Budapest is literally a city of two halves. Old Buda on one side of the mighty Danube and new comer Pest on the other. Buda is the former capital of the Kingdom of Hungary and sits on the west bank.
Budapest is made up of 23 districts, all numbered clockwise, in widening circles.
District 1 (The Castle District) is home to some of the most impressive of the city’s old architecture including Buda Castle, the Citedella, the quirky Fisherman’s Bastion and the glorious Matthias Church.
Below are some snaps of the gorgeous geometric tiled roof of the church and its ornate spires.
The earliest remains of the church dates back to the 13th century and its name refers to King Matthias Corvinus who expanded and decorated the building in Renaissance style.
He also added the 60 metre high southern tower called the Matthias bell tower with his coat of arms a raven holding a golden ring in its beak.
The church was almost totally destroyed by the Turks but a new church was constructed of the remains in Baroque style.
In the early 18th century the church suffered more damage and it was finally restored in its current Neo-Gothic style by Frigyes Schulek in 1873-96. Schulek added the beautiful tiled roof and other artists added stained glass windows and frescos.
Close to Matthias church is the ornate and quirky Fishermen’s Bastion (Halászbástya) – again designed by Frigyes Schulek in neo-Romanesque neo-Gothic style.
The seven towers, while like a Disney style fantasy, actually represent the seven tribes of Hungarians when they settled down by the Danube in the Carpathian basin in 896.
The Fishermen’s Bastion never was used for military defensive purposes, it was created for only decorative reasons.
The building has many whimsical turrets, terraces, parapets and stairways giving an amazing view Pest, the Parliament building and the river Danube.