Hungary has not had a monarch since the end of World War I, and the Royal Palace was almost completely demolished as Nazi and Soviet forces sought the high ground in World War II. It was rebuilt as a museum piece during the Communist era, according to plans that bore little resemblence to the original design. As the Rick Steves book puts it, "it has no soul."
Nevertheless, the views from up here are spectacular, and there are some interesting sights around the exterior. We began by visiting the statue of the Turul bird, a mythical creature that supposedly led the Magyar tribes out of central Asia and directed them to settle in Hungry. (Apparently the bird occasionally took wrong turns, as some of these tribes wound up in Finland, instead.)
Since birds are popular here, we also saw several versions of a raven with a gold ring in its beak. This is the symbol for King Matyas (Matthias) I who ruled 1458-1490. Matthias is sort of the King David of Hungary. He held the Turks at bay, expanded his rule to empire proportions, and was known as "The Just" for his concern for the common people.
On the opposite side of the hill is an ornate, neo-Gothic church known as Matthias Church -- even though Matthias has never been canonized as a saint, nor was the present church around until long after he was gone.
There has been a church here since the 11th century, but the series of buildings has been destroyed and rebuilt so many times that I think even the Hungarians have lost track. This one was built 2006-2013 after laying in ruins after WW II and through the Communist era. It looks the part, though. The interior looks entirely Medieval.
From the Citadella we returned by bus to the bottom of the hill. We had planned to bus all the way back to Pest, but our failure to discern the difference between Route 16 and Route 16A left us at a different transport hub on the Buda side. No worries, we simply got on the Metro and flew underground to our next stop, TerrorHaza.
The House of Terror didn't intrigue me when I first heard the name -- it sounds too much like a Halloween attraction. But this house, built in 1880 on a beautiful, tree-lined boulevard in a neighborhood of 19th century affluent residences, was a different sort of terror. In 1937 it became the "House of Loyalty" for the "Arrow Cross Party," Hungary's version of the National Socialists.
When the Nazis took Hungary in 1944, brown-shirted members of Arrow Cross were distinguishable from Nazis only by the insignia on their arm bands. The "Loyalty House" at 60 Andrassy Boulevard became the Gestapo headquarters. With Soviet occupation in 1945, the address remained the same, only the names of the torturers changed.
The museum unfolds this history in Hungarian and in English, culminating in the basement prison cells and execution chambers. There is even one large room about the role of the churches -- not only the marjority Catholic Church, but also the Lutheran and Reformed churches -- and how these were undermined by the regimes.
From TerrorHaza, it was not a long walk up Andrassy Boulevard to Hero's Square, a large city park, and the Szechenyi Baths. One of the things the Turks left behind was the concept of the Turkish bath (which, to be fair, the Turks inherited from the Romans). The Hungarians take their baths seriously, and this 100+ year old facility is popular with the locals, as well as the tourists.
We paid a little bit extra to have a "cabin" in which to change and hang our clothes. For local men, the tiny, classic Speedo racing suit is the standard uniform. My current swimwear tends to have more fabric. Women's suits range across fashion trends, generally with more fabric for older women than for younger. There are pools of various temperatures, with the largest outdoor pool at 37C (that is, 98.6 degrees fahrenheit).
After lounging in the various pools for nearly a couple of hours, we showered and changed, only to be blessed by a cold afternoon rain shower on the way back to the Metro. It had been sunny all day, so we hadn't thought to bring our umbrellas. Nevertheless, we made it back to the hotel. We enjoyed yet another excellent Hungarian meal in a neighborhood restaurant.
After dinner, we strolled briefly in the area that, prior to WW II, had been the Jewish Quarter. This area was the low rent district after the war, and after the Communist era became the location of "ruin pubs." These were funky little bars in the ruined and unrestored buildings that became popular with the young and the counter-culture crowd. Today, they are mostly about young tourists, expensive drinks, and "consumption girls" (as translated literally from the Hungarian).
We didn't stay long, as it wasn't our kind of atmosphere. But having at least seen a bit of it, we returned to the hotel where, relaxed from the baths, we made it an early night.
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