Vysehrad Hungary. Vysehrad: Marble Palace, Upper Castle and Solomon's Tower. To Visegrad by boat

In the picturesque valley of the Bend of the Danube, shrouded in a thin veil of fog, on a high rocky hill Sibrik, there is one of the most ancient fortresses in Hungary Visegrad.
Already in the Roman era, there was a fortress on this site, the first written mention of which dates back to the beginning of the 11th century. An interesting fact is that it retained the Slavic name (“high city”) even after the Hungarians settled in these parts. At the beginning of the XIII century, the warlike Horde tribes invaded the territory of Hungary and completely destroyed the then capital of the state, Buda. After that, King Bela IV ordered the restoration of the fortress in Visegrad. A complex system of fortifications and a very good location provided reliable protection against sudden enemy attacks. After the death of King Andrew II, the last representative of the Arpad dynasty, the Hungarian throne was taken by Caroly Robert of Anjou, also known as Charles Robert. His coming to power did not go too smoothly: the candidacy of Karoly Robert was supported by the Pope, but the inhabitants of Buda gave their preference to the Czech pretender King Vladislav. After the papal protégé took the high post of head of state, in 1323 he decided to move the capital from the obstinate (and dangerous!) Buda to Visegrad. This fact led to the active development of both the city itself and the royal residence. In 1320, construction work began on the construction of a large front palace, in which the king received eminent guests Heinrich Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria, King Casimir III of Poland, Elector of Saxony. The Visegrad Fortress kept the royal regalia for a long time. After the death of Karoly Robert, his son King Lajos the Great decided to settle in Buda, and the Visegrad Palace was empty.
The next heyday of the city fell on the reign of King Matthias (Matthew) Corvinus. Under him, the royal palace was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. Matthias was a passionate admirer of art and science, so at that time prominent poets, artists, philosophers of the Renaissance were frequent guests of the Visegrad residence.
However, the powerful fortification system could not save Visegrad from the Turkish invasion that took place in the 16th century. After repeated attacks by the Ottoman troops, the palace was completely destroyed, a significant part of the fortress was damaged, and the surviving townspeople soon left Visegrad. The revival of the palace began only in the 19th century and continues to this day. To get to it, you need to climb from the lower city up the Fő utca. Once this magnificent building, whose fame spread far beyond the borders of Hungary, had 350 luxurious halls. Contemporaries called the Visegrad Palace a paradise on earth. Now part of the palace has been restored, and it allows you to imagine the former splendor of the royal residence. On several levels of the palace, you can see tombstones from the Roman era to the Middle Ages, a wine cellar, a chapel and the famous fountains that once adorned the entrance to the residence. According to one of the legends, red wine poured out of them instead of water during royal feasts.

The most famous guest of the Visegrad fortress
The approaches to the tower are guarded by the hexagonal watch tower of Shalamon. In the Middle Ages, the tower was used as a prison for the most famous prisoners. In 1401, as a result of a conspiracy of the nobility, King Sigismund of Luxembourg himself was imprisoned in it. Despite the fact that he spent only 4 months there, the tower left an indelible mark on the heart of Sigismund: having become the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, he ordered to take care of its improvement.
However, the most famous prisoner of Shalamon was not Sigismund of Luxembourg at all, but the legendary ruler of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler, better known as Count Dracula. The boundless cruelty of Dracula, who put his political opponents on a stake and generally had a special passion for executions, gave rise to many chilling legends about him. However, this odious personality became Shalamon's guest for completely different reasons. King Matthias was informed that Dracula was plotting against him and wanted to take the Hungarian throne. Matthias captured Dracula and imprisoned him in the tower of the Visegrad fortress, where he spent the long 12 years of his life. There is a legend according to which the daughter of King Matthias fell in love with the count. Moreover, she fell in love so much that she ordered to dig an underground passage leading to the tower, and helped Dracula escape. However, according to historians, King Matthias had no children, and Dracula was married to his niece (according to other sources, his sister). Moreover, in Visegrad he was kept with his wife, moved freely around the fortress and generally led a rather active lifestyle, periodically entertaining himself with bloody executions (at least, so many legends say).
On the ground floor of the Shalamon Tower there is a museum of King Matthias. Here you can see the remains of the sculptural decor that once adorned the royal palace, visit the exhibition, the exposition of which is dedicated to the times of the Turkish invasion of Hungary. Compositions of wax sculptures, reproducing different moments of the medieval life of Visegrad, allow you to get to know the life of that time.
At the beginning of July, Visegrad returns for exactly three days a few centuries back - during the Middle Ages. At this time, the International Knights Tournament, a grandiose theatrical performance, takes place here. Knights, dressed in armor and mounted on their powerful horses, demonstrate their mastery of weapons, archers compete in accuracy, artisans exhibit their goods in the market square, restaurant owners invite the public to taste dishes prepared according to medieval recipes. The program of this grandiose event also includes a troubadour competition, halberd fights, a demonstration of hunting falcons and much more.

Address: Fő u. 23, 2025 Visegrad, Hungary
Telephone: +36 26 597 010
How to get from Budapest: by intercity bus from Árpád híd station. By train from Nyugati station to Nagymaros-Visegrad station. The journey takes about an hour.
Working hours: daily, except Monday, from 09:00 to 17:00.
Castle website:

Bend of the Danube.

One of the most picturesque panoramas in the country appears to our eyes in the bend of the Danube, where the river, squeezed by mountains, turns 90 degrees to the south. The place is very popular with the people. I really love small towns, and we hit the road.

SENTENDRE (SZENTENDRE).

The first was the glorious town of Szentendre - 20 km from Budapest (derived from the phrase "Saint Andrew").

At the end of the 17th century, the Serbs who fled from the Turkish invasion settled on the right bank of the Danube. Gradually, they rebuilt the settlement in their own way in the Baroque Mediterranean style, erected 6 Orthodox churches, more than in all of Hungary. Later, most of the Serbs returned to their homeland, leaving a unique town with narrow streets, colorful Baroque facades and tiled roofs as a memory of themselves.

In the 20s of the 20th century, Szentendre was chosen by artists, turning the city into the artistic capital of Hungary. Here, in numerous galleries and museums, you can see the works of the former and current inhabitants of the colony, created by masters who fled from the hustle and bustle into the silence of the Danube Bend.

Serbian Church:

In Szentendre it is interesting to just wander through the streets. We arrived on a working day in the morning, so the city was empty, which was unusually pleasing. Last time we were here on Saturday, and it was impossible to get through. I advise everyone to go on weekdays.

The city is similar to the Old Town in Budapest, only much more playful:

The kids skip school, or something:

Could not pass by such wonderful walls! Dashulya is my youngest niece:

Locals:

Some very old church, either the 12th or 13th century, I don’t remember exactly, but the fact is that it is very old. This small square in front of the church offers a view of the city and the Danube:

Marzipan Museum. Marzipan (Italian marzapane) is a type of confectionery product, a mixture of ground almonds and sugar syrup or powdered sugar. Marzipan is directly the national treasure of Hungary (Austria too, maybe some other countries), a lot of sweets are made from marzipan. And in Szentendra there is such a museum. The museum is big, what is there just not! There is even a full-length Michael Jackson, but, unfortunately, there are no more photos. The museum has a shop and a cafe.

VISHEGRAD (VISEGRAD).

Vysehrad is the next city on our way, 50 km from Budapest.
The city was not long even the capital of Hungary, in the XIV-XVI centuries. served as the summer residence of the Hungarian kings.

Vyshegrad stood on the border of the Slavic lands and the western territories.
After the Tatar invasion in 1259, the Hungarian kings built the Visegrad fortress on the top of the mountain, and in 1323, when the city was declared the capital, work began on the palace. True, the status of the capital beyond Visegrad did not last long: a few years later it was transferred to Buda.
But Visegrad did not grow out of nowhere. Even in ancient times, at the foot of the mountain range there were fortifications built by the Romans.
The Visegrad fortress, the remains of which still stand on a hill above the river, withstood many sieges in the Middle Ages, but in the 18th century it was destroyed by the Habsburgs in the course of bringing the Hungarian lands under the rule of the Austrian crown.
Until our time, only one tower of the fortress has been completely preserved - Solomon's Tower. Its powerful walls reach eight meters in thickness. It is now one of the tallest and most imposing Romanesque fortifications still standing in Central Europe.

A dark story is connected with the tower: it was in it that the famous villain Vlad Tepes, known as Count Dracula, languished in prison. According to historical chronicles, this Wallachian ruler, who, by the way, was not a count, but a prince, was notorious for his atrocities. In particular, he impaled, quartered, tortured and burned his noble vassals and ordinary people - "for the love of art", without explanation. Hence the legend that he was a vampire. Since the prince was married to the cousin of the Hungarian king Matthias, the owner of the Visegrad fortress, his crimes were ignored for a long time. In the end, the vassals of the prince wrote a denunciation to Matyash, in which they accused Tepes of preparing a coup d'état. The king was forced to "hide" his malevolent brother-in-law, along with his wife, in Solomon's tower - closer to himself. There he died after 12 years in prison.
Inside this building, wells and sculptures of ancient times have been preserved. Now military theatrical games are held in its courtyard, and the tower itself is open to the public, as are the ruins of the fortress itself. In addition to visiting historical buildings, tourists are invited to shoot from a real bow or crossbow in the courtyard of the fortress, and hold a hunting falcon on their hands - in a word, feel like a distinguished guest of a medieval castle.

At the foot of the mountain on which the Visegrad fortress stands, almost on the very bank of the Danube, lie the ruins of one of the most famous monuments of the Renaissance (15th century). This is the marble palace of King Matthias Corvinus. Contemporaries wrote that the royal palace is striking in its marvelous beauty and has no equal in all of Europe:

This majestic red marble building was one of the most striking architectural works of the Renaissance - it was called the "second Alhambra" (The Alhambra is a huge castle that was built in Spain in the 13th century and was famous for its airy, openwork beauty). The palace, like the fortress, was destroyed in the 18th century. The former beauty and splendor of the Matyasha Palace can be judged even now, although only part of it has been restored. Archaeologists and restorers have tried to rebuild and bring to our days everything that is possible. So, they managed to reconstruct the front yard (which had to be dug out from under the rubble), several halls and the well of Hercules. On holidays and days of performances in the Visegrad Fortress, red wine is poured into the well, which guests are invited to taste. The ruins of the palace are open to the public. www.letun.ru

In this town, a nice thing switched with us - we got to a city holiday. Goulash and fish soup were cooked in large cauldrons in the central square.

If you head from Budapest strictly to the north, then after some 43 km you can enter the smallest city in Hungary, Visegrad. It is located in a place where the Danube, dividing into two branches, turns its unhurried course to the south and, covering the Sentedrei Island, will unite into a single stream only in Budapest.

A bit of history.

Despite its offensive today's title - the smallest city in Hungary - Vysehrad is a significant milestone in the history of this country. Historical excavations date the appearance of the first settlements in these places to the Stone Age.

The first fortifications were erected in these places by the Romans in the 4th century. The first written evidence confirming the existence of the city dates back to 1009. Initially, the city was not protected by a fortress and performed the function of a trade, taking advantage of its most advantageous location.

The situation was changed by the Mongol-Tatar invasion in 1241-1242. The unkind Asians, according to the established good tradition, carried out landscape design of the area with an emphasis on their beloved steppe.

Be that as it may, Vysehrad, like many other Hungarian cities, was completely destroyed. Taught by bitter experience, the new Hungarian kings began to pay increased attention to the construction of fortresses. Vyshegrad did not remain deprived.

On the personal instructions of the then Hungarian king Bela IV, the construction of a fortress began here. Moreover, it is not known how long the construction would have continued if a very important event for the fate of the city had not happened. The fact is that in 1323 the Hungarian capital was moved here. This significant event, the city owes the new king - Cara Robert.

The new king became the founder of the Anjou dynasty and did not enjoy the support of the inhabitants of the then capital of Buda. It was this fact that became decisive in the future fate of Visegrad. The city, having received the title of capital city, began to develop rapidly.

Being in essence also a royal residence, the city felt a shortage of palaces. In order to improve this situation, it was decided to build a large front palace.

In 1335, crowned persons were already received here. And to be Visegrad new Paris, if not for one thing. Karol Karoly Robert died, and his son, of course, also the king - Lajos the Great, in 1350 returned the status of the capital to Buda.

The palace was empty and living in the city was not so fun. The calm lasted for more than a hundred years, until the next strong Hungarian king Matthias Corvin decided to remember the palace. Having relatives in Italy, the king often visited them and had the opportunity to enjoy the Renaissance architecture that was fashionable at that time.

What he saw captured King Matthias so much that he became a bright adherent of this style. Went in this regard and the palace of Vyshegrad, which was rebuilt in accordance with new trends. After the construction was completed, the marble palace of Matthias Corvinus became one of the most beautiful in Europe at that time. In any case, that is how his contemporaries characterized him.

Unfortunately, the invasion of the Turks in the 15th century led to the complete destruction of it. And today there is no way to appreciate the former grandeur of the palace. Although a certain part of it has been restored to date and receives on this occasion, there is an increased flow of visitors.

As for the Visegrad fortress, time did not spare it either. It is not clear how one tower, which is called Solomon's tower, survived. But it is this tower that is the most famous of the entire fortress.

It was here that King Sigismund was imprisoned in 1401. And according to historical information, he was in this dungeon for almost half a year, until his supporters inflicted a series of defeats that betrayed him to the barons. Subsequently, the king recalled with a smile about the time of captivity, as the calmest in his life. And even worried about the repair of the tower and the fortress.

Also of interest is the story of the imprisonment in the tower of Prince Vlad Tepes, popularly known as Count Dracula. The thing is that Transylvania, now part of Romania, at that time was an integral part of Hungary.

The piquancy of the situation was that King Matthias, the then ruler of the latter, was in family ties with Prince Tepes. The notorious impaler was married to the king's sister.

Maniacal killer, for a long time saved from a psychiatric hospital, it was blat at court. But he did not help either, when a denunciation was scribbled on the prince that he was allegedly preparing a state coup in order to take the Hungarian throne.

The accusation was serious and the king needed to somehow respond to it. The result of his reaction was the conclusion of Vlad Tepes in Vyshegrad, in the fortress, in the tower of Solomon. Rather, it was not even a conclusion, but a reference. After all, they don’t put you in jail with your wife!

Yes, plus to this you can add free movement around the fortress, as well as a three-star room in the five-story tower itself. In short, they were sent for the thirtieth kilometer, so that everyone would piss off. And Dracula lived in Vysehrad, without remorse, for another twelve years and died of banal old age. But this is just a legend. Search for cheap hotels.

If we rely on historical facts, then Vlad Tepes was a very colorful figure of Wallachia, and devoted most of his life to the fight against the Turks. In 1463, as a result of betrayal, he was forced to flee to Hungary, where he was falsely accused of collaborating with the Turks and imprisoned in a temporary detention center - Solomon's Tower.

By the way, after leaving prison, the prince abandoned the rehabilitation period and immediately went to war against the Turks. A year later, Dracula was already in his native Wallachia, where he removed Layot Basarab from the throne and was recognized by the boyars as his prince.

Updated 01/07/2019

The main problem of the cozy town of Vysehrad (Hungary), located 50 kilometers from Budapest, is that it has a more eminent namesake - a castle in the very center of historical Prague. Because of this, confusion often arises, so I will talk about the city, indicating not only its name, but also the country of location. Why it is worth visiting the Hungarian Visegrad, how to get there and where else to stop along the way, you will learn by reading this article.

In general, it is more correct to call the city not Visegrad, but Visegrad. Accordingly, the fortress (the main attraction of the city) is called Visegrad. But you must admit that for the Russian ear the word sounds very unusual.

History of Visegrad and fortress

Vysehrad (Hungary) is located in picturesque place in the Danube bend. The geography of the area is extremely convenient for the construction of fortifications, and the first fortress appeared here under the ancient Romans in the 11th century. In the following centuries, the fortress, standing on a high hill, was destroyed and rebuilt during various conflicts.

Short time Visegrad had the status of the capital of Hungary, and after the transfer of the capital to Buda, the Visegrad Palace was turned into the summer residence of the Hungarian kings. The new capital of Hungary appeared under King Charles I Robert. The monarch, who for many years proved his right to the crown, decided to rule from the fortified Visegrad, in whose impregnability he firmly believed. And so it happened. Under Charles I Robert, a meeting of the kings of Hungary, Poland and Bohemia (modern Czech Republic) took place in Visegrad.

This is interesting! It is noteworthy that 650 years later, in the same city, the leaders of Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia signed a declaration on their desire for integration into European structures. This association is called the "Visegrad Four" (not a trio, since Czechoslovakia broke up into the Czech Republic and Slovakia).

Visegrad under Matthias

The residence in the Hungarian Visegrad was adored by one of the most famous rulers of the country Matthias I Corvinus, who is not without exaggeration called the first Renaissance ruler of Eastern Europe. In the middle of the 15th century, the palace (not to be confused with a fortress on a hill) turned into a real paradise for architects, artists and poets, and its walls witnessed unprecedented feasts and celebrations.

In the following centuries, the city was destroyed twice:

XVI century - destroyed by the Ottomans.
XVIII century - during the war for Hungary.

Only a small part of the once powerful fortifications has survived unchanged to this day. We are talking about the tower of Solomon, although it is more correct to call it Shalamon's tower. This the tower was used as a prison for a long time and eminent prisoners who were captured during hostilities or suspected of treason were usually imprisoned in it.

According to legend, it was in this tower that the ruler of Wallachia himself, Vlad the Impaler, spent some time, who became prototype of Count Dracula in the famous novel by Bram Stoker. This happened in the second half of the 15th century, and after being released from captivity, Vlad Tepes even fought under the banner of King Matthias as one of his commanders. Perhaps you will be told that the prototype of Dracula in the tower not only served time in prison, but also died, but in fact these are notions for tourists. Vlad the Impaler was killed on the territory of modern Romania shortly after he occupied Bucharest and became king in it.

Wander around the surviving tower today anyone can, but, alas, it is not possible to see the luxurious interiors of the Visegrad Palace in its original form. Although it was partially reconstructed.

How to get to Visegrad from Budapest

Most often, a visit to the city of Vysehrad (Hungary) is recommended to be combined with a visit to the nearby towns of Esztergom and Szentendre. There is a special tour Bend of the Danube, when ordering which you will be introduced to three interesting cities in nine hours. With other excursions from Budapest to Hungary and beyond.

I will definitely dedicate a separate article to the Visegrad route, and Szentendre, and today I will tell about my visit only to the first city, which took me about five hours.

There are several ways to get to Visegrad from Budapest:

Bus.
Train and ferry.
Automobile.
Ship.

To Vyshegrad on asphalt

The easiest way to get from Budapest to Vysehrad is by bus, which leaves from the bus station Újpest Városkapu (XIII. District, Váci út 201). From there, every hour every hour and without a transfer, there is a bus to Vysehrad. Travel time: 1 hour 15 minutes, fare: 745 forints.

To Visegrad by boat

Another way to get to the Hungarian Vysehrad is more expensive, but much more romantic. It's about the ship.

You can visit Vysehrad as part of the following river walks.

Budapest - Szentendre - Visegrad - Esztergom.
Cruise to Visegrad.
Budapest - - Visegrad - Esztergom.

The place of departure of the boats, their schedule and fare, see the official website of the carrier: mahartpassnave.hu/en.

To Visegrad by rail

If you have time, but no car, I recommend you follow in my footsteps and prefer the train to the bus. The whole point is that the railway station is located on the other side of the Danube and after arriving at it you need to get to the town by ferry and this is very cool.

I bought a train ticket from a vending machine at Nyugati Station. In the destination line, you can fill in Visegrád, or Nagymaros, since the train to Visegrád actually ends up in Nagymaros. If you plan to return to Budapest also by train, then take round-trip tickets. I was on the bus back and bought a one way ticket.

The process of buying a ticket from a vending machine is simple and intuitive, but the first time it can cause questions. Therefore, watch the video I shot about buying train tickets.

Trains with a stop in Visegrad start from Budapest (from Keleti and Nyugati stations) every half hour almost throughout the day. Fare in a 2nd class carriage per adult is 1,120 forints, travel time 40-60 minutes. The station where you need to get off is called Nagymaros-Visegrád.

There is not much to do on this side of the river, so immediately head for the Danube. Ten minutes on foot and now you are standing at the ferry crossing.

Ferry to Vysehrad

Advice! Pay attention in advance to the time of arrival of the train and departure of the ferry to Visegrad, so as not to waste time, as the ferry runs once an hour. I will also add that the ship usually departs with a delay of several minutes.

For the current ferry schedule between Nagyváros and Visegrad, see the link: visegrad.hu/schedule-of-ferry.

The crossing takes about 15 minutes. Spend all this time admiring the picturesque views of the Danube and the hills on the opposite bank. Already from the river you can see the ruins of the Visegrad fortress. Yes, yes, you have to go up there.

Advice! Take care of comfortable shoes and clothes, as you will have to walk a lot and mostly uphill.

Once in Visegrad, decide on the route to "conquer" the city. A map of sights installed next to the ferry will help you with this.

My itinerary in Visegrad

I will talk about my route, but I will note that it does not pretend to be logical. It was decided to make the tower of Shalamon (Solomon) the first item on the program. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the tower along the Danube.

Approximately in the middle of the way, you will come across a small chapel of St. Mary, built in the first half of the 18th century.

Here, a stone's throw from the brick arch, installed in front of the entrance to Vysehrad (Hungary). The arch here stands for a reason and was once part of the defensive fortifications.

If you, like me, decide to walk to the arch, then to continue the route to the tower you need to go back a little and turn onto Salamontorony utca. If you see a beautiful three-story mansion, then you are on the right track. By the way, judging by the ad, the house is for sale.

A couple of minutes along the cobbled street and here it is the Shalamon tower - the place of the prison of Vlad Tepes himself.

Already from this small height, beautiful views of the Danube open up, but wait - the most interesting is yet to come.

Entrance inside the tower is paid - 700 forints for an adult. In the photo below, all information about the opening hours and the cost of the entrance ticket.

I won’t tell you what you can see inside, otherwise it will not be interesting :). There is a small cafe near the entrance to the tower. Delicious ice cream is sold here. A level above is a platform for knightly tournaments, built according to medieval canons.

The next stop on the route is the Visegrad Fortress, also called Visegrad Castle (in English) and Fellegvár (in Hungarian). The Hungarians also call the fortress Citadel. The road, or rather the path, leads up, up and up again, and such authentic signs will help you not to get lost.

Look at the photo of the trail and you will understand why I advised wearing comfortable shoes.

How long it will take, I can't say. I was in no hurry, studied the area, took a lot of pictures. Therefore, the fortress turned out to be about 40 minutes after the start of the ascent. By the way, I came across some ruins. It looks like the ruins of a military camp of the ancient Romans.

By the way! Not a single navigator (in pedestrian mode) will lay a route from the tower to the fortress in a straight line, although numerous trails and paths are clearly visible on the maps.

Walk through the fortress, view of the bend

Entrance to the territory is paid. A ticket for an adult with a visit to all exhibitions costs 1,800 forints. Discounts are provided for students and pensioners. You can get into the fortress every day from 09.00 to 17.00.

There are many interesting things on the territory of the Visegrad Citadel, but this is all later, and first of all we go to admire the views that open from the top of the hill.

Enjoyed the scenery? It's time to go to explore the fortress. It will take about an hour. In the restored halls there are expositions of weapons, armor, clothing and hunting trophies.

In separate rooms, with the help of wax figures, whole scenes from medieval life are played out. For example, the following photos show the most significant meeting of the three kings, which I wrote about at the very beginning.

In the courtyard of the fortress there is also something to see, and you can also take a photo in historical costumes.

You can go down to the city along a wide asphalt road, along which people come here by car and bring excursion groups on buses, or you can again go through the forest along inconspicuous paths. I chose the latter option and did not regret it (my full route will be plotted on the map below).

Way of the Cross of Jesus Christ

In fact, it’s more correct not to go down the hill along this path, but to climb it. Since, starting from the foot, and along the entire path, stone pillars are installed with scenes of the Way of the Cross of Jesus Christ carved on them. Here Pontius Pilate pronounces judgment on Christ.

Here he carries his cross to Golgotha.

Here is one of the falls of Christ, of which there were three in total.

Christ is crucified on the cross.

After Jesus' death, his disciples removed the body from the cross.

And buried in a stone tomb.

I've seen the pillars in reverse order, so it makes sense if you follow my route, but vice versa.

Even from the hill, I spotted the Church of John the Baptist (Keresztelo Szent János templom). The baroque temple was built in the second half of the 17th century.

Be sure to go to the temple, inside it is no less interesting than outside.

Royal Palace in Visegrad

Further, my path lay along Fő utca, which leads to the Royal Palace. Now it is officially called the King Matthias Museum. Archaeological excavations in this place began in the 30s of the XX century. Part of the building was reconstructed and opened to visitors.

In winter (from November 1 to April 30) the museum is open from 10.00 to 16.00 all week except Monday.
In the summer (from May 1 to October 31) - from 09.00 to 17.00 (Monday is a day off).

The cost of an entrance ticket for an adult is 1,300 forints;
children under 6 years old - free of charge;
visitors from 6 to 26 years old - 650 forints;
on national holidays in Hungary (March 15, August 20 and October 23) admission is free for all visitors.

Vysehrad (Hungary) and sights of the city on the map

On the map, markers mark the main sights of Visegrad, as well as the ferry station and bus stops. In the Google maps (roads) mode, the paths along which you can climb to the fortress and go down the hill are not visible. In the upper right corner of the map, switch to OpenStreetMap or Google (satellite) mode and you will see them.

On this walk through the Hungarian Visegrad ended. I spent almost half a day on it, although you can get acquainted with the city in 2-3 hours. If you want to return to Budapest by train, there your way lies to the ferry crossing. I went by bus. The stops are located on the road along which we walked to the Shalamon tower.

Advice! At each stop there is a schedule of passing buses. Check it out so you don't have to wait too long.

Route of acquaintance with Vysehrad

Ferry crossing - a walk along the banks of the Danube to the stone arch.
From the arch to the tower of Shalamon.
From the tower to the Visegrad fortress through the forest.
From the fortress also through the forest, but on the other side of the hill (Way of the Cross of Christ).
Royal Palace.
Bus stop - Budapest.

Second option: Royal Palace, Church of St. John the Baptist, ascent to the fortress (Way of the Cross of Christ), acquaintance with the fortress, descent from the other side of the hill to the Shalamon tower.

Do you have any questions? Write them in the comments, I will be happy to answer everything.

Always yours, Daniil Privolov.

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This fortress was destroyed by the Mongols, Turks and Austrians, Count Dracula was imprisoned here, King Stephen's "Holy Crown" was stolen from here, and now it is one of the most visited castles in Hungary. Less than two thousand people live in Visegrad. By our standards - a small village. But in terms of architecture, atmosphere and way of life, this is still a city. There are only two attractions here - the ruins of the castle and the ruins of the royal palace. Until our time, only one tower of the fortress has been completely preserved - named after Solomon, the grandson of the Kyiv prince Yaroslav. According to legend, it was here that Count Dracula was imprisoned for 12 years. But first things first. Welcome to the castle on the mountain)

Of the classic four Danube cities located near Budapest - Vac, Esztergom, Szentendre, Vysehrad - we chose the last two. All our friends who have been to Hungary recommended going to Szentendre, and we decided to go to Vysehrad because there is a castle there. As a result, it was one of the most amazing days in Hungary, full of annoyance and disappointment at first, and in the end good impressions. You can get to Vysehrad from Budapest by bus (from the Újpest bus station on the northern outskirts), and in summer also by water bus. There are only two attractions here - the ruins of the castle and the ruins of the royal palace. Let's start with the castle. It is located on a high mountain - at the height of the tourist season, buses go there, but in winter you have to climb on foot. Moreover, it's more interesting. Almost an hour through the wild forest - and we are there.

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To begin with, by tradition, the history of the place in two paragraphs. Vysehrad is located on the border of the Slavic lands and, despite the fact that the territory has been controlled by the Hungarians since the 13th century, the city has retained its original name. Life here has never been calm - constant wars, invasions, sieges and destruction. The fortress in Visegrad was built in the 13th century, after the Mongol invasion. As expected, the construction of the castle began on the site of the ruins of ancient Roman fortifications. Then the city suddenly became the capital of Hungary and they began to build a royal palace here. But the music did not play for long - as soon as the construction was completed, the capital was returned to Buda and the palace became just the summer residence of the monarchs. We will take a walk to it, but for now we go to the upper castle.

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In the 15th century, Matthias, the beloved king of all Hungarians, breathed new life into Vysehrad. The castle was rebuilt in the spirit of the Renaissance, and more and more often the guests were not monarchs, but artists, poets, philosophers and other creative intelligentsia. But happiness did not last long. In the 16th century, the Turks came and almost razed the city to the ground. Got both the royal palace and the castle. And in the 18th century, the Habsburg troops during the war for Hungary destroyed what miraculously survived during the previous invasions. Since then, the castle and palace have been in ruins. Since the 19th century, they have tried to reconstruct them several times, but then they decided to leave them as they are. Only Solomon's tower has survived to this day. According to legend, it was in it that Vlad Tepes, better known as. But her turn will come. First, let's take a walk around the upper castle.

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The castle only seems small - there are 350 halls inside. Some have been completely restored. But we will not see this - it turned out that the entrance is closed in winter. The girls at the Vysehrad information center for some reason said that the castle was open until 4:00 pm. It turned out that until that time the passage to the castle was open. But inside - no way, come in the spring. So we can only rummage around the fortress. Epic fail #1.

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You look at the walls and understand that this is, first of all, a defense structure, and not a royal residence.

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The most interesting thing is that besides us, six or seven more unfortunate tourists gathered near the fortress, who did not guess to look on the Internet for the opening hours of the castle)

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Entrance tower from the exit side)) Turnstiles and a booth with souvenirs spoil the whole view.

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The hexagonal watchtower is all that remains of the lower castle. Named after King Solomon of Hungary, aka Shalamon. Grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, by the way. We'll go down there a little later.

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In the meantime, enjoy the views of the surroundings. Is it in vain that they climbed the mountain so much?) They say that the best view of the Danube in all of Hungary opens from here.

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A cozy observation deck on the ruins of the fortress wall. The flagpole ruins the whole view.

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On the other side is the city of Nagymaros. For those who are not looking for easy ways, you can get to it by train from Budapest, and then take the ferry to Vysehrad.

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The exit to the other side of the mountain was closed. We go down the same paths that we went up. Slippery, wet and unpleasant. I almost fall a few times)

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Around - mysticism and nothing more.

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The small church of St. John the Baptist is the main dominant of Vysehrad. Almost all houses here are one-story.

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A typical view of Visegrad. This is the main street.

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And that's all that's left of the royal palace. The Turks and the Austrians were ruthless. As well as the watchman who closed the gate in front of us and said that her working day was over. The clock starts at four. Another hello to the girls from the information center, who assured us that the ruins of the palace are open until 17:00. Epic fail #2.

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We look at what is left of the palace from behind the fence and go further to Solomon's tower. Mentally, we are already ready that the gates are closed, and the path to it is blocked by a moat with crocodiles.

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Vysehrad turned out to be a very nice town. It is immediately clear that a nobility close to the king lived here. The entire center can be walked around in an hour. And the castle will be visible from everywhere.

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Well, here we come to Solomon's tower. Surprisingly, the passage to her was open. The six-sided watchtower guards the approaches to the castle from the coast. In the Middle Ages, it was often used as a prison for eminent prisoners. In 1401, after a conspiracy, King Sigismund of Luxembourg was thrown into the local dungeon. He spent four months in captivity, but he remembered this time for a long time. After becoming Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, he ordered the improvement of the tower and the dungeon. Life is unpredictable, suddenly it will be difficult again)

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Ruins of fortress walls along the Danube.

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The most famous prisoner of Solomon's tower was the legendary ruler of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. King Matthias was informed that the count was plotting against him and dreaming of taking the Hungarian throne. Nobody stood on ceremony. In captivity, Dracula spent a long 12 years. But historians say that he did not languish in a dungeon at all. In Visegrad, he lived with his wife - either a sister or a niece of the king. And even in exile, the count led a rather active lifestyle, periodically entertaining himself with bloody executions.

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And finally - the panorama of the Danube. Click to open in a new window in horse size.

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Stay with us, add as a friend - there is a lot of interesting things ahead. In the next post - the incredibly cute town of Szentendre.