Vajdahunyad Castle

Budapest, Hungary

Although the Vajdahunyad Castle in the City Park may look like a historical building, dating back to the medieval times, it was in fact built over for the 1000th birthday of the Hungarian State in 1896 for the Millennial Exhibition.

The original building of the Vajdahunyad Castle was just a temporary structure made of wooden planks and cardboard designs. Even its plain name was descriptive signifying that it is nothing more than a complex of various historical buildings. Ignac Alpar designed the building of Vajdahunyad Var, which is actually the name of an old Hungarian Gothic Castle in Hunyadvar.

But the Hungarians loved the building so much that it was eventually built from permanent materials (between 1904 and 1908), much to our great pleasure: now you can see stained windows, elaborately painted vaulted ceilings, marble staircases, etc.

The concept of Vajdahunyad Castle Budapest was to blend the various architectural styles into one composite castle. The design of Ignac Alpar contains the architectural details of 21 buildings, some only in minor additions, while others as main characters.

Today the castle is the home of several festivals, concerts and the exhibitions of the Hungarian Agricultural Museum.

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Details

Founded: 1896
Category: Castles and fortifications in Hungary

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Steve Lane (5 years ago)
Great place to come for sight seeing, also access to the roof is worth the very little they charge to do so for the veiws alone! If you spot the mulled wine stand around the back, I recommend that as a proper one too, not just warm wine served in a plastic cup. Also, check the opening times if you wish to I've skate here, we wanted to but the surface was being reformed by the machine at the time and we didn't have enough time to wait for it...
Dave London (5 years ago)
This is a gem of a place! Walking through the entrance reminds me of the Assassins Creed video games ☺ the buildings are absolutely amazing situated on a massive park area. As we visited in February it was rather chilly so we didn't walk around the park but can imagine in the warmer months this place is very pleasant. Well worth a visit for the architectural marvels!
Amy DuBoff (5 years ago)
A landmark well worth a visit! The grounds and architecture are stunning--representing castles from around the country. For something so lovely, it's amazing that you can walk around without paying an entry fee (there are towers that can be toured for a nominal price). We happened to be here during the Christmas Market, and it was fabulous. There were a wide variety of vendors, and everything we tried was very tasty. Even if there isn't an event, this castle is well worth checking out!
Carrie Boo (5 years ago)
A Disney like castle. A beautiful place to visit at day and at night. In winter there is a huge ice rink which would be a fun and romantic place to take a date. The "castle" is in a massive park and next to Heroes' Square. Visiting Hunyadi via Heroes' Square is great way to combine 3 places in 1 visit.
Aleksander Wasilik (5 years ago)
Looks absolutely amazing. Building like from fairy tale. Surrounded by water, colourful, great plants in garden. Just wonderful place to see and definately one to remember. There is a restaurant inside. I tried only coffee, but tasted very good.
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