Vajdahunyad Castle - stepped out of a fairytale

I am pretty sure that during your stay in Budapest you will visit the Heroes Square – and you should! 🙂

When you are there have a peek at the park behind the statues. On the left, you will find the Széchényi Baths, on the right, there is a castle that looks as if it has just stepped out from a Disney fairytale. That is Vajdahunyad Castle. It is one of the most unique attractions of Budapest.

Have a better look at it – she is even situated on her own island! The island is called Széchenyi, of course, what else.

Vajdahunyad Castle - 1000 years of Hungarian architecture

As a matter of fact, the “castle” is a building complex – designed by Ignác Alpár – where there is a museum, a palace and even towers that can be climbed.

It was built for the 1896 millennial celebrations to provide a representation of the 1000 years of national architecture: Romanesque, Renaissance, Baroque, Gothic. These styles are living peacefully together in separate buildings, next to each other.

Represented elements in Vajdahunyad Castle

Mr. Alpár managed to show elements of the following buildings:

Church of Ják (Chapel of Ják, that mimics the its front door)
Cathedral of Pécs
Zápolya Chapel of Szepescsütörtök
houses of Lőcse and Besztercebánya
Saint Catherine’s Gate from Brassó
loggia from the Town Hall of Bártfa
Charles Gate of Gyulafehérvár
some themes from the Royal Palace of Gödöllő

Historic Building Complex of Vajdahunyad Castle

But its main part is based on Vajdahunyad Castle in Transylvania (that was a Hungarian soil when it was built in the XIV-XV. century), and not surprisingly, that gave its name. It mimics two parts of the original Castle, the Tower of Nebojsza (in Serbian: Do not fear!) and the loggia of Matthias.

Originally the complex was called “Historic Building Complex” and it was made from wood. Because of its huge success, it was built again from stone with a bit of modifications in such way as to be able to accommodate a museum.

There is something really touching about a castle being turned from cardboard paper and wood to stone through the sheer power of human love and appreciation. It is every little girl’s dream.

Museum of Hungarian Agriculture

Since 1907, the Castle houses the Museum of Hungarian Agriculture with its huge collection of agriculture-related objects.

Its collection is unique in Europe and it showcases the history of Hungarian agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing, Hungarian flora and horse breeding.

You can download a PDF that was made by the colleagues of the Museum and will introduce you the most interesting parts and they made a listicle about their TOP 10 must-see objects from their collections. This is how cute they are. 🙂

Towers of Vajdahunyad Castle

You can attend a tower tour and castle walks, to hear information about the history of the castle.

The Gatehouse and the Apostles’ Tower

From the Gatehouse Tower you can have a look at the City Park and the courtyard, and there is a photo exhibition inside that showcases the history of the Castle.

From above it is easier to have a look at the details, for example the knights of the King Matthias’ black army, a raven holding a ring in its beak (again, a King Matthias themed object) or the rose window.

Apostles’ Tower

If you climb its 150 steps, you will be rewarded with a full panorama of Budapest: Gellért Hill, Buda Castle, Basilica, etc.

The tower itself was inspired by the Clock Tower of Segesár. But instead of a clock, it features a wood-carved Hungarian coat of arms.