Royal Palace (Kiralyi palota), Budapest

This Baroque Palace was built in the 18th century and then extended between 1896 and 1903. Beneath the current building, the 13th to 15th century remains of the medieval and Renaissance Palace have been excavated.

Click to the picture - panoramaphoto by Boros Sándor!

There has been a royal palace on this site since the 1200's, but relatively few excavated and reconstructed sections from that early period can be seen. The Palace suffered serious damage during the siege of the invading Turkish troops.

The current external appearance of the building complex is the result of Baroque-style building work in the 18th century, as well as remodelling and expansion in the 19th century.

The residence of Franz Joseph, Austrian Emperor and Hungarian King, and of the Habsburg archdukes, was created by the most outstanding Hungarian craftsmen at the turn of the 19th century. However, the Palace was completely burnt out during World War II and the lavishly furnished stately halls were destroyed: the royal suites, the ballroom, and the throne room. The reconstruction took a simplified form.

Today the Palace District (Várnegyed) is one of Budapest's most significant cultural centres. It is home to a comprehensive collection of Hungary's fine arts at the National Gallery (Nemzeti Galéria), while the Budapest History Museum (Budapesti Történeti Múzeum) looks after the excavated architectural remnants of the old Royal Palace, amongst which are some fragments of statues from the Anjou era.

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