Budapest Castle Palace

The Budapest Castle Palace, also known as the Budapest Castle, is the largest building in Hungary and a landmark in the capital city of Budapest. It occupies the entire southern part of the castle district on Castle Hill.
Budapest Castle towers over the metropolis of millions as the highest building and its full dimensions are clearly visible from all directions. Its history dates back to the beginning of the 13th century, when Béla IV had a castle built here. From this time onwards, the palace was the residence and seat of government of the Hungarian kings. In the centuries that followed, each ruling and stylistic epoch left its mark on the building complex, which was repeatedly extended, remodeled and expanded. At the end of the Second World War, large parts of the palace were destroyed, but it was possible to restore some of them in a simplified form through reconstruction work, although the remaining interiors were completely destroyed by the communist rulers. Today, the castle palace is mainly used by museums, but also for representative events of the Hungarian government. Since 2014, numerous areas of the castle have been restored to their pre-destruction state as part of the National Hauszmann Program. The exterior of the building is being restored to its neo-baroque façade and the dome with St. Stephen's crown. Inside, the dining room and ballroom are to be completely reconstructed by 2026. Once completed, the Great Throne Room and the Habsburg Hall will be rebuilt.

Hungarian National Gallery
The Hungarian National Gallery occupies three wings of the palace and extends over a total of four floors. It emerged in 1957 from the outsourced departments of the Museum of Fine Arts and various municipal and private collections. It exhibits works of art from the early Middle Ages to modern times as well as collections of medals.

Hungarian National Gallery in the Hunyadihof © Derzsi Elekes Andor

Budapest Historical Museum
The Budapest Historical Museum is located in the south-eastern wing of the Castle Palace. It is dedicated to the history of Budapest from prehistoric to modern times. Remains of the medieval royal palace can also be seen here.

Historical Museum Budapest in the Löwenhof © Mister No

Széchenyi National Library
The Széchényi National Library has been located in the north-eastern wing of the Castle Palace since 1985. It was founded in 1802 by Count Széchényi and has been the largest and most important library in Hungary ever since. It comprises 8 million bibliographic units in the form of books, manuscripts, manuscripts (625,000) and maps (183,000). A highlight of the collection are the Budapest Leaves, which are probably among the oldest medieval song manuscripts. The Széchenyi Library also preserves parts of Matthias Corvinus' library. Even during Corvinus' lifetime, this collection of manuscripts, which once comprised 2000 volumes, was known far beyond the borders of Hungary.