page_title: Tabán ruins
section_title: The archaeological park
hierarchical_section_title: Tabán ruins / The archaeological park
caption_attribution_description: English: Medieval ruins in the Tabán Park in 1938 with Rác fürdő in the background. The ruins were discovered in 1936 after the demolition of the Tabán. Building no. VI (as named by archaeologist Sándor Garády; in the foreground) and no. II. (left) has since disappeared. Magyar: Középkori romok a tabáni parkban 1938-ban, a háttérben a Rác fürdő. A romokat 1936-ban, a Tabán bontása után tárták fel. A Garády Sándor régész által VI. számmal jelzett épületrom (az előtérben), valamint a II. számú (balra) ma már nem látható.
context_page_description: The Tabán ruins are a group of medieval ruins in Budapest, Hungary. They are located in District I, in the Tabán neighbourhood, between Szarvas tér and Krisztina körút. The scattered ruins officially belong to one listed monument. The remains of the mainly medieval structures were discovered in 1936 by archaeologists after the demolition of a large part of the densely built Tabán quarter but significant parts of them disappeared in the 1960s when the whole area was restructured. A 15th-century building, named Building I, and a retaining wall by the Ördög-árok stream are still visible above ground.
context_section_description: After the discovery of the medieval structures a committee was formed to make a decision about the preservation of the ruins. Its members, Chief Notary László Garancsy, art historian István Genthon, historian Jenő Horváth, archaeologist Lajos Nagy and three municipal clerks visited the ongoing excavations on 23 July 1936. The landscaping experts supported the proposal to preserve the ruins, and incorporate them into the design of the new park. Lajos Nagy put forward the idea that an archaeological park can also serve as a tourist attraction. The discoveries were presented to the media, although the ruins were still incorrectly identified as "royal baths from the time of King Sigismund of Luxembourg or King Matthias Corvinus". Conservation works began in September 1936, and the archaeological park was certainly completed by the summer of 1938 as part of the new Tabán Park.
  During the Siege of Budapest in 1944-45 the Tabán area was the scene of heavy fighting, and the landscaping was destroyed. The ruins themselves survived the war for the most part. The archaeological park was still in existence in 1960, but the whole area between Szarvas tér and the foot of Gellért Hill was completely restructured when the new Elisabeth Bridge was built. In 1962 new roads, tramway tracks and a traffic interchange was built covering large swathes of the Tabán Park with tarmac. The most important medieval structure, Building I was partially spared but several other structures were demolished. Now only three remains are visible: Building I, a short section of a wall and the half-buried retaining wall by the Ördög-árok stream.
caption: The archaeological park in 1938 with the ruins of Building VI in the foreground
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