Fisherman's Bastion is a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, on the Castle hill in Budapest, around Matthias Church. It was designed and built between 1895 and 1902 on the plans of Frigyes Schulek. Construction of the bastion destabilised the foundations of the neighbouring 13th century Dominican Church which had to be pulled down. Between 1947–48, the son of Frigyes Schulek, János Schulek, conducted the other restoration project after its near destruction during World War II. Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 895. From the towers and the terrace a panoramic view exists of Danube, Margaret Island, Pest to the east and the Gellért Hill. The Buda side castle wall was protected by the fishermen's guild and this is the reason why it was called fishermen's Bastion. Other people say, it got the name from the part of the city, which lies beneath the tower. The guild of fishermen was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages. It is a viewing terrace, with many stairs and walking paths. A bronze statue of Stephen I of Hungary mounted on a horse, erected in 1906, can be seen between the Bastion and the Matthias Church. The pedestal was made by Alajos Stróbl, based on the plans of Frigyes Schulek, in Neo-Romanesque style, with episodes illustrating the King's life. It was featured as a Pit Stop on the sixth season of American TV show The Amazing Race.
Photo: By Ealdgyth - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2674945
This track is a walking the route with an audio guide to Budapest. A full-day trip is a great way to get to know the city and its history. The excursion begins at the Opera building, then through the park goes to the Parliament building. From the parliament building, which is highly recommended to visit, the embankment route passes to the memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Then we cross the Danube along one of the most recognizable bridges in Europe and the most famous bridge in Budapest - the Széchenyi Bridge. In the part of the city that used to be called Buda, we will climb the hill of the royal castle and find ourselves in the most beautiful places. There are the Fisherman's Bastion, the ancient streets, and towers and at the end of the exploration of this part of the city, we will descend into an underground labyrinth with rock paintings. At the end of the beautiful day, we will visit the museum of the Jewish mystic illusionist Houdini, the most famous funicular in Europe and the zero kilometer of the Hungarian Republic.
Fisherman's Bastion
The Halászbástya Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈhɒlaːzbaːʃcɒ] or Fisherman's Bastion is a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, on the Castle hill in Budapest, around Matthias Church. It was designed and built between 1895 and 1902 on the plans of Frigyes Schulek. Construction of the bastion destabilised the foundations of the neighbouring 13th century Dominican Church which had to be pulled down.[1] Between 1947–48, the son of Frigyes Schulek, János Schulek, conducted the other restoration project after its near destruction during World War II.
Overview[edit]
Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 895. From the towers and the terrace a panoramic view exists of Danube, Margaret Island, Pest to the east and the Gellért Hill.
The Buda side castle wall was protected by the fishermen's guild and this is the reason why it was called fishermen's Bastion. Other people say, it got the name from the part of the city, which lies beneath the tower.[2] The guild of fishermen was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages. It is a viewing terrace, with many stairs and walking paths.
A bronze statue of Stephen I of Hungary mounted on a horse, erected in 1906, can be seen between the Bastion and the Matthias Church. The pedestal was made by Alajos Stróbl, based on the plans of Frigyes Schulek, in Neo-Romanesque style, with episodes illustrating the King's life.
It was featured as a Pit Stop on the sixth season of American TV show The Amazing Race.
Don't be afraid to get lost in new places!
