Europe Traveler

Archive for the ‘Hungary Travel Info’ Category

The Castle District in the Buda section of Budapest towers about 60 meters above the river Danube which is located to the west of the district and cuts through the city of Budapest. The whole city can be seen by visiting the vantage points in the Castle Hill. Visiting this place that is surrounded by gothic churches with stained glass and has red marble stairways, gothic facades, bastions, etc. feels a little like time travel to the Renaissance.

The Buda Castle, the Holy Trinity Square, and the Church of the Holy Lady are some of the major buildings that a tourist who visits the castle district would probably want to see. Another interesting place is called Fishermen’s Bastion which looks like a small castle.

The Buda Castle is one of the many notable buildings in the Castle District.

The Hungarian National Gallery is located in the former Royal Palace of Buda in the capital city of Budapest. The development of the fine arts in Hungary is on display in the large collections of the National Gallery. The gallery has distinct sections for medieval and renaissance stone art, wooden gothic statues, late gothic altars, renaissance and baroque art, 19th and 20th century painting, statuemaking and numismatics, and contemporary art.

The National Gallery is located in a section of the Buda Castle

Mihály Munkácsy and László Paál are two significant artists whose work is exhibited in the contemporary art section. The work of such sculptors as Károly Alexy, Maurice Ascalon, Miklós Borsos, Gyula Donáth, János Fadrusz, Béni Ferenczy, István Ferenczy and Miklós Izsó can be seen on the section for 19th and 20th century.

The Hungarian National Gallery has been an independent institution from 1957. It moved to the Buda Royal Palace in 1975.

Recommended Resources
Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest (Lonely Planet)
Hungarian National Gallery Official Website

The caves of Aggtelek are situated in the Aggtelek national park in the north eastern part of Hungary in the border of Slovak Republic. In order to protect the geological formations this park was set up as the first ever national park of the country of Hungary.

The limestone of the bedrock is liable to the natural creation of caverns and sink holes. This condition is known as karstification.

The park lies on the bedrock of limestone as it was formed in shallow seas during the Triassic period over 200 million years ago. This limestone bedrock is liable to the natural creation of caverns and sink holes. This condition is called karstification.

One can count up to 250 caves which were thus formed in the shallow seas in the park. The Aggtelek national park contains the ruins of Haromhegyi Palos church and a monastery near Martonyi village. The palos date back to 1308 since they were the only religious order founded in Hungary. These caves of Aggtelek were declared a UNESCO World heritage site in the year 1995.

Due to its shallow waters and sandy beaches lake Balaton has become a favorite tourist spot in Hungary. The lake is picturesquely surrounded by an expansive fertile land abounding in villages. On the southern shore of this lake is Siofok, known for its spongy beaches. This place offers the best comfort for the tourists. Keszthely is a gorgeous old village near the lake. This place houses the Helicon Library and the Balaton Museum as well.

Europe’s largest thermal river, Heviz is situated a short distance away from the Balaton lake. This river can be reached by bus. Threre is one more small village near the lake Balaton and it is Veszprem and it is an abode of a museum and the 13th century Gizella Chapel.

Lake Balaton in Hungary