Dracula and King Matthias
Most historians maintain that Vlad Tepes was born between 1428 and 1431 in Segesvár (today Sigisoara, Romania) The name „Dracula” comes from his father’s name Vlad Dracul who, as his son later was a member of the Order of the Dragon founded by Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary Sigismund. The Romanian word dracul […]
Hospital in the Rock Nuclear Bunker Museum
Castle Hill which is part of the Unesco World Heritage Danube waterfront, and one of the most visited sites in Budapest conceals a system of caves like a huge cheese full of holes.Its depths hide many secrets a cave system streches over 10 km long whose chambers were carved out by hot water springs several […]
Siege of Budapest 1944-45 the battle for the pearl of the Danube
The Siege of Budapest in 1944-1945 is considered one of the bloodiest and cruelest battles of WWII.It can only be compared with that of Stalingrad and Leningrad. After Romania and Italy left the alliance earlier in 1944 Hungary got an even more important role. Hungary was the last country to get fuel from since German […]
The best alternative ways to get to Buda Castle
Reconstruction works have started in the Castle District, which means bus traffic is temporarily limited in the area. But don’t panic there are a lot of alternative ways to reach the top of Castle Hill. Due to the reconstruction, the Castle District Municipality have temporarily limited the tour bus traffic between June 1 and October […]
Várkert Bazár (Castle Garden Bazaar)
THE HISTORY OF VÁRKERT BAZÁR In the 19th century Buda and Pest showed a very different picture. Pest began to develop very fast following the historical agreement between Hungary and Austria, while in the Buda part time seemed to come to a halt. The body responsible for the development of the city concentrated mainly on […]
The Millenium Underground of Budapest
At the time of its completion in 1885 Andrássy Avenue was considered a masterpiece of city planning and even public transport was prohibited to preserve its character. This brought about the idea to build a railroad beneath it.The first underground line was conceived as a means of carrying passengers from the city centre to the […]
Walk to the Soviet-era Airplanes of Hungary
HA-LIX One of the few remaining LI-2 aircrafts in Hungary The one and only opertional model of this typ My recent walk to the Aeropark of Ferihegy airport brought nice memories to my mind. Equipped with my mirrorless camera-body and with my vintage Takumars I took some photos as well. As a child I myself […]
In Memoriam 1956 – Hungary’s Legendary Water polo team spill blood to defeat Soviet Union
Water polo teams of Hungary and the Soviet Union were destined to clash at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, just a month after the Communist superpower brutally crushed the Hungarian revolution of October. The semi-final match took place on 6 December and saw Hungary defeat the Soviets 4–0. The historic battle is also known as the ”Blood in the […]
Battle of Belgrade 1456
We all know of the spectacular Catholic victories against the Muslims at Poitiers (732), Jerusalem (1099), Lepanto (1571) and Vienna (1683), as well as the great leaders of those campaigns: Charles Martel, Godfrey de Bouillon, Don Juan of Austria and Jan Sobieski of Poland. But how many of us have ever heard of the no […]
Erzsebet Bathory – Portrait of a Killer?
Of the alleged portraits of Countess Elizabeth Bathory, the above is most likely to be the authentic one. It was completed some time in the 1590s, when Bathory was in her forties. The painting itself is no masterpiece, but it fulfills the criteria of official pictures – it expresses both a somber formality and a […]