Budapest City Tour and Cruising along the Danube in Hungary

Today we are enjoying our first full day on the cruise. After a buffet breakfast, we boarded a coach for a tour of Budapest city. The city is on both sides of the Danube - one side is Buda (hilly and green) the other side is Pest (flat). We made 3 stops during the tour.The first was the State Opera House, where we enjoyed a guided tour finishing with a mini concert from by one of the stars. Budapest's ornate opera house was built at the end of the 19th century as the Royal Opera House. The opera house, today known as the Hungarian State Opera House, was commissioned for the commemoration of the Hungarian millennial in 1896. Miklós Ybl, Hungary's most important architect at the time wanted the new opera house to rival those in Paris, Vienna and Dresden. The grand building took nearly a decade to complete, with construction beginning in 1875 and finishing in 1884. Budapest residents view it as one of the most important historical buildings in the city. Neo-Renaissance in style, the opera house also boasts a number of Baroque elements. The building has a two-storeyed facade with a portico and a loggia above. On the balustrade above the cornice, visitors will find sixteen statues of the great composers of the world, including Beethoven, Mozart, Verdi, Bizet, Tchaikovsky, and Monteverdi. But the most prominent statues are dedicated to two of Hungary's most popular composers, who are shown seated in large niches on either side of the main entrance. To the right of the entrance is Franz Liszt, a prolific composer/pianist of the 19th century, and on the left is Ferenc Erkel, composer of the Hungarian national anthem and first director of the opera. The statues were created by Alajos Stróbl, a renowned Hungarian sculptor. The inside of the Hungarian State Opera House is even more impressive. Frescoes and sculptures by some of the country's foremost artists, including Károly Lotz, Bertalan Székely, and Mór Than, grace the interior. Several kilograms of gold were used to decorate the inside of the immense auditorium, which seats about 1200 patrons. The room is decorated with a massive, three tons weighing chandelier. The ceiling is adorned with a fresco depicting Greek gods. The foyer is just as grand, with marble pillars, chandeliers and a ceiling painting of the nine muses. 

 

The State Opera House

One of the ceilings in the Opera House

more of the interior of the Opera House

looking from the boxes down to the stage in the Opera House

one of the floors - lots of tiny mosaic tiles

another of the ornate ceilings in the Opera House

some of the boxes in the Opera House

this lady was one of the performers at the State Opera House

more of the intricate wood work

this guy was the performer in our mini concert

Keith & Alison

Our next stop was Heroes Square. Heroes' Square (or Hősök tere in Hungarian) is one of the most-visited attractions in Budapest. Both Heroes' Square and Városliget, the adjoining city park, were created at the end of the 19th century to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Magyar conquest of Hungary in 895. Since many of the attractions weren't ready in time the festivities were held one year late, in 1896. The square only received its current name in 1932, three years after the completion of the Millennium Monument. Since its creation Heroes' Square has been the site of numerous special events, including many Socialist holiday celebrations staged during the country's Communist era. In 1989 it was the site of the ceremonial reburial of Imre Nagy, leader of the uprising against the Soviet occupation in 1956. At the center of Heroes' Square stands the Millennium Monument, designed in 1894 by Albert Schickedanz and completed 35 years later. The many statues were designed by György Zala. Soaring above Heroes' Square is the Millennium Column, the focal point of the Millennium Monument. The column is topped with a statue of the archangel Gabriel. Behind the column is a semicircular colonnade with statues of famous men who made their mark on Hungarian history. Statues atop the colonnades symbolize War, Peace, Work and Welfare, and Knowledge and Glory. Around the base of the monument are a number of equestrian statues honouring the seven chieftains of the Hungarian tribes who, led by Árpád, conquered the area now known as Hungary. On the north side Heroes' Square is bordered by the Museum of Fine Arts, a museum with an exquisite collection of European art, housed in a monumental classical building. The museum's gallery contains works from old masters including Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Goya, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Dürer and Rubens. The Museum of Fine Arts also has a collection of sculptures as well as artifacts from the Middle Ages, the Antiquity and Egypt. The building itself, an imposing neoclassical structure, is pretty impressive. It was also designed by Albert Schickedanz with the help of Fülöp Herzog, his associate, Műcsarnok. Opposite the Museum of Fine Arts stands the Műcsarnok (Palace of Art), another Greek-like temple that nicely complements the design of the Museum of Art. The Műcsarnok is an exhibition hall, mainly used to host temporary exhibitions. The building is another creation of Albert Schickedanz, also in cooperation with Fülöp Herzog. The Műcsarnok has a magnificent facade with colossal gilded columns. The tympanum is decorated with a colourful mosaic that shows St. Stephen as a patron of the arts. 

Heroes Square

Heroes Square

Palace of Art

Museum of Fine Arts

Our last stop on the tour was The Matthias Church is one of Budapest's most important churches. The coronation of many of Hungary's kings occurred here and the church is home to important tombs and ecclesiastical treasures. Officially known as The Church of Our Lady (Nagyboldogasszony templom), Budapest's St. Matthias Church, like many of the city's ecclesiastical structures, has a long and complicated history. Matthias Church was built in 1255 century alongTrinity Square, in the heart of the Castle District, and was Buda's first parish church. However, the original church structure changed many times as it was constantly being renovated and refashioned in the popular architectural style of each era. The church takes its more common name from King Matthias, who ruled from 1458-90, well-known as a patron of the arts and enlightenment and revered for reconstructing the Hungarian state after years upon years of feudal anarchy. In 1541, when the Turks captured Buda, The Church of Our Lady became a mosque. The ruling regime shipped precious ecclesiastical treasures off to Bratislava and, appallingly, whitewashed over the ornate frescoes that graced the walls of the church. Beautiful interior furnishings were stripped out and discarded. The church was ravaged during the liberation of Budapest from the Turks in 1686. The story goes that during the bombardment of Budapest by a European alliance, a wall of the church collapsed, revealing a sculpture of the Madonna to the praying Turks. Demoralized, they capitulated the following day. The new occupants, the Jesuits, made attempts to restore the church in the popular Baroque style of the era. Most consider the attempts a failure. In the late 19th century, architect Frigyes Schulek is credited with largely restoring St. Matthias Church to its original splendour. Schulek, who also built the nearby Fisherman's Bastion, adhered to the original 13th century plans for the church and also uncovered a number of original Gothic elements lost for centuries. He added magnificent diamond patterned roof tiles and gargoyles, which can still be admired today. The reconstruction was completed in 1896. Very little remains of the original church, only the foundations, columns and some walls date back to the 13th century. The smallest tower is known as the Béla Tower and is named after the founder of the church, king Béla IV, under whose reign the church was built. Its roof is decorated with colorful Maiolica tiles. The main portal is decorated with bas-reliefs created by Lajos Lantai. Above the portal is a large neo-Gothic rose window, an exact replica of the original window. The tallest tower is the Matthias-tower, originally built in the 15th century and named after the ruler of that era, King Matthias Corvinus. His coat of arms, emblazoned with a raven (corvus in Latin), is shown inside the church. The entrance (Mary Portal) is decorated with an exquisite Gothic relief, painstakingly reconstructed by Frigyes from original pieces. The interior of the Matthias Church is magnificently decorated with colourful patterns and motifs that were found on original stone fragments. The frescoes on the wall were created by the two most important historical painters of the era, Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz. They were also responsible for the magnificent stained glass windows. One of the highlights inside is the main altar, decorated with a neo-Gothic Triptych. The Loreto Chapel, beneath the South Tower, holds the statue of the Baroque Madonna, a replica of the original in the Italian village of Loreto. The most magnificent monument in the church is the double sarcophagus of king Béla III and his wife Anne de Châtillon in the Trinity Chapel. The 12th century king was originally buried in Székesfehérvár; in 1848 archaeologists found his remains in the city's ruined cathedral and transported it to the Matthias Church in 1860. The church also has some relics and treasures, including the Matthias Chalice and a replica of the Hungarian Royal Crown (the original is on display in the Parliament Building).

It was only a short visit to Matthias Church, but the view over the river to the Pest side of the city was spectacular. We boarded our coach for the short drive back to the ship ready for our departure from Budapest just before 1.00pm. The rest of the day has been spent relaxing as we cruise along the Danube – heading for Vienna tomorrow.