arms. The theme of friendship between peoples can be seen in this temple. In Poland there are many Pauline monasteries and the most important shrine of the order is the icon of the Mother of God of Czestochowa, so the Polish corner in this temple did not surprise me.
Polish coat of arms with icon The third hall is no longer in the cave, but in an adjacent building. The third room is decorated using wood carving technique, very beautifully, there is also a huge carved wardrobe and a bedside table.
Carved altar Whether it is worth visiting this church for money is a big question; in general, there is nothing special there; those who have seen the church in the rock in Helsinki will not be surprised by this.
Viewpoints on Gellert Hill
During the ascent from the Gellert Hotel you will be able to continuously admire the views of the Danube and Pest. The first stop is at the cross on the cliff. It offers an excellent view of the Freedom Bridge. The central arches of the bridge are decorated with the Hungarian coat of arms and topped with figures of the mythical Turul birds - symbols of the Arpad dynasty. just beyond the bridge is under a multi-colored roof.
Freedom Bridge Previously, the Freedom Bridge was named after Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria-Hungary. It was the first bridge to be rebuilt after its destruction during the capture of Budapest in 1945.
In general, you can climb slowly, periodically resting on the platforms. There are benches for those who are completely tired.
Viewpoint on Mount Gellert Statue of Liberty
The very top of the hill is decorated with the Statue of Liberty - a woman with a palm branch in her hands. Previously, this was all called the Monument of Liberation from the Nazi Invaders, it was installed in 1947, but with the onset of perestroika, all Russian inscriptions and statues of Soviet soldiers of the liberators were removed in order to quickly put an end to the past, and about 80,000 Red Army soldiers died in the battle for Budapest, the operation to capture Budapest lasted for 108 days.
Statue of Liberty All sculptures from the Soviet period are now exhibited in a special park - Memento Park on the outskirts of Budapest. The advertising slogan of this park is the most large statues communist dictatorship. We did see one monument to our liberating soldiers.
Still, a couple of the least politicized sculptures adorn the monument today.
Almost Saint George defeating the dragon 
Almost Prometheus, giving fire to people The Hungarians did not perceive our army as a liberator. In their eyes, the fascist dictatorship was replaced by a communist one, so they are setting up a museum of terror in Memento Park, and in general they are not missing the opportunity to make money from this not the most pleasant period of their history.
Citadel
The mountaintop citadel was built by the Habsburgs with Hungarian workers after the suppression of the 1848 revolution. From this mountain, on occasion, it was possible to fire cannons at the entire city. The citadel occupies almost the entire top of Mount Gellert. The Habsburgs equipped this massive fortress with 60 cannons.
Citadel After reaching the Austro-Hungarian compromise in 1867, the Hungarians wanted to demolish the fortress, but the garrison left it only in 1897. The Hungarians had to be content with only the symbolic destruction of the main gate of the fortress. During the 1956 revolution, Soviet troops occupied the Citadel and tanks shelled the city during the storming of the government house.
Previously, there was a bunker museum in the citadel. The bunker was already from the Second World War, military mannequins were installed there to increase interest in this museum object, now this bunker is closed and it is not known when it will open again.
Buda Castle, view from Gellert Mountain On the outer walls of the Citadel hung curious photographs from Budapest's past.
Test drive of the first Budapest bus on Andrassy Ave. 1910 To look at the new modern sculptures “Philosophical Garden” and “Buda Meets Pest” you will have to go down the mountain from the Citadel in the direction opposite to the Danube.
Philosophical Garden
“The Philosophical Garden” is a relatively young sculptural composition, donated to Budapest in 1997 in honor of the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Japan. The author of the monument is the sculptor of Hungarian origin Nador Wagner, who lived in Japan for many years. In the circle stand five figures of the founders of the five great religions of the world: Abraham, Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV), Jesus, Buddha and Lao Tzu. The artist arranged them so that they all faced the center of the circle, where the invisible deity is located. Outside the circle stand three more figures - St. Francis of Assisi, Bodhidharma and Mahatma Gandhi. These three lived in different cultures, were enlightened thinkers, and embodied and fulfilled the norms contained in the five world religions.
To be honest, the figure of Akhenaten in this group is not entirely clear to me, because the religion he founded died with him, which cannot be said about all the other religious movements represented in the monument.
In 2007, three figures from the composition were stolen by unknown persons. The municipality of the Budapest district of Budavar allocated ten million forints for the casting of the stolen sculptures. The casting mold was provided by Mrs. Akiyama Chiyo, the artist's widow.
Monument "Buda meets Pest"
A little further from the Philosopher's Garden is the popular sculpture "Buda Meets Pest" by György Vadás. The height of the figures is only 150 cm. The gap between two stone blocks represents the Danube, parts of the city in a stylized relief image, above them is the figure of a king and a princess with their arms outstretched towards each other.
Behind the fortress there is a large picturesque park. It's probably wonderful there in the summer, but in the winter we were almost the only people walking there. In the 18th century, these slopes were planted with vineyards, but now nothing remains of them.
Children's playground in the park 
Park, on top of the Citadel But if you also want to look at the Gellert statue and the monument to Princess Sissi, then you should turn towards the Danube.
Monument to Empress Sissi
The statue of Sissi is located at the very entrance to the Erzsebet Bridge or Elisabeth Bridge, this is the real name of the princess. The decision to erect a monument to the memory of Empress Elizabeth of Bavaria was made immediately after her tragic death at the hands of a fanatic on the shore Lake Geneva in 1898. However, the implementation of the idea was very delayed and nothing remained of the original plan to build something huge and monumental. The memory monument was opened only on September 25, 1932. This sculpture was located in the rotunda on the Pest side of Esku Square.
After the end of World War II, the communist regime saw no reason to continue to honor the memory of the beloved empress of the Hungarians and the memorial was demolished, but fortunately the statue was not melted down. She simply gathered dust in storage and successfully survived until new times. The Sissi sculpture was reinstalled in the park near the Erzsebet Bridge in 1986. Many believe that without the rotunda covering her, the empress’s figure looks much better.
Monument to Empress Sissi at the foot of the Erzsebet Bridge Monument to Saint Gellert
The statue of the Hungarian martyr is the central figure of a semicircular arcaded composition on the slope of Gellert Hill.The main figure, Bishop Gellert, raises a cross on the right in his right hand, and the secondary figure is a pagan Hungarian warrior positioned at his feet. The entire composition is much more interesting to view from the Erzsebet Bridge or from the Danube, since the 7-meter statue of the Saint is installed on a very small platform. Great things are better seen from afar.
According to legend, Bishop Gellert, of Venetian origin, was the teacher of Prince Imre, the son of King St. Stephen, the first Hungarian king of the Arpad dynasty.Historical research does not confirm this, but they certainly knew each other well. The monument was erected in 1904; it is the oldest monument still standing on Mount Gellert, not counting the church in the rock.
Monument with a colonnade in honor of St. Gellert 
Night hotel Gellert, Liberty Bridge and statue on Mt. Despite the resistance of part of the family, not everyone wanted to climb the hill, we got great pleasure from this walk, the effort to climb the mountain is worth the pleasure.
— full review districts with selections of hotels in each of them, the answer to the question of which is better in Buda or Pest, what is the center of Budapest and where is it located.
On the third day of the next (3rd) visit to Budapest, my wife and I went for a walk around the city. Walking along the Danube on the Buda side we came across Mount Gellert. And of course we climbed there on foot. Actually, you can get there by bus or tram, like all normal tourists, but we are not looking for easy ways. By the way, the climb was not very easy for me (although the height is only 220 meters). The paths leading up are winding and there are benches for resting.
Views of the Danube during the ascent.
The mountain is named after St. Gerard of Hungary (St. Gellert), who baptized the Hungarians and was killed in a barbaric manner: he was thrown from the aforementioned mountain in a barrel studded with nails and drowned in the Danube. (wiki)
On the mountain itself, in 1947, a monument was erected in honor of the Soviet army, its liberation from the fascist invaders. Initially there was a woman and a Soviet soldier, and on the monument itself there were the names of 146 of our heroes. In the early 90s, the soldier, names and star were removed. This is how Hungarians are getting rid of the Soviet past... The monument began to be called, instead of the Liberation Monument, the Freedom Monument.
The history of the capture of the city in the Second World War.
Interestingly, Hitler was afraid of losing oil refineries and small enterprises in Hungary oil fields. By the way, they were the only ones in the entire Reich at that time. Hitler knew that with the loss of Hungary, the Wehrmacht would lose fuel, and, consequently, all armored vehicles would simply stop. Well, we must not forget that Hungary was an ally of the Reich.
The offensive operation lasted from October 29, 1944 to February 13, 1945. Our troops (2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Front (Marshal R.Ya. Malinovsky and Marshal F.I. Tolbukhin) were opposed by the German-Hungarian garrison under the command of General Pfeffer-Wildenbruch (188 thousand people). Then the 4th SS Panzer Corps intervened and only by bringing in our reserves (30th Rifle Corps and 23rd Tank Corps) were we able to contain the Germans. Already on December 26, our troops surrounded the group. In Budapest, famine set in. In the front-line units, rations had to be cut to a serving of horse meat soup and about 150 g of bread per day. Numerous wounded people who were in the deep basements of the royal castle received only liquid soup on January 29, the day of the celebration of the arrival of Hitler. to power, G. Himmler, with the help of aviation, sent the so-called reinforced rations to the besieged. The containers dropped from the air contained canned horse meat, cookies and cigarettes. But this did not help them in mid-February. last days assault, only a few managed to escape from the encirclement.
The Red Army lost 320 thousand people, 1,766 tanks and self-propelled guns in this operation (3rd place in terms of losses of personnel and tanks in the 1945 campaign, after the East Prussian and Berlin operations).
On June 9, 1945, the medal “For the Capture of Budapest” was established, which was awarded to 350 thousand people. 79 units and formations were awarded the honorary name “Budapest”.
There is a version that initially it was “a monument to a crashed fascist pilot, so initially the woman was holding an airplane propeller in her hands. After the end of the Second World War, statues of Soviet soldiers were installed at its foot, and an ear of wheat was given to people’s hands.” I really don’t know who to believe...
At the very top of the mountain, after numerous shops with wartime paraphernalia, is the Citadel. It was built in 1850 by the Habsburgs (Austrians) to keep Hungarian capital under constant threat and suppress uprisings. But it never served its intended purpose. At one time there was even a prison in it, and now it is a hotel.
In the center of the Citadel is the entrance to the bunker, which in turn was built in 1942. It has many tiers, secret passages and consists of three floors and an area of 750 m2 with 17 rooms. The structure is reinforced concrete. During the war it served as an excellent center for air defense and has excellent all-round visibility for shelling the area. It housed a hospital, an ammunition depot and barracks.
I haven’t found any reliable information, but they say that it was not easy to knock the Nazis out of it.
“The Citadel’s firing points fired continuously at Soviet troops trying to cross the Danube. They could not knock out the SS men holding the defense in the Citadel either by shelling or bombing. Towards the end of the assault on the city, seeing the hopelessness of further resistance, the Nazis tried in small groups to escape beyond the encirclement line. However, the Citadel still remained one of the decisive centers of resistance. A detachment of marines, composed entirely of officers, was entrusted with taking it. One night, using mountaineering equipment, Soviet soldiers secretly climbed the steep slope of Mount Gellert, took the Nazis by surprise and in hand-to-hand combat knocked them out of the Citadel.”
The characters are represented by wax figures for realism.
Local support? Hungarians or Romanians?
In some places it looks like the famous Wolf 3d toy.
All sorts of military trifles are also presented.
Let's leave this dark place. At the top, a certain artifact is discovered. I suspect that this is a very ancient stove.
And of course there are guns that probably fired at our troops.
Wonderful view of the Danube.
We go down the southern slope to the Gellert baths.
At the end of the descent towards the Heller baths (Kelenhegyi út 2-4) (descend to the right, looking at the Danube) there is an entrance to the cave Catholic church, which we also visited. During socialism, the entrance was walled up for many decades. The church is operational and services are held there.
The monument to St. Stephen stands opposite the entrance to the cave. In the Middle Ages, according to legend, the hermit Stephen lived here. He treated people with thermal water from a spring near the cave. This water is now used for the Gellert baths. Stephen was subsequently canonized, and the cave was named St. Stephen's Cave.
Church with a cross on top.
Something like that.
http://www.citadella.hu/ - Citadel website.
Get there by bus number 27 from Móricz Zsigmond krt.
Located on the top of Mount Gellert, highest point Budapest, the citadel was built by the Habsburgs in 1854, after the Hungarian democratic revolution of 1848-1849. The revolution was defeated, but the rulers chose to secure the rear and build a reliable fortress. The first fortifications began to be built in 1850 according to the design of engineer Emmanuel Sitt, and four years later the Austrian garrison was settled in barracks.
During World War II, the Budapest citadel housed a German air defense center, an ammunition depot, a hospital, and barracks. The complex multi-tiered structure had many secret passages, thanks to which one could find oneself far beyond the mountain in different parts of the city. Today, the citadel has been reconstructed; a three-story bunker with an area of 750 square meters houses a wax museum and an exhibition displaying many archival documents and photographs.
Near the walls of the citadel there is a 40-meter-high Freedom Monument. It represents a female figure with a palm branch in her arms raised high. The statue was created by the Hungarian sculptor Zsigmond Strobl Kisfaludy in 1947. Going down to the Gellert baths, you can get to the cave Catholic church. At the entrance to the cave there is a monument to St. Stephen.
The Budapest Citadel is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Opening hours: The museum in the bunker is open daily from 9:00 to 20:00 (May 1 - September 30) and from 9:00 to 17:00 (October 1 - April 30).
