Budavári Palota, Budapest

Budavári Palota is the former royal palace of Hungary, a historic castle complex occupying the southern end of Castle Hill. Its story reaches back to a royal residence completed in 1265, while the Baroque palace dominating the site today was built between 1749 and 1769. Look at the broad palace façades and the layered mass of the complex: they reflect work associated with Jean-Nicolas Jadot, Miklós Ybl, and Alajos Hauszmann.

Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque elements all belong to its architectural history. The palace suffered severe damage during the Siege of Budapest in World War II, then returned in a simplified Baroque form during the communist era. Today, the building contains the Hungarian National Gallery, the Budapest History Museum, and the National Széchényi Library.

Beneath the later palace, archaeological work brought forgotten medieval remains to light, including the royal chapel and a knights’ hall. The complex now forms part of Budapest’s UNESCO World Heritage setting, and its changing fabric carries the marks of royal ambition, war, destruction, and cultural renewal.