Centrally located boutiquE hotel by the Danube riverbank of Budapest, Hungary
The only Hungarian member of design hotels™ is situated in the city-center of Budapest, by the Danube riverbank, at the feet of the Buda Royal Castle and a stone’s throw from Lánchíd (Chain Bridge), taking travelers to the Pest-side downtown of central business and shopping districts.
The Danube’s view is fascinating, encompassing Margaret Island as well as the Pest riverbank, and imagine, all these while sitting in your bathtub in a panorama suite. The other side of the hotel provides an equally stunning view, facing the Buda Royal Castle, a member of the UNESCO World Heritage.
The shopping and business district of Budapest is a 7-minute walk, Budapest airport is a 25-minute drive.
Budapest
Budapest, the capital of Hungary has become one of the most attractive destinations of city trips across Europe. The main reason for it is its location. It is a city of two parts, Pest and Buda, divided by a beautiful river, the Danube. There are several old-style bridges and buildings in the city centre that make Budapest the „Pearl of the Danube”.
Cultural and nightlife is very vibrant, offering a wealth of concerts, exhibitions, opera and dance performances. Hundreds of museums, temporary and permanent exhibitions await visitors in the city center. Each year there are Spring and Autumn Cultural Festivals featuring dozens of performances highly awaited by public.
Our city hotel's neighbourhood
The neighbourhood of our hotel is very rich of cultural sites. Lánchid utca, starting from Clark Ádám Square literally takes tourists from Chain Bridge to Bridge Elisabeth. The funicular at the end of the street makes it a 2 minute trip to reach the Royal Castle of Budapest. The view over the city is fascinating the Castle that is a complete small town within the capital. The Castle area is famous of its museums, restaurants, cultural centres. Fisherman’s Bastion is an architectural curiosity, a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo- Romanesque style. Its name was received after fishermen, who in the old times were protecting this area.
Lánchid utca holds the biggest Hungarian Wine Shop, called Bortársaság and two contemporary restaurants, one the being L19 in our hotel. The Castle Bazaar, also situated in the street, will be renovated and reopened in 2013. It was a popular youth venue of the 1960s and 1970s and will be restored in the coming months. There will be cinemas, theatres, cultural and conference centres and parks there.
Buda Castle
The Buda Castle, also known as the Royal Palace is definitely the most popular tourist site of Budapest. Its 300 meter (1000 ft) long facade facing the Danube, comprising of many historic buildings, is particularly impressive.
The palace consists of several so-called wings around the Lion Courtyard. The courtyard is bordered by the Széchenyi Library and the National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum.
A major starting point for visitors is St. George Square, an ornamental gate, where the Funicular (which is only a 3-minute walk from Lanchid 19) connects Castle Hill with Chain Bridge.
The mythical Turul bird of death, a bronze statue is also there as a symbol of the Kingdom of Hungary. A few steps down the
‘Habsburg steps’ visitors find the Fountain of the Fishing Children.
Hungarian National Gallery
The statue stands in front of the main entrance of the Hungarian National Gallery. This museum occupies four wings (A to D) of the palace where it displays a comprehensive collection of Hungarian artwork from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Highlights include its collection of 14th and 15th century altarpieces, exhibited in the former throne room. The museum also has a fine collection of Romanticist paintings including works from Mihály Munkácsy, a Hungarian artist known for his large canvases.
Matthias Fountain
At the other side of the complex, just west of the main dome, is another terrace with four flower beds and a central statue known as the Lószelidítő or Horse Wrangler. It shows a horse tamer holding a restive horse.
Most visitors have little eye for the statue but instead are drawn to the fountain that flanks one of the wings of the Buda Castle. This is the Matthias Fountain (Mátyás kút), probably Budapest's most famous fountain. It was designed in 1904 by Alajos Stróbl and depicts a scene from the legend of King Matthias and the beautiful peasant girl Ilonka.
Lions' Gate & Courtyard
Steps away from the Matthias Fountain, the Lions' Gate gives entrance to the Lions' Courtyard (Oroszlános udvarba), the central courtyard of the Buda Castle. The monumental gate is named after the four lion statues that guard the entrance. They were created in 1901 by the Hungarian sculptor János Fadrusz. The gate is decorated with niches, festoons and allegorical sculptures of the Winged Victory. The Hungarian crest crowns the monument.
The patterned pavement of Lions' Courtyard shows the location of the medieval palace that once stood here, including the 14th century Stephen's Tower (István-torony). Foundations of the tower can be seen in the nearby historical museum.
National Széchényi Library
To the west of the courtyard, opposite the National Gallery, is the porticoed entrance to the National Széchényi Library. The library occupies the F wing of the Royal Palace, a late 19th century expansion created by Miklós Ybl and Alajos Hauszmann. The library was founded in 1802 by count Ferenc Széchényi, who donated his private book collection containing more than 15,000 books and manuscripts. Today the library holds a copy of every book published in Hungary.
Budapest History Museum
The most southern wing of the palace is home to the Budapest History Museum (Budapesti Történeti Múzeum), which covers the history of Budapest from prehistory to modern times. The museum gives you the chance to see some remains and reconstructions of the medieval palace including a Gothic chapel and the Knights' Hall. You can also see some of the marble sculptures that decorated the palace.
Medieval Remnants
If you walk down the steps outside the Budapest History Museum, you can see a courtyard of the former medieval castle. Some of the walls and foundations of the ramparts are original while other parts are 20th century reconstructions.
Walk further through the so-called wheezy gate (Lihegő-kapu) and you reach the south wall with the slender Mace Tower (Buzogánytorony), originally built in the 14th century. You can leave the castle via the Ferdinánd Gate (Ferdinánd-kapu) near the tower.
As you walk towards the Tabán neighborhood you pass the most southern vestige of the Buda Castle. This round bastion is guarded by a beautiful tower gate, reconstructed in the 1950s. You can reach this bastion by walking the uphill road near the lower station of the castle hill funicular.
