Works of art in Buda Castle
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Buda Castle
Buda Castle is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest, first completed in 1265. In the past, it was also called Royal Palace and Royal Castle ....
and its gardens have been decorated with works of art since their foundation in the 14th century. Only written sources speak about the most important medieval works, but detailed pictorial and written information exists about the 19th century artistic decoration of the palace which was mainly created by the most important Hungarian artists of the turn-of-century. Many of the statues survived the destruction during the siege of Budapest
Battle of Budapest
The Siege of Budapest centered on the Hungarian capital city of Budapest. It was fought towards the end of World War II in Europe, during the Soviet Budapest Offensive. The siege started when Budapest, defended by Hungarian and German troops, was first encircled on 29 December 1944 by the Red Army...
in 1944-45 and they were restored later. On the other hand important works of art were destroyed during the controversial reconstruction of the castle during the 1950s and 1960s.
Sculptural monuments
- Matthias FountainMatthias FountainMatthias Fountain is a monumental fountain group in the western forecourt of Buda Castle, Budapest. Alajos Stróbl’s Neo-Baroque work is one of the most frequently photographed objects in the Hungarian capital. It is sometimes called the ’Trevi Fountain of Budapest’.-Description:The group depicts a...
(Mátyás kútja) - The spectacular fountain is decorating the western forecourt of the palace. It shows a group of hunters led by King Matthias CorvinusMatthias Corvinus of HungaryMatthias Corvinus , also called the Just in folk tales, was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458, at the age of 14 until his death...
together with hounds, a killed deer, Galeotto Marzio with a hawk and Szép Ilonka with a doe. This group of people stands between fallen rocks with water running down into a basin. The fountain was made by sculptor Alajos StróblAlajos StróblAlajos Stróbl was a Hungarian sculptor and artist. His work can be best characterized with sensitive realistic modelling and he became one of the most renowned sculptors of memorials in Hungary at the turn of the 20th century....
. The dead deerDeerDeer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
was modelled upon a majestic stag killed by poachers in the forest, owned by Stróbl in 1896. The damaged sculpture was restored after the war. Nowadays it is probably the most photographed object in the palace.
- Monument of Prince Eugene of Savoy - The equestrian statue of Prince Eugene of SavoyPrince Eugene of SavoyPrince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...
stands on the DanubeDanubeThe Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
terrace, in a prominent position, high above Budapest. The Neo-Baroque statue was made by sculptor József RónaJózsef RónaJózsef Róna was a Hungarian sculptor and artist.- Biography :He was apprenticed to a joiner, then worked in the workshop of a sculptor. He went to Vienna on a scholarship in 1879 and spent three years in the school of Zumbusch from 1882. While in Berlin in 1895, his first large scale statue...
for the town of ZentaSentaSenta is a town and municipality on the bank of the Tisa river in the Vojvodina province, Serbia. Although geographically located in Bačka, it is part of the North Banat District...
but the town could not afford its price. The monument was bought in 1900 as a temporary solution until the planned equestrian statue of King Franz JosephFranz Joseph I of AustriaFranz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
was completed. This never happened so Prince Eugen remained on his plinth. This plinth is decorated by two bronze reliefs, showing the capture of the earth-works in Zenta and the decisive cavalry charge in the famous battleBattle of ZentaThe Battle of Zenta or Battle of Senta, fought on 11 September 1697 just south of Zenta , on the east side of the Tisza river, was a major engagement in the Great Turkish War and one of the most decisive defeats in Ottoman history...
in 1697.
- Horseherd (Csikós) - The statue of the HortobágyHortobágyHortobágy is both the name of a village in Hajdú-Bihar county and an 800 km² national park in Eastern Hungary, rich with folklore and cultural history. The park, a part of the Alföld , was designated as a national park in 1973 , and elected among the World Heritage sites in 1999...
horseherd taming a wild horse originally stood in front of the Riding School in the former Újvilág terrace. It is the work of György Vastagh from 1901. The statue was displayed in the Exposition UniverselleExposition Universelle (1900)The Exposition Universelle of 1900 was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from April 15 to November 12, 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next...
in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(1900). The damaged statue was removed during the 1960s but it was later restored and erected in the western forecourt of the palace in 1983, next to the Matthias Fountain.
- Turulbird (Turulmadár) - The mythological TurulTurulThe Turul is the most important bird in the origin myth of the Magyars .It is a divine messenger, and perches on top of the tree of life along with the other spirits of unborn children in the form of birds...
, high above the Danube, was made by Gyula DonáthGyula DonáthGyula Donáth , was a Hungarian sculptor.He was born in Pest and studied in Vienna with G. Semper. From 1880 onwards he worked in Budapest. His sculptural style integrated elements of classicism and academic as well as the Art Nouveau styles...
in 1905. The plinth and the ornate Neo-Baroque rail (Gyula JungferGyula JungferGyula Jungfer was a Hungarian artist working with wrought iron. He is considered one of the most important masters in decorative art in the turn-of-the-century Hungary.-Life:...
's work) was seriously damaged during the siege of Buda but they were restored in 1981 together with the broken coat-of-arms of the Kingdom of HungaryKingdom of HungaryThe Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
on the plinth.
- Fishing Children - The Fountain of the Fishing Children on the Danube terrace is the work of sculptor Károly Senyey from 1912. It depicts two children grappling with a huge fish. The fine workmanship of the fishing net is remarkable. The fountain was removed in 1955 and re-erected on the Rákóczi Square in Pest but brought back to its original place in 1976. It was restored in 2001.
- Csongor and Tünde - The two statues depicting Csongor and Tünde, literary figures from Mihály VörösmartyMihály VörösmartyMihály Vörösmarty was an important Hungarian poet and dramatist.He was born at Puszta-Nyék , of a noble Roman Catholic family. His father was a steward of the Nádasdys. Mihály was educated at Székesfehérvár by the Cistercians and at Pest by the Piarists...
's drama, originally decorated the Habsburg Steps in front of the place. They are the works of sculptor Miklós LigetiMiklós LigetiMiklós Ligeti was a Hungarian sculptor and artist. His sculptural style integrated elements of impressionism and realism.-Early life:...
from 1903. The steps were demolished after the war but the statues were saved and re-erected in 1976 on top of two simple concrete plinths near their original places.
- Lions - There are two pairs of lions guarding the monumental gate leading into Lions Court. The four statues are the works of János FadruszJános FadruszJános Fadrusz was a Hungarian sculptor. He was a celebrated artist of the age with many important public commission.-Early life:...
from 1901. The animals standing on the outer side of the gate are menacing while the inner ones are calm and dignified. One lion was broken in two pieces during the war but it was recreated in the 1950s.
- War and Peace - The monumental allegorical bronze statues of the War and the Peace are standing on the sides of the entrance to the Budapest History Museum. They are the works of Károly Senyey. Both War and Peace are represented by angels, one with a trumpet, the other with an olive branch. Under the angel of the Peace there is a soldier who is coming back to his family while under the angel of War there is a dead Ottoman soldier and ancient Hungarian warriors.
- There are sepulchral monuments in the Palatinal CryptPalatinal CryptThe Palatinal Crypt in Buda Castle, Budapest is the burial place of the Hungarian branch of the Habsburg dynasty, founded by Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary...
decorated with the statues of György Zala, Alajos StróblAlajos StróblAlajos Stróbl was a Hungarian sculptor and artist. His work can be best characterized with sensitive realistic modelling and he became one of the most renowned sculptors of memorials in Hungary at the turn of the 20th century....
and Károly Senyey.
Lost works of art
- Hungaria - The monumental sculpture group decorated the main (northern) façade of the palace, facing Szent György Square. On the top of the attic, crowning the façade, there stood the female figure of Hungaria, the allegorical representation of HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. Two semi-nude figures were sitting on her sides, one male and one female, representing Industry and Commerce. The group was made by sculptor Gyula Jankovits in 1905. The group was destroyed together with the whole northern façade during the 1950s.
- Pediment Group - The pediment above the Habsburg Steps was decorated with an allegorical group of Károly Senyey representing the Apotheosis of the Dual Monarchy. It was destroyed during the 1950s together with the great coat-of-arms of the Kingdom of Hungary which originally crowned the façade. The present-day pediment is plain without any sculptural decoration.
- Apotheosis of the Habsburg Dynasty - The ceiling of the Habsburg Room was decorated with a huge fresco, representing the apotheosis of the Habsburg Dynasty. It was the last important work of Károly LotzKároly LotzLotz Károly Antal Pál, or Karl Anton Paul Lotz was a German-Hungarian painter.- Career :Karl Lotz was born in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany, the 7th and youngest surviving child of Wilhelm Christian Lotz and Antonia Höfflick ...
, painted in 1903, one year before his death. The artist was already seriously ill when he worked on the fresco. The "Apotheosis" followed the traditions of Baroque court painting and the work was praized by contemporary critics. The fresco survived the war unscathed but it was destroyed in the 1950s.