The secrets of the Castle District to be revealed at Budapest100

Budapest100 opens doors otherwise closed to the public, allowing visitors to stroll around private buildings of historical and architectural significance. Experts are on hand to shed light on certain features, and for non-Hungarian speakers, Budapest100 shows a side of the city otherwise never seen by outsiders, one of ornate courtyards and gorgeous interiors. Scheduled for the weekend of 14-15 May, this year Budapest100 takes place in the heritage Castle District, scene of many painstaking renovations in recent times.

Over the weekend of 14-15 May, Budapest100 will show that there’s more to the Castle District than Fishermen’s Bastion or Matthias Church. Here, winding streets and façades from various eras preserve many exciting stories.

It doesn’t matter which building you walk into, almost all have a remnant of medieval wall or a unique feature somewhere, a Gothic sedilia or a Classicist window frame. Below may well be a network of caves and cellars. And there are the modern additions, the iron and glass elements from the 1950s and ’60s.

In recent years, a lot has happened around Buda Castle. The major rebuilding by Alajos Hauszmann and his team either side of 1900, are currently being restored according to the National Hauszmann Programme. Some buildings have been or will be demolished.

That is precisely why the choice of location for this year’s Budapest100 could not be more relevant, a locality usually filled with tourists by day and rarely explored by locals.

From Dísz tér to Tóth Árpád sétány and Országház utca, you'll be able to explore every little corner of the area and nip into a surprising number of houses participating in Budapest100. Sites are free to enter and most activities free of charge, with no registration required unless indicated.

A press tour threw up many surprises. The playground at Budavár primary school looks out over the Danube and the Parliament, and the bright yellow building at Úri utca 50, aka the Berényi-Zichy Palace, dates back to the Middle Ages. Today it has a Baroque gate and Gothic sedilias.

The architect Ferenc Török, who designed the Enchanted Castle at the former Amusement Park, once lived here. The building also served as the private residence of the defence minister and urban legend maintains that the most illustrious members of Hungary’s aristocracy held wild parties here.