Buda Castle Buda Castle ( , , ) is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest , and was first completed in 1265 . In the past , it has been called Royal Palace ( ) and Royal Castle ( , ) . Buda Castle was built on the southern tip of Castle Hill , bounded on the north by what is known as the Castle District ( ) , which is famous for its Medieval , Baroque , and 19th - century houses , churches , and public buildings . It is linked to Clark Ádám Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge by the Castle Hill Funicular . The castle is a part of the Budapest World Heritage Site , which was declared a Heritage Site in 1987 . History . Middle Ages . The first royal residence on the Castle Hill was built by King Béla IV of Hungary between 1247 and 1265 . It is uncertain whether it was situated on the southern tip of the hill or on the northern elevation , near the Kammerhof . The oldest part of the present - day palace was built in the 14th century by Stephen , Duke of Slavonia , who was the younger brother of King Louis I of Hungary . Only the foundations remain of the castle keep , which was known as Stephen ' s Tower ( Hungarian : " István - torony " ) . The Gothic palace of King Louis I was arranged around a narrow courtyard next to the keep . King Sigismund significantly enlarged the palace and strengthened its fortifications . Sigismund , as a Holy Roman Emperor , needed a magnificent royal residence to express his prominence among the rulers of Europe . He chose Buda Castle as his main residence , and during his long reign it became probably the largest Gothic palace of the late Middle Ages . Buda was an important artistic centre of the International Gothic style . Construction began in the 1410s and was largely finished in the 1420s , although some minor works continued until the death of the king in 1437 . The palace was first mentioned in 1437 , under the name " " fricz palotha " " . The most important part of Sigismund ' s palace was the northern wing , known as the Fresh Palace ( Hun : " Friss - palota " ) . On the top floor was a large hall called the Roman Hall ( ) with a carved wooden ceiling . Great windows and balconies faced toward the city of Buda . The façade of the palace was decorated with statues , a and coat - of - arms . In front stood the bronze equestrian statue of Sigismund , later repaired by King Matthias Corvinus . The southern part of the royal residency was surrounded with narrow zwinger s . Two parallel walls , the so - called " cortina walls " , run down from the palace to the River Danube across the steep hillside . The most imposing structure , the Broken Tower ( Hun : " Csonka - torony " ) , on the western side of the " cour d ' honneur " , remained unfinished . The basement of the tower was used as a dungeon ; the top floors were probably the treasury of the royal jewels . The last phase of large - scale building activity took place under King Matthias Corvinus . During the first decades of his reign the king finished the work on the Gothic palace . The Royal Chapel , with the surviving Lower Church , was likely built at that time . After the marriage of Matthias and Beatrice of Naples in 1476 , Italian humanists , artists , and craftsmen arrived at Buda . The Hungarian capital became the first centre of Renaissance north of the Alps . The king rebuilt the palace in an early Renaissance style . The " cour d ' honneur " was modernized and an Italian " loggia " was added . Inside the palace were two rooms with golden ceilings : the Bibliotheca Corviniana and a passage with the frescoes of the twelve signs of the Zodiac . The façade of the palace was decorated with statues of John Hunyadi , László Hunyadi , and King Matthias . In the middle of the court there was a fountain with a statue of Pallas Athene . Only fragments remain of this Renaissance palace : some red marble balustrades , lintels , and decorative glazed tiles from stoves and floors . In the last years of his reign Matthias Corvinus started construction of a new Renaissance palace on the eastern side of the Sigismund Courtyard , next to the Fresh Palace . The Matthias Palace remained unfinished because of the king ' s early death . The palace had a monumental red marble stairway in front of the façade . Matthias Corvinus was usually identified with Hercules by the humanists of his court ; the bronze gates were decorated with panels depicting the deeds of Hercules , and a great bronze statue of the Greek hero welcomed the guests in the forecourt of the palace complex , where jousts were held . The walled gardens of the palace were laid out on the western slopes of the Castle Hill . In the middle of the enclosure , a Renaissance villa was built by Matthias . Only one column survives of this so - called " Aula Marmorea " . After the death of Matthias Corvinus , his successor , King Vladislaus II , carried on the works of the Matthias Palace , especially after his marriage with Anna of Foix - Candale in 1502 . Under the reign of King John Zápolya ( the last national ruler of Hungary ) the palace was repaired . On the southern tip of the Castle Hill , the Great Rondella was built by Italian military engineers . The circular bastion is one of the main surviving structure of the old palace . Ottoman Era . After the Battle of Mohács , the medieval Kingdom of Hungary collapsed . The Ottoman Turks occupied the evacuated town on 11 September 1526 . Although Buda was sacked and burned , the Royal Palace was not damaged . Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent carried away all the bronze statues ( the Hunyadis , Pallas Athene , and Hercules ) with him to Constantinople . The statues were destroyed there in a rebellion a few years later . The Sultan also took many volumes from the Corvina library . In 1529 the Ottoman army besieged and occupied Buda again , and the palace was badly damaged . On 29 August 1541 Buda was occupied again by the Ottomans , without any resistance . Buda became part of Ottoman Empire and the seat of the Eyalet of Budin . Although Turkish travel writers wrote enthusiastically about the beauty of the palace of the Hungarian kings , the new Ottoman government let the palace decay . It was partially used as barracks , a storage place , and stables , and otherwise it stood empty . The palace was called " Iç Kala " ( " Inner Castle " ) and " Hisar Peçe " ( " Citadel " ) by the Turks . The name of the " cour d ' honneur " was " " Seray meydani " " . The favourite nickname of the complex was " Palace of the Golden Apples " . In the era between 1541 and 1686 , the Habsburgs tried to re - capture Buda several times . Unsuccessful sieges in 1542 , 1598 , 1603 , and 1684 caused serious damage . The Ottoman authorities repaired only the fortifications . According to 17th - century sources , many buildings of the former Royal Palace were roofless and their vaults collapsed . Nonetheless the medieval palace mostly survived until the great siege of 1686 . Destruction of the medieval castle . The medieval palace was destroyed in the great siege of 1686 when Buda was captured by allied Christian forces . In a heavy artillery bombardment , many buildings burned and collapsed . The Stephen ' s Tower , used as a gunpowder store by the Ottomans , exploded when hit by a single cannon , said to have been fired by a friar called Gábor , also referred as Tüzes Gábor ( " Gabriel Fiery " ) . According to contemporary sources , the explosion killed as many as 1 , 500 Turkish soldiers and caused a tidal wave on the Danube that washed away artillery batteries and guards standing on the opposite shore . Habsburg military engineers made several plans and drawings of the buildings in subsequent decades . Although the walls mainly survived , the burned - out shell rapidly decayed from a lack of maintenance . Between 1702 and 1715 , Stephen ' s Tower disappeared completely , and the palace was beyond repair . In 1715 , King Charles III ordered the demolition of the ruins . Johann Hölbling surveyed the still - existing structures . The king ordered the surviving marble statues , antiquities , inscriptions , and coins should be spared ( there is no evidence about the realization of the royal decree ) . The main part of the palace and the Broken Tower were totally demolished , the hollows and moats were filled , and a new flat terrace was established . The southern fortifications , zwingers , and rooms were buried under tons of rubbish and earth . Early Baroque palace . In 1715 a small Baroque palace was built according to the plans of Johann Hölbling . It was a simple rectangular building , with an inner court and a shorter side wing , which was later demolished . The Hölbling palace is identical with the core of the present - day palace , where the Baroque Court of the Budapest Historical Museum is now located . The interior of the palace was left unfinished when work stopped in 1719 . The Hofkriegsrat commissioned Fortunato di Prati to make several plans for the palace , but lack of money hindered their implementation . In 1723 the palace was accidentally burned down , and the windows were walled up in order to stop further deterioration . Several drawings from the 1730s and 1740s show the unfinished decaying shell of the simple two - storey blockhouse . Some engravings show an idealized finished version which never existed . Sometime around 1730 the roof was repaired . Era of Maria Theresa . In 1748 Count Antal Grassalkovich , President of the Hungarian Chamber , appealed to the public to finish the derelict palace by means of public subscription . Palatine János Pálffy called upon the counties and cities to award grants for the project . The moment was favourable because relations between the Hungarian nobility and the Habsburgs were exceptionally good . The Hungarians supported Queen Maria Theresa in the dire need of the War of the Austrian Succession . The queen was grateful for this , and the new Royal Palace became the symbol of peace and friendship between the dynasty and the nation . The plans of the splendid , U - shaped Baroque palace with a " cour d ' honneur " were drawn by Jean Nicolas Jadot , chief architect of the Viennese court . After 1753 the plans were modified by his successor , Nicolaus Pacassi . Ignác Oraschek , master builder , who guided the works , and modified the plans according to his own ideas . The foundation stone of the palace was laid on 13 May 1749 , which was the Queen ' s birthday . The work continued at a good pace until 1758 , when financial difficulties caused a seven - year break . By that time only the interiors were left unfinished . According to surviving historical documents , the layout of the palace followed Jadot ' s signed plans of 1749 . The façades , some interior elements , and the St . Sigismund Chapel are the works of Nicolò Pacassi , while the special double false domes were probably planned by Oraschek , formerly the master builder of Count Grassalkovich . Double false domes were typical features of the so - called Grassalkovich - type Baroque castles like Gödöllő . However , this feature was later removed from the palace . In 1764 the Queen visited the palace , and allotted 20 , 000 thalers a year for the work , which recommenced in 1765 according to the plans of Franz Anton Hillebrandt . Hillebrand altered the " cour d ' honneur " façade of the central wing in Rococo style . In 1769 the St . Sigismund Chapel was consecrated and the palace was finished the same year . According to the aggregate statement of Grassalkovich , the costs were 402 , 679 forints . Nuns and scholars . The future of the complex was uncertain ; the Queen had no intention to use it as a royal residence , because she did not spend much time in Buda . In 1769 she gave one wing to the Sisters of Loreto , who came from Sankt Pölten . The building was handed over on 13 May 1770 , but the elegant Baroque rooms were considered unsuitable for a nunnery . Alexander Keglevich , rector of the Eötvös Loránd University , had provided financing to Maria Theresa , which supposedly should have been repaid , according to her letters to her children and friends . In 1777 the Queen decided that the University of Nagyszombat should move to Buda . The nuns moved out and the palace was hastily adapted to use as a university . The work was guided by Farkas Kempelen , and led to classrooms , teacher ' s cabinets , museums , a library , and a university press being built . In the front , the false dome was removed , and a four - storey observatory tower , planned by Alfred Hillebrandt or Karl Georg Zillack was erected . In 1778 Hillebrandt built a new chapel for the first king of Hungary , Saint Stephen ' s , the mummified right hand , which was recovered by Queen Maria Theresa from the Republic of Ragusa in 1771 . The Chapel of the Holy Right was situated near the St Sigismund Chapel , in the middle of an inner court . The outer form was octagon al , and the inside was oval , crowned by a dome . The altar - piece was painted by Joseph Hauzinger . The ribbon - cutting ceremony of the university was held on 25 June 1780 , the 40th anniversary of the coronation of the Queen . The throne room became a splendid aula decorated with frescoes depicting the four faculties . In 1953 , two grisaille frescoes were discovered on the shorter sides of the room . Residence of the Palatines . Functional problems of the university remained unresolved , which led to the faculties being moved to Pest in 1783 . In 1791 the palace became the residence of the new Habsburg palatine of the Kingdom of Hungary , Archduke Alexander Leopold of Austria . After the early death of the palatine in 1795 , his younger brother Archduke Joseph succeeded him , followed by Archduke Stephen . The palatinal court in Buda Castle was the centre of fashionable life and high society in the Hungarian capital . In 1810 the palatinal palace was damaged by fire , but in the next decades , plans were made to raise the building with an upper storey , but they were not implemented , although the observatory tower , which hindered the work , was removed . In 1838 the crypt of the St . Sigismund Chapel was rebuilt according to the plans of Franz Hüppmann : the Palatinal Crypt was the burial place of Palatine Joseph and his family . The crypt is the only part of the palace that survived the Second World War . Palatine Joseph established gardens on the southern and eastern hillsides of the Castle Hill according to the plans of Antal Tost . The gardens of Buda Castle were among the most famous English - style landscape garden s in Hungary . Palatine Stephen left the palace on 23 September 1848 when a break between the liberal Hungarian government and the dynasty became inevitable . On 5 January Buda was occupied by the Austrian army led by Alfred I , Prince of Windisch - Grätz . The chief commander lodged in the royal palace . On 4 May 1849 , the Hungarian army , led by Artúr Görgey , laid siege on Buda Castle , which was being defended by General Heinrich Hentzi . On 20 May the Hungarians captured Buda with an assault . The palace was the last stronghold of the Austrian troops , and became a site of heavy artillery fighting . The ensuing fire consumed the central and southern wings ; they were completely burned out and their interiors were destroyed . Era of Franz Joseph . The palace was rebuilt between 1850 and 1856 by Josef Weiss and Carl Neuwirth . The 13 - axis central wing was raised with a third storey and a squat attic - tower . The central risalit was decorated with a balcony of six colossal columns . With these changes , the former Viennese Baroque palace of Maria Theresa became considered a more austere Neoclassical Baroque building . The ballroom was redecorated with marbles and stuccoes . After 1853 stately rooms were designed in a French Rococo style , with white - gold stucco es and furniture from the Hofburg . The palace was already too small for the needs of the royal court , so the kitchens and service rooms were housed in the neighbouring Zeughaus . The palace was connected with the Zeughaus by a glassed passageway . On the western side of the " cour d ' honneur " two smaller buildings were erected , using plans by Weiss and Neuwirth in 1854 . The two - storey " Stöckl " housed the apartments of the archdukes and imperial officials , whereas the Wachlokal was built for the royal guards . Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria visited Buda Castle in 1856 and 1857 . After the Austro - Hungarian Compromise of 1867 , Franz Joseph was crowned king of Hungary . The palace played an important part in the lavish ceremony , and was a symbol of peace between the dynasty and the nation . In the last decades of the 19th century Budapest experienced rapid economic development . Ambitious urban planning projects were carried out to express the growing wealth and higher status of the Hungarian capital , with special attention being paid to the rebuilding of Buda Castle . The autonomous Hungarian government intended to create a royal palace to match any famous European royal residence ( especially their old rival , Vienna ' s Hofburg ) . The rebuilding spanned forty years , between 1875 and 1912 , and caused sweeping changes in topography of the entire area . First the Várkert - bazár ( Royal Garden Pavilion ) was built on the embankment of the Danube , at the foot of the Castle Hill , between 1875 and 1882 . This Neo - Renaissance gateway was designed by an Hungarian architect named Miklós Ybl . The structure was an open arcade , with pavilions , stairways , and ramps , and two blocks of flats . Ybl also built a new waterworks pumping station , named Várkert - kioszk ( Royal Garden Kiosk ) , and two stair towers against the medieval cortina walls . The southern stair tower followed French Renaissance style , resembling a small turreted castle , while the northern stair tower was similar to a Gothic brick donjon ( a fortified main tower from a castle , also called a keep ) . Only Várkert - bazár and Várkert - kioszk survive currently . In 1882 Prime Minister Kálmán Tisza charged Ybl with drawing a master plan for rebuilding the palace . In his 1885 plan , Ybl preserved the old Baroque palace , but mirrored it on the western side of the " cour d ' honneur " , which doubled the size of the residence . He also planned a new carriageway on the western hillside , demolishing the medieval walls and towers of the Újvilág - kert terrace . The narrowness of the natural plateau of the Castle Hill meant there was not enough space for the new Krisztinaváros wing , which Ybl solved by erecting a substructure down to the foot of the hill . The monumental western façade sits on this windowless , three storey high substructure . The whole block covered almost the entire hill , but the main façade on the " cour d ' honneur " had the same modest height as the Baroque palace . The façade was clad with stone slabs , while the old parts are stuccoed ; hence , the difference between the original Baroque and the Neo - Renaissance wings is obvious . The formerly open " cour d ' honneur " became a closed court with an arched gateway , guarded by the four lions of the sculptor , János Fadrusz . The court is called Lions Court ( or " Oroszlános udvar " ) . The work began on 1 May 1890 , but Ybl died on 22 January 1891 . His successor , Alajos Hauszmann , slightly modified the plans of the Krisztinaváros wing . In 1896 the building reached the level of the court , and King Franz Joseph ceremoniously laid down the foundation stone of the palace , which was soon completed . In 1893 , the 25th anniversary of King Franz Joseph ' s coronation was celebrated in the Royal Palace . However , the old banqueting hall proved to be too small , so Hauszmann enlarged the room by knocking down , and reconstructing the wall towards the " cour d ' honneur " ( which additionally had the Hillebrandt façade ) . In spite of this expansion and Ybl ' s new wing , the palace was still deemed insufficient for great royal celebrations , so another round of construction began . The north wing , standing on the site of the old Zeughaus , was completely designed by Hauszmann . The architect doubled the Baroque palace on the Danube side , generally imitating its traditional architectural style . At the meeting point of the old and the new wings , a colonnaded portico was erected , with a lavishly - decorated tympanum ( with allegorical statues by Károly Sennyey ) and a flight of stairs called the " Habsburg Stairs " . The whole palace was crowned with a dome with a copy of the Crown of St . Stephen at its apex . The dome , like other details of the north wing , shows German " Jugendstil " influences , as does the rear façade towards the western forecourt . This forecourt also contains the Matthias Fountain ( Hungarian : " Mátyás kútja " ) by sculptor Alajos Stróbl . Above the main gate , towards Szent György tér , stood a statue of the Goddess Hungaria . This side was the main façade of the complex , but it was much shorter and less characteristic than the long Danube façade . The old Chapel of the Holy Right was demolished to make room for a carriageway . Hauszmann designed a new riding school in the former Újvilág terrace , which was now named the " Csikós " court , after the Csikós statue of György Vastagh ( now in the western forecourt ) . In front of the long Danube façade , an equestrian statue was erected in honour of Prince Eugene of Savoy , the victorious leader of the Habsburg army in the Battle of Zenta . The eastern forecourt was closed off with a lavish wrought - iron rail , which ended in a pillar crowned by a statue of the legendary Turul , the sacred bird of the Magyars , spreading its wings above Budapest . Two flights of stairs led up to the Szent György tér , which was on much higher ground . In the western forecourt , Hauszmann designed a new neo - Baroque guardhouse and rebuilt the old Royal Stables . The Royal Gardens on the southern hillside were famous for their precious plants , glass houses , and picturesque terraces . In the middle of the gardens stood the Swiss House of Queen Elisabeth , furnished with Hungarian folk art objects . The house was built above the ruins of the medieval gatehouse , partially making use of them . The interior of the palace was decorated and furnished exclusively with works of the leading Hungarian artists of the age . The Royal Palace was officially inaugurated in 1912 . Contemporary critics praised it as the most outstanding Hungarian building of the turn of the 20th century . Interbellum years and World War II . The Hauszmann palace existed for around three decades : on 30 December 1916 , the building played a part in the coronation ceremony of the last Hungarian king , Charles IV of Hungary . After the 1918 revolution and the removal of the Habsburg dynasty , the Royal Palace became the seat of the new regent of the Kingdom of Hungary , Miklós Horthy . Horthy lived in the Krisztinaváros wing with his family between the years of 1920 and 1944 . In this era the palace was the centre of Hungarian political and social life . Famous guests entertained by Horthy in the palace included King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy in 1937 and Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli ( later Pope Pius XII ) in 1938 . On 16 October 1944 a Nazi German commando unit , led by Otto Skorzeny , occupied the Royal Palace and forced the regent to abdicate . Buda Castle was the last major stronghold of Budapest held by Axis forces ( Germans and Hungarians ) during the siege of Budapest between 29 December 1944 and 13 February 1945 . The defenders of the castle attempted to break the Soviet blockade on 11 February 1945 , but failed , leaving 90 % of the soldiers dead on the streets of Buda . Allegedly the Russians knew about their plans and had aimed heavy weapons at the possible escape routes hours earlier . This is considered one of the biggest disasters of Hungarian military history . Heavy fights and artillery fire rendered the palace into ruins . All the furniture vanished , roofs and vaults collapsed , and the southern and western wings were burned out . The destruction was comparable to that of the great siege of 1686 . Reconstruction . Immediately after the war , archeological research was begun in order to unearth the remains of the medieval castle . The research , led by László Gerő ( 1946 – 1966 ) and László Zolnay ( 1967 – 1979 ) , was likely the biggest castle excavation in Europe . The former Royal Gardens stairways , pavilions , and glass houses , which dated from the turn of the 20th century , had to be sacrificed . Important parts of the former Sigismund and Matthias Palace had survived under the thick earth fill . The first reconstruction plan of the medieval remains was written by László Gerő in 1950 and finalized in 1952 . The reconstruction work was finished in 1966 . Contrary to the generally accepted principles of historic reconstruction , the medieval fortification system was rebuilt in its entirety . Important elements like the 16th century Great Rondella and the medieval Gatehouse , the Mace Tower , the walls , and the zwingers were reconstructed according to the results of the archeological research and contemporary pictorial evidence . The low - lying southern wing of the Gothic palace was also reconstructed , together with the vaulted Gothic Hall and the Lower Church of the former Royal Chapel . Medieval - style gardens were planted in the zwingers . The foundation of the Stephen ' s Tower was unearthed , but as archeological evidence was lacking , the tower was not reconstructed . The remains of the Broken Tower were covered again . The large - scale reconstruction of the medieval fortifications substantially changed the cityscape of Budapest . At the time it was considered a highly successful project , reconciling historical authenticity with urban - planning demands . In the 1970s , archeological research continued on the northern and western side of the palace , led by László Zolnay . It produced many important achievements , including the Late Gothic Buda Castle Statues . The Karakash Pasha Tower , in the " Újvilág Garden " , was a Turkish - era tower demolished at the end of the 19th century . Photographic evidence enabled its reconstruction , but the new tower was only a copy of the original , and the details are not considered authentic . Modernization . The government made a decision about reconstruction only in 1948 . According to contemporary photos , all the important interiors were in a damaged state , but their reconstruction was technically possible . The new communist government of Hungary considered the Royal Palace a symbol of the former regime . Therefore , Hungarian leaders chose to thoroughly modernize the interior , and exterior of the palace . Architectural trends played a part in the decision , as modernist architects had condemned the Hauszmann style as " too ornate " . The first modernist reconstruction plan was made by architect István Janáky in 1950 . His controversial concept was later modified . In 1952 the Hungarian government asked for help from Poland , because they had successfully rebuilt Warsaw , and indeed other cities . A delegation of Polish experts , led by the architectural historian Jan Zachwatowicz , proposed the rebuilding of the Hauszmann palace . During the 1950s the palace was gutted and all the interiors were destroyed . Important exterior details , such as the main entrance , the Habsburg Steps , the dome , the Royal Stables , the guardhouse , and the riding school were demolished , and the remaining façades were simplified . In Lions Court the ornate gates of " King ' s Stairs " and " Diplomat ' s Stairs " were demolished . The doorway of the castle church disappeared , as did the church . The detailed Neo - Baroque roofs were simplified and plain new windows were installed . The allegorical sculpture group of the tympanum was destroyed . The modernist dome was designed by Lajos Hidasi in 1961 after Italian Baroque models . The palace was rebuilt by 1966 , but the interior spaces were ready only in the 1980s . Buda Castle became a cultural centre , home to three museums and the National Széchényi Library . 21st century . In March 2006 the National Office of Cultural Heritage finalized the long - term development plan of Buda Castle . Asserting that the modernization in 1952 – 66 caused irreversible damage , they proposed the partial reconstruction of the façades , including the dome and the Habsburg Steps . No decision has been reached about the realization of the development plan . On 25 July 2007 Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány chose the medieval King ' s Cellar in Buda Castle as the place to announce the list of the " most important public works projects " , which was financed by European Union funds between 2007 – 2013 . In 2008 an international consortium began to build an underground garage for 700 cars under the former Csikós Court . The developer was granted permission to demolish a section of the 15th - century castle wall . The demolition was carried out in spite of criticism from archeologists and the public . The area had been previously excavated by archeologists , who discovered many important finds , including medieval children ' s toys and a tooth from the pet leopard of King Matthias Corvinus . Additionally , the area outside the inner walls was used as a garbage dump during the 15th – 17th centuries . However , financial difficulties interrupted the construction of the garage in 2009 ; work resumed for a short time in November 2011 but stopped again after the completion of the concrete basement slab . Medieval wing . In 1958 – 1962 , architect László Gerő partially recreated the façades of the Gothic castle facing the narrow southern , western , and eastern courts . Only the ground and first floors were reconstructed ; the castle was originally much higher . The unfinished façade stops at the level of the Baroque terrace above , with two windows opening towards the southern court and another two opening towards the eastern court . The four almost - identical windows are square , four - panel stone constructions of very fine Gothic craftsmanship , with their outer frames decorated with small columns . One window , which had been walled up , was discovered " in situ " during archeological research , and the others were reconstructed from fragments by the sculptor Ernő Szakál by means of anastylosis . The ground floor openings are simpler . An arched stone doorway gives access to the southern court from the cellar under the Gothic Hall . The façade was originally plastered . The whitewashed surface was decorated with a painted pattern in a rusty hue , resembling rustication . Fragments of painted geometrical decoration , a common feature on the medieval buildings of Buda , were discovered on the eastern façade , but it was not restored . A Gothic balcony tower projects from the wall at the end of the eastern façade . Its reconstruction was a much debated issue , because the balcony tower goes above the level of the Baroque terrace , disturbing the harmonious panorama of the palace . On the other hand , it clearly indicates that there are higher , missing floors . The balcony tower is a two - storey structure standing on a wide stone basement . The first floor is a solid stone wall without any openings , and the niche behind it belongs to the Gothic Hall . The second floor has a balcony with three windows ; it is now closed off by a glass wall . Originally it would have been part of an important ceremonial room . The balcony is in the shape of half an octagon . The three Gothic double lancet windows are considered the most important architectural elements of the tower , and the profiles , frames , and mullions were restored in a simplified form , using many of the original stones . The tower is covered with a flat metal roof . The Gothic Hall is connected to Stephen ' s Castle ( " István vár " ) on the western side . It was named after Prince Stephen , Duke of Slavonia , the younger brother of King Louis I of Hungary . Built in the 1340s – 1370s , it is the oldest part of the medieval royal palace . Only the foundation and three interconnected barrel - vaulted rooms survive . Stephen ' s Tower ( " István torony " ) was the keep of Stephen ' s Castle . However , it was destroyed by an explosion in 1686 . The ground floor walls were discovered a little time after 1946 . It was a square building ( 11 . 7 × 11 . 1 m ) , built upon the rock surface of Castle Hill . The walls are 2 . 31 to 2 . 7 m thick with narrow arrowslit s on the southern , western , and northern sides . The original doorway , on the eastern side , was walled up after the Gothic Hall was built in the 15th century . Stephen ' s Tower was originally a free - standing structure , sited differently from later buildings . The triangle in front of it was walled up to create a continuous southern façade for the palace . During post - war reconstruction , this part of the façade ( with a broken stone doorway ) was not reconstructed . A vaulted room ( 6 . 2 × 6 . 3 m ) on the ground floor was still intact in 1820 , according to a contemporary drawing . Although the ribs , corbel s , and key stone were discovered during archeological research , the room was not reconstructed . A spiral stairway had connected the room with the missing higher floors . The remaining part of the Stephen ' s Castle ( with the barrel - vaulted rooms behind ) has a simple stone façade with a Gothic doorway . The pointed arch was later restored . Interior . The interior from the time of Maria Theresa and Franz Joseph was mostly destroyed during World War II and the post - war reconstruction , excluding the Palatinal Crypt , which survived both . Little information exists about the interiors from the medieval and Baroque eras , but the palace built at the turn of the 20th century was meticulously recorded , using detailed descriptions , photographic documentation , and grounds plans . Architect Alajos Hauszmann said about the royal apartments : " I created a long series of rooms , longer than any similar royal apartments in continental Europe except Versailles . " A series of rooms from the medieval castle were unearthed and reconstructed during the post - war rebuilding of Buda Castle in 1958 – 62 . They are now part of the permanent exhibition of the Budapest History Museum in " Building E " of Buda Castle . Medieval period . Architectural context . Only a fragment of the medieval castle survived the destruction of 1686 – 1715 . The surviving rooms are not considered the most important ones ; and none of the more famous rooms and buildings mentioned in the medieval sources exist today . The rooms which were unearthed after 1946 were only saved by chance , and by their geographical position at a lower level than the newly created Baroque terrace . The Gothic Hall and the Palace Chapel were built by King Sigismund Luxemburg at the beginning of the 15th century . The castle wing is surrounded by a complex system of medieval fortifications . Castle chapel . The first chapel in the castle was probably built in the 14th century during the reign of Louis I of Hungary . Eberhard Windecke claimed in his Chronicle that Charles II of Hungary was murdered in 1386 in a room from which the royal chapel could be seen . The chapel was again mentioned in the Chronicle of Lorenzo de Monaci , which was written around 1390 . King Sigismund of Luxemburg thoroughly rebuilt the old Anjou castle during the first decades of the 15th century . He erected a Gothic church in place of the former chapel . The Anjou castle ' s façade was now facing towards the inner palace courtyard , and the long chancel was projecting from the eastern side of the palace . The chancel was built upon a lower church due to a lack of space on the narrow plateau . The church had a nave and an chancel . The flamboyant Royal Church of Buda Castle was similar to the more famous Sainte - Chapelle in Paris . Archeological research proved the date of the church , because 15th - century strata were discovered under the intact brick floor of the lower church . In November 1489 , Sultan Bayezid II of the Ottoman empire sent the relics of John the Almoner to King Matthias Corvinus . The King placed the relics in the Royal Chapel , which was re - dedicated and embellished with Renaissance furniture . In 1526 , Buda was plundered by the Ottoman Turks after the Battle of Mohács . The relics were rescued in time and carried to Pressburg , where they are still kept currently . A surviving church inventory from 1530 shows a wealth of furnishings . Later , King János Szapolyai converted the lower church into a bastion . The large Gothic windows were walled up ; and only the rectangular arrow slits were left open . In 1541 the Ottoman Turks captured Buda without resistance , and the Royal Church ceased to be a place of Christian worship . The upper church was destroyed in the 1686 siege of Buda , and the ruins were demolished in 1715 . The vault of the lower church collapsed , and the interior was filled with rubbish . The remains were then buried under the new Baroque terrace for two centuries . The ruins of the lower church were discovered by archeologists in 1949 – 50 . The remains were buried in 1953 because of conceptional disputes about the possible reconstruction . The chapel , finally reconstructed by 1963 , was re - consecrated in 1990 . Gothic Hall . The Gothic Hall is one of the most important surviving example of secular Gothic architecture in Central Europe . It was built by King Sigismund of Luxemburg in the early 15th century as an extension of the earlier Anjou palace . It was built on the southern edge of the natural rock plateau of Castle Hill . The level difference between the plateau and the southern court was about . A vaulted cellar was built under the hall to span this difference . The Gothic Hall is an irregular rectangle of , with a closed niche on the eastern side , which is the inside of the balcony tower . It is divided into two naves with Gothic rib vault s . The vaults are supported by two massive pillars which come up through the floor from the cellar beneath the room , and in addition , half - pillars in the corners support the ribs . All six vaults are quadripartite , and the two on the inner side are irregularly shaped . The hall has four windows , two on the southern side and two on the eastern side , with stone benches in the window niches . The Hall was connected to the palace through a door in the northern wall , supposedly on the place of the original doorway . The northern section of the floor is three steps higher . All the newly built side walls were plastered and painted white , while the original stone surfaces were left uncovered . The ribs , pillars , arches , and window niches were restored by sculptor Ernő Szakál in 1961 – 62 . The ribs have a simple profile , but fragments of a more complicated type were also found in the rubble , together with keystones . These pieces supposedly belonged to another stately hall situated above the room , but they were built into the reconstructed vaults by restorers in the 20th - century . The northern pillar of the Gothic Hall was already discovered by Alajos Hauszmann at the beginning of the 20th century . The remains were buried under the outbuildings of the Royal Gardens , and Hauszmann protected the medieval pillar by building a brick shaft around it . Barrel - vaulted rooms . Three interconnected barrel - vaulted rooms belong to the oldest part of the palace , Stephen ' s Castle , which was built by Prince Stephen , Duke of Slavonia , in the 14th century . The northern room is larger ( ) than the southern ones ( ) . The northern room is covered by an east - west axial vault while the southern rooms have north - south axial vaults . The southern room is connected to the inner courtyard by a doorway . There is a small window high on the western wall . The middle room has a similar window . The larger northern room has three slit windows , one facing west and two facing north , all had iron rails . The rooms were connected to each other with carved Gothic corbel doors . The walls were originally plastered . In the southern room , a medieval stairway led to a trapdoor , and a medieval toilet hidden in the empty space between the walls of the castle and the keep . The barrel vaulted rooms were supposedly used as a prison in the Middle Ages . Later the southern vaults collapsed . The intact barrel vault of the northern room was broken by Alajos Hauszmann at the beginning of the 20th century when he filled the cellar with rubble . The barrel - vaulted rooms were restored in 1958 – 1962 . Albrecht Cellar . A medieval cellar north of the barrel - vaulted rooms , later called " Albrecht pince " ( Albrecht Cellar ) , is covered with a Gothic brick barrel vault . The walls are blackened from burning . The cellar was probably built by King Sigismund of Luxemburg as the " Cisterna Regia " , i . e . the great underground cistern of the palace . The Cisterna Regia was situated under the former northern zwinger of the palace . This small rectangular courtyard became a private royal garden during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus . The private garden was an early Renaissance " giardino segreto " ( hidden garden ) . It was designed by architect Chimenti Camicia in the 1470s . A well in the middle of the garden was fed by the cistern underneath . The hidden garden , the well , and the cistern survived the 1686 siege of Buda . They were indicated on the plans of the area drawn by military architect Joseph de Haüy in 1687 . In 1715 – 1724 the former Cisterna Regia became the cellar of the new Baroque palace . A section of this room was later used as an ice chamber . King ' s Cellar . The King ' s Cellar ( " Király pince " ) is not a medieval structure , but a Baroque - era brick cellar under the Danube side of Building E . It was filled with tons of earth and rubble , and the original eastern façade of the medieval royal palace survived under the fill . The inner walls of the Baroque palace were actually built upon the old façade . Only the basement section of the original façade remained . This wing was built by King Sigismund of Luxenburg in the early 15th century , and was rebuilt by King Matthias Corvinus 50 years later . The surviving eastern façade was built from large , finely carved blocks of stone . It followed the contour of Castle Hill with a break in the middle . A buttress was added , and a rectangular tower with two buttresses on its corners . The lower part of a balcony on the tower was reconstructed , with three elegant Gothic corbels decorated with cusps . It was not possible to demolish the King ' s Cellar because the whole Baroque palace was resting upon it ; the inner fill was removed in 1961 . The medieval façade was reconstructed inside the cellar space between 1961 – 1965 . Large windows were cut in the outer wall of the cellar to let in the daylight . Currently , the architectural history of the palace is discernible by viewing the interwoven layers of the past . On 25 July 2007 Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány chose the King ' s Cellar as the place to announce the list of the " most important public works projects " , financed by European Union funds between 2007 – 2013 . Baroque and Historicism . Old ceremonial rooms . The old ceremonial rooms were as follows : The ballroom ( " Nagyterem " ) ( or Large Throne Room ) on the first floor of the Baroque wing had several layers of Baroque decoration from the second half of the 18th and the 19th century . Two surviving drawings record the oldest form of the room . Jakob Schmutzer ' s drawing from 1777 shows the opening ceremony of the Eötvös Loránd University after it was moved to the palace . The room had a Late Baroque decoration with double grooved Corinthian pilaster s between the windows and stucco garlands . The walls were decorated with Vinzenz Fischer ' s frescoes of the four faculties . József Pollencig ' s drawing from 1795 shows a ball scene in the " Prunksaal " . The pilasters were kept , but the frescoes were already covered , and the whole room was stuccoed . On the vault the coat - of - arms of the Kingdom of Hungary can be seen . After the destruction of the 1849 siege , the room was redecorated in Neo - Baroque style . In 1892 the old ballroom was rebuilt with a new ceiling and a gallery towards the Lions Court ; three of its side walls were preserved . It was enlarged again after 1896 . In the early 1900s , the room had a Rococo white - golden stucco decoration with three large chandeliers . Vinzenz Fischer ' s frescoes were re - discovered in 1953 during the post - war reconstruction . In spite of this , all the decoration layers were destroyed . Today it houses the Gothic altar collection of the Hungarian National Gallery . The " white antechamber " ( " Fehér előterem " ) is on the first floor of the Baroque wing , and was situated south of the ballroom . In the Baroque era it was called " Zweyten Antichambre " ( " second antechamber " ) . In the early 1900s it had a Rococo white - golden stucco decoration with one chandelier and a white Rococo stove . The " Coronation " Antechamber ( " " Koronázás " előterem " ) , also on the first floor of the Baroque wing , was situated next to the white antechamber . It opened from the main staircase of the southern wing and was the first room of the ceremonial apartments on that side . In the early 1900s it had a white - golden stucco decoration with one chandelier . The name of the chamber referred to the painting of Franz Joseph I ' s coronation as King of Hungary after the Austro - Hungarian Compromise of 1867 . The Audience Antechamber ( " Fogadási váróterem " ) was situated north of the ballroom on the first floor of the Baroque wing . In the Baroque era it was called " Antichambre Ihrer Majestat der Kaiserin " ( " Her Majesty the Empress ' Antechamber " ) . The room gave access to Maria Theresa ' s private apartments from the ballroom . In the early 1900s , the audience antechamber became part of the ceremonial apartments and had the same white - golden Rococo stucco decoration as the white antechamber on the other side . The " Zenta " Antechamber ( " " Zenta " előterem " ) was on the first floor of the Baroque wing , was situated next to the audience antechamber . It opened from the main staircase of the central wing and was the first room of the ceremonial apartments on that side . In the early 1900s , it had a white - golden stucco decoration with one chandelier . The name of the chamber referred to the large painting of the Battle of Zenta contained therein . Old royal apartments . The old royal apartments are as follows : The Small Throne Room ( " Kis trónterem " ) , which was situated next to the Audience Antechamber on the first floor of the Baroque wing . In the Baroque era it was called " Audienz - Zimmer " and was part of the Empress ' private apartments . In Hauszmann ' s time it was converted into the throne room of the palace , with a simple Baroque throne under a baldachin . It had a white - golden stucco decoration with one chandelier and a Rococo tile stove . The " Circle " Tearoom ( " " Circle " teaszalon " ) was on the first floor of the Baroque wing , and situated next to the small throne room , in the corner of the southern wing . In the Baroque era it was called " Gesellschaft Zimmer Ihrer Majestat der Kaiserin " ( " Her Majesty the Empress ' Parlour " ) and was part of Maria Theresa ' s private apartments . In the early 1900s , it had a white - golden stucco decoration with one chandelier and a Rococo tile stove . The furniture consisted a Rococo parlour suite . The Antechamber was on the first floor of the Baroque wing , and was situated next to the " circle " tearoom with two windows opening on to the Danube . In the Baroque era it was called " Ankleide - Zimmer Ihrer Majestat der Kaiserin " ( " Her Majesty the Empress ' Dressing Room " ) and was part of Maria Theresa ' s private apartments . It was connected to another small room , the " Frauen Kammer " . In Hauszmann ' s time the walls were largely clad with wallpaper . The furniture consisted a Rococo tile stove , chairs , and paintings . The last small room of the Empress , the former " Schreib cabinet " ( " writing room " ) , with one window opening on to the Danube , later became a simple passageway . The Smoking Room ( " Dohányzó szalon " ) was on the first floor of the Baroque wing , and was situated in the middle of the Danube side of the old palace . In the Baroque era it was called " Schlafzimmer Ihrer k . k . Majestaten " ( " The Imperial Couple ’ s Bedroom " ) . It was the only common room of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband , Francis I . In the early 1900s , the walls were largely hung with wallpaper . The furniture consisted a Rococo parlour suite and paintings . In the old imperial apartments only the ceilings had the typically white - golden stucco decoration , used in the old ceremonial apartments . The Writing Room ( " Írószoba " ) was on the first floor of the Baroque wing , was formerly part of the private apartments of Francis I . One window opened to the Danube . In the Baroque era it was called " Ankleidecabinet S . M . des Kaisers " ( " Emperor ’ s Dressing Room " ) . It was connected to another small room , the second dressing room . Later , the imperial dressing room was divided with a wall ; with half being converted into a simple passageway , the other into a small writing room . In the early 1900s the latter ' s walls were largely clad with a very ornate Rococo wallpaper . It had a white marble mantelpiece with a large Rococo mirror above . The Parlour ( " Társalkodó terem " ) , on the first floor of the Baroque wing , was part of the private apartments of Francis I . It was situated in the corner of the southern wing with 2 + 3 windows opening on to the Danube . In the Baroque era the room was divided with a wall , one half named " Empfangs Zimmer S . M . des Kaisers " ( " Imperial Audience Room " ) , the other " Arbeits Cabinet " ( " Study " ) . In Hauszmann ' s time , it was converted to a great parlour with wallpaper clad walls , a Rococo tile stove , a chandelier , paintings , chairs , and a mirror . The Antechamber , on the first floor of the Baroque wing , was the last room of the former private apartments of Francis I . In the Baroque era it was called " Zweyten Audienz Zimmer " ( " second audience room " ) . In Hauszmann ' s time the walls were mainly clad with wallpaper , and it had a Rococo tile stove , a chandelier , paintings , and chairs . South Wing . The rooms of the south wing are as follows : The Baroque Court ( " Barokk udvar " ) , a rectangular court , which is the oldest part of the Baroque palace . Here the original 18 – 19th century façades survived , and in 1997 the court was covered with a glass roof and became the main exhibition hall of the Budapest History Museum . The King ' s Staircase ( " Király - lépcső " ) , the Baroque main staircase of the southern wing gave access to the private apartments of Emperor Francis I . Both the King ' s Staircase and its northern twin , the Diplomat ' s Staircase , had ornate gates opening onto Lions Court , decorated with telamon s . The kitchens were originally situated on the ground floor of the southern wing , but they were relocated by Hauszmann . Central Wing . The central wing had the following rooms : The Diplomat ' s Staircase ( " Diplomata - lépcső " ) was the Baroque main staircase of the central ( originally northern ) wing , and gave access to the private apartments of Maria Theresa . In the 18th century there was an officer ' s dining room and a smaller kitchen on the ground floor and another dining room with a cafe kitchen on the first floor . The southern and northern ( later central ) wings had the same ground plan : all the rooms opened from a passageway running along the sides of a rectangular central court . The two monumental stairways were rebuilt by Hauszmann in Neo - Baroque style . St . Sigismund Chapel , or Castle Church ( " Szent Zsigmond - kápolna " , " Vártemplom " ) was the palace chapel in the western end of this wing , which had no façades , only a door opening onto Lions Court ( through an antechamber ) . Construction was finished in 1768 and the church was consecrated in 1769 . The ground plan was drawn by Nicolaus Pacassi , with the interior was designed by his follower , Franz Anton Hillebrandt . The ground plan followed a typical " violin " form favoured in the Baroque church architecture of Central Europe at that time . It had a rectangular chancel and a nave with four bays for side altars . On the first and the second floors two oratories opened into the chancel and a two - storey high gallery was situated above the entrance . In 1777 – 78 a new door was opened in the first side bay to give access to the new chapel of the Holy Right . An engraving from 1771 – 80 shows the original interior design in its completed form : double pilasters , windows with segmental arches , stucco and false marble decoration , double oratory windows , and a doorway with a stucco veil drawn aside by flying putti . The church was slightly rebuilt by Hauszmann , who demolished the Chapel of the Holy Right in 1899 and built a new chapel for the relic behind the chancel ( converting a small recess ) . This chapel was decorated with the golden Venetian mosaics of Károly Lotz . A new Neo - Baroque main altar was built in the church in 1899 . 20th - century photos testify that the church survived in its Baroque form until the war . During a siege , the vaults of the church partially collapsed and the furniture was plundered . The Castle Church was left decaying for more than a decade . In 1957 the remaining two vaults collapsed , and the church was totally destroyed and converted to exhibition spaces . The altar table was rescued and re - erected in Pilisvörösvár in 1957 . The Lotz mosaics from the Chapel of the Holy Right were also rescued and re - assembled in Balatonalmádi . The Palatinal Crypt ( " Nádori kripta " ) was under the former palace chapel , and is the only surviving room of the whole Royal Castle . The underground crypt was first used as a burial place between 1770 – 1777 . In August 1820 , Elisabeth Karoline , Palatine Joseph ' s infant daughter was buried in the crypt . Seventeen years later , the Palatine ' s 13 - year - old son Alexander Leopold followed . Palatine Joseph decided to convert the crypt into a family mausoleum , and commissioned Franz Hüppmann with the task . The work was finished in 1838 , and other members of the Palatine ' s family were reburied here . Palatine Joseph himself was interred on 13 January 1847 . The crypt was continuously used by the Hungarian branch of the Habsburg family . It was repeatedly restored and enriched with new works of art , frescoes , statues , and ornate stone sarcophagi , made by renowned artists of the 19th century . The last member of the family buried there was Archduchess Klotild in 1927 . The crypt survived the war unscathed and was spared during the post - war reconstruction . The crypt was burglarized in 1966 and 1973 ( during the construction works ) , when some corpses were thrown out of the sarcophagi by the thieves . The human remains were later identified and reburied . The crypt was restored in 1985 – 1987 . Since then the Palatinal Crypt is part of the exhibition of the Hungarian National Gallery . The main lobby of the Royal Palace was situated in Hauszmann ' s Northern Wing on the Danube side . It was a long , rectangular hall divided into four sections with free standing Ionic columns and two square pillars . The section at the southern end was elevated a few steps . Nine arched windows opened towards the Danube . In the middle of the other sidewall , a doorway led to the inner courtyard . The walls and the ceiling were stuccoed . The southern elevation was closed off with a stone balustrade between the pillars and the wall . The ornate lobby was designed for important state ceremonies . The Great Ballroom , in the middle part of the northern wing , took over the function of the smaller old ballroom in the Baroque wing . Designed by Hauszmann , it was the most splendid room of the palace . The two - storey high , airy room was lavishly decorated with stuccoes , half columns , trabeation , balconies , and six crystal chandeliers in Neo - Baroque style . Seven arched windows and doorways opened towards a pillared terrace facing the western forecourt . On the other side , the ballroom was connected to the Buffet Hall through three doors . Photos made after the war show the room with its vaulted ceiling collapsed . The ballroom was totally destroyed in the course of reconstruction . The Buffet Hall , on the Danube side of the northern wing , was a very long hall used for state banquets . It was connected to the Great Ballroom nearby and it was possible to join them together . There was a shorter , passage - like space between the two rooms . This passage was separated from the Buffet Hall by six square pillars , while its other side was a solid wall with three doors . On the eastern side of the Buffet Hall a long row of windows opened towards the Danube and a pillared terrace . The Buffet Hall was divided into three sections with free - standing Ionic columns , holding trabeations . The vaulted ceiling was lavishly decorated with frescoes and stuccoes . The Habsburg Room was situated in the middle of the long palace complex , under Hauszmann ' s ( false ) dome , where the new northern wing and the old palace met . Although this part of the building belonged to the original palace , it was thoroughly rebuilt by Hauszmann – this stately room was totally his own work . It was one of the three historical rooms of the palace representing the important periods of Hungarian history . A free - standing , double flight of steps , called the Habsburg Steps , connected the room with the Royal Gardens on the Danube terrace . The room had lavish Baroque decorations with half - pillars and gilded stuccoes . The vaulted ceiling was decorated with Károly Lotz ' s fresco " Apotheosis of the Habsburg Dynasty " . Károly Senyei ' s four Carrara marble busts stood in front of the sidewalls representing King Charles III , Queen Maria Theresa , Franz Joseph I , and Queen Elisabeth of Bavaria . The Habsburg Room survived World War II unscathed , but in the 1950s , it was deliberately destroyed for political reasons . Krisztinaváros wing . The Krisztinaváros wing faces the district of Krisztinaváros , which was named in honour of the daughter of Queen Maria Theresa , Archduchess Maria Christina , Duchess of Teschen . The entrance hall opened from Lions Court , under an arcaded Neo - Renaissance portico , through ornate wrought - iron doors . This now serves as the entrance of the Hungarian National Library . The hall was a long , oblong - shaped room with 4 + 4 free standing Ionic columns in front of the walls on the longer sides , holding a trabeation . In the end of the shorter sides two doors opened into antechambers . The three arcaded doorways on the longer side opened into a lobby . The ceiling of the hallway was stuccoed , and the whole design was Italian Renaissance in style . The lobby was connected to the hall of the main staircase through pillars . The stuccoed ceiling was held up by two rectangular pillars . The apartments of Archduke József Ágost and his wife , Archduchess Auguszta , were situated on the ground floor of the Krisztinaváros wing , and opened from this room . Now it serves as the lobby of the Hungarian National Library in a radically modernized form . The monumental main staircase , with three flights , led up from the lobby to the first floor in an airy , glass - roofed hall . The side walls of the hall were decorated in Italian Renaissance style with colossal Corinthian half - columns , stuccoes , and lunette openings . Ornate wrought - iron chandeliers and intricate balustrades decorated the stairs . On the ground floor , colossal Atlas statues stood beside the side pillars , holding the weight of the upper flights . The marble statues were the works of János Fadrusz from 1897 . During the post - war reconstruction the main staircase was radically modernized . Only the two colossal Atlas statues survived . Now they are standing somewhat incongruently near their original places . Saint Stephen ' s Room , on the first floor of the Krisztinaváros wing , was one of the " historical rooms " of the palace , created by Hauszmann . Together with the Matthias Room and the Habsburg Room , they represented the three most important periods of Hungarian history . Saint Stephen ' s Room connected the new Private Royal Apartments and — through a very long passageway — the Old Royal Apartments in the Danube Wing . Its style evoked the age of the Árpáds , the first Hungarian dynasty in the early Middle Ages . The walls were clad with dark carved wood paneling . The most spectacular item was a large stone mantelpiece with Romanesque Revival architectural details and the bust of King Saint Stephen , the first king of Hungary . The room was furnished with medieval - looking metal chandeliers and heavy wooden furniture . Matthias Room was named after Matthias Corvinus , a Hungarian king of the late Middle Ages . It was one of the three " historical rooms " of the palace , created by Hauszmann . The room opened from the Royal Bedroom , at the end of the line of private apartments . It had three windows opening towards the hills of Buda . There was a long terrace in front of the room . The style of the Matthias Room was Renaissance , with carved wooden paneling and a coffered ceiling . It was furnished with a mantelpiece in the corner and two chandeliers , the most spectacular item being the equestrian statue of King Matthias , sculpted by János Fadrusz . The statue was a miniature copy of the original standing on the main square of Kolozsvár ( now Cluj - Napoca ) . This copy was saved after the war and put on display in the Hungarian National Gallery . The Hungarian crown jewels were kept in the specially - designed strong room on the second floor of the Krisztinaváros Wing . The Crown of Saint Stephen was kept here between 1900 and 1944 . This small museum on the second floor of the Krisztinaváros Wing was established in remembrance of Elisabeth of Bavaria after her murder in 1898 . Memorabilia were collected by Ida Ferenczy , Elisabeth ' s former duenna , Viscountess Pallavicini , and Countess Ilona Batthyány . The museum opened on 15 January 1908 as an affiliate of the Hungarian National Museum . The collection contained personal items , letters and clothes . Its most important relic was the costume that Elisabeth had been wearing when she was murdered . One room was meticulously recreated as the Queen ' s own writing room with her original writing desk and her 219 Hungarian books . The museum was badly damaged during World War II , and the surviving relics were bestowed to other museums . The Royal Entrance Hall , on the first floor of the Krisztinaváros Wing , gave access to the rooms of the Private Royal Apartments of King Franz Joseph I . The private apartments were situated in the southwestern part of the Krisztinaváros wing , their windows opening towards the hills of Buda . The Royal Entrance Hall was connected through a wide passageway to the main staircase hall . The spacious , oblong - shaped hall was divided in three , with two pairs of Ionic marble columns supporting architrave s . The central part of the room was much longer than the bays at the ends . Doors connected the hall with the rooms of the private apartments . In the middle of the longer wall stood an ornate stone mantelpiece with the bust of Franz Joseph . On the other side , three windows opened to the inner courtyard of the Krisztinaváros wing . The ceiling was stuccoed and the side walls of the hall were covered with marble . The antechamber of the private apartments opened from the Royal Entrance Hall . It had three windows facing toward the hills . The room had a typical Biedermeier white - golden stucco decoration with floral wallpapers , resembling to the cosy rooms of Schönbrunn Palace . All the rooms of the private apartments followed this Viennese style favoured by the King . The antechamber was furnished with a stone mantelpiece ( with a mirror above ) , an Empire crystal chandelier , a stone flowerpot standing on a fluted column , and Neo - Renaissance table with chairs . The audience room of Franz Joseph was situated in a corner of the private apartments wing , with two windows opening southwards and three windows opening westwards . It had a beautiful stuccoed and frescoed ceiling . The walls were covered with floral wallpapers . The room was furnished with a crystal chandelier , a golden Rococo console table with a large mirror , and a parlour suite . The writing room of Franz Joseph had two windows opening towards the hills of Buda . It had a white - golden stuccoed ceiling and the walls were covered with floral wallpapers . The room was furnished with a crystal chandelier , an ornate white tile stove , a table , and chairs . To the right and left two similar parlours opened from the room . The bedroom of the king had two windows opening towards the hills of Buda . It had a white - golden stuccoed ceiling and the walls were covered with floral wallpapers . The room was furnished with a crystal chandelier , the baldachined royal bed , and a folding screen . The bedroom was connected to a dressing room , a private bathroom , and smaller rooms belonging to the butler and the servants . The Royal Dining Hall opened from the Royal Entrance Hall , and it was the largest room of the private apartments . The long hall had six windows opening towards Gellért Hill . Three crystal chandeliers gave light to the elegant stuccoed space . In the middle of the longer side wall , between the two doors , stood a marble mantelpiece . The " Circle " Room opened from the Royal Dining Hall . It was the last room of the private apartments on the southern side , with three windows opening towards Gellért Hill . It had a white - golden stuccoed ceiling and the walls were covered with floral wallpapers . The room was furnished with a crystal chandelier , an ornate white tile stove , and chairs . The small dining room was situated in the northern part of the Krisztinaváros wing , among the other rooms of the Royal Guest Suite . Four windows opened towards Krisztinaváros . The ceiling was stuccoed , while the walls were covered with carved wooden paneling and wallpaper . A stone mantelpiece and large painting above it ( depicting a hunting scene with a deer ) gave a homey feeling to the room . It was furnished with a crystal chandelier and a long dining table with 12 chairs . Archducal Apartments . These apartments , on the ground floor of the Krisztinaváros Wing , were designed in 1902 for Archduke József Ágost ( 1872 – 1962 ) , the head of the Hungarian branch of the Habsburgs , and his wife , Archduchess Auguszta ( 1875 – 1964 ) . They could be reached from the lobby of the Krisztinaváros wing through a long passageway . The most important rooms were ( in due course ) : the " salon " , where guests were entertained ; the " great parlour " ; " parlour " ; " dining room " ; the " Archduke ' s study " ; the " Archduke ' s bedroom " ; the " Archduchess ' bedroom " ; the " Archduchess ' study " ; and the " breakfast parlour " . All rooms had a relatively simple decoration with white stuccoed ceilings and stucco panels above the doorways . The walls were covered with wallpaper . Crystal chandeliers , stone mantelpieces and typical turn - of - the - century furniture gave the rooms a homey ambiance . The great parlour was decorated with large paintings . The main lobby of the Royal Palace was situated in the Danube side of Hauszmann ' s Northern Wing . It was a long , rectangular hall divided into four sections with free standing Ionic columns and two square pillars . The section in the southern end was elevated with a few steps . Nine arched windows were opening towards the Danube . In the middle of the other sidewall there was a doorway leading to the inner courtyard . The walls and the ceiling were stuccoed . The southern elevation was closed off with a stone balustrade between the pillars and the wall . The ornate lobby was designed for important state ceremonies . The Great Ballroom in the middle part of the northern wing took over the function of the smaller old ballroom in the Baroque wing . It was the most splendid room of the palace , designed by Hauszmann . The two - storey high , airy room was lavishly decorated with stuccoes , half columns , trabeation , balconies and six huge crystal chandeliers in Neo - Baroque style . Seven arched windows and doorways opened towards a pillared terrace facing the western forecourt . On the other side the ballroom was connected to the Buffet Hall through three doors . Photos made after the war show the room with its vaulted ceiling collapsed . In the course of the reconstruction the ballroom was totally destroyed . The Buffet Hall on the Danube side of the northern wing was a very long hall used for state banquets . It was connected to the Great Ballroom nearby and it was possible to join them together . There was a shorter , passage - like space between the two rooms . This passage was separated from the Buffet Hall by six square pillars while its other side was made up by a solid wall ( with three doors ) . On the eastern side of the Buffet Hall a long row of windows opened towards the Danube and a pillared terrace . The Buffet Hall itself was divided into three sections with free - standing Ionic columns , holding trabeations . The vaulted ceiling was lavishly decorated with frescoes and stuccoes . Works of art . The castle and its gardens have been decorated with works of art since their foundation in the 14th century . Only written sources speak about the most important medieval works , but detailed pictorial and written information exists about the 19th - century artistic decoration of the palace , which was mainly created by the most important Hungarian artists of the era . Many of the statues survived the destruction during the siege of Budapest in 1944 – 45 , and were later restored . On the other hand , important works of art were destroyed during the controversial reconstruction of the castle during the 1950s and 1960s . The spectacular fountain decorates the western forecourt of the palace . It shows a group of hunters led by King Matthias Corvinus together with hounds , a killed deer , Galeotto Marzio with a hawk , and Szép Ilonka with a doe . This group of people stands between fallen rocks with water running down into a basin . The fountain was made by sculptor Alajos Stróbl . The dead deer was modelled upon a majestic stag killed in 1896 by poachers in the forest owned by Stróbl . The damaged sculpture was restored after the war . Nowadays it is probably the most photographed object in the palace . The equestrian statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy stands on the Danube terrace , in a prominent position , high above Budapest . The Neo - Baroque statue was made by sculptor József Róna for the town of Zenta , but the town could not afford the price . The monument was bought in 1900 as a temporary solution until the planned equestrian statue of King Franz Joseph was completed . This never happened , so Prince Eugen remained on his plinth . The plinth is decorated with two bronze reliefs showing the capture of the earth - works in Zenta and the decisive cavalry charge in the Battle of Zenta in 1697 . The statue of the Hortobágy horseherd taming a wild horse originally stood in front of the Riding School in the former Újvilág terrace . It is the work of György Vastagh from 1901 . The statue was displayed in the Exposition Universelle in Paris ( 1900 ) . The damaged statue was removed during the 1960s , but it was later restored and erected in the western forecourt of the palace in 1983 , next to the Matthias Fountain . The mythological Turul , high above the Danube , was made by Gyula Donáth in 1905 . The plinth and the ornate Neo - Baroque rail ( Gyula Jungfer ' s work ) was seriously damaged during the siege of Buda , but they were restored in 1981 , together with the broken coat - of - arms of the Kingdom of Hungary on the plinth . The Fountain of the Fishing Children on the Danube terrace is the work of sculptor Károly Senyey from 1912 . It depicts two children grappling with a fish . The fine workmanship of the fishing net is remarkable . The fountain was removed in 1955 and re - erected at Rákóczi Square in Pest , but brought back to its original place in 1976 . It was restored in 2001 . The two statues depicting Csongor and Tünde , literary figures from Mihály Vörösmarty ' s drama , originally decorated the Habsburg Steps in front of the palace . They are the works of sculptor Miklós Ligeti from 1903 . The steps were demolished after the war , but the statues were saved and re - erected in 1976 on top of two simple concrete plinths near their original locations . Two pairs of lions guard the monumental gate leading into Lions Court . The four statues are the works of János Fadrusz from 1901 . The animals standing on the outer side of the gate are menacing , while the inner ones are calm and dignified . One lion was broken in two pieces during the war , but it was recreated in the 1950s . The monumental allegorical bronze statues of War and Peace stand beside the entrance to the Budapest History Museum . They are the work of Károly Senyey . Both War and Peace are represented by angels , one with a trumpet , the other with an olive branch . Under the angel of Peace is a returning soldier , while under the angel of War there is a dead Ottoman soldier and ancient Hungarian warriors . Sculptural monuments . There are sepulchral monuments in the Palatinal Crypt decorated with the statues of György Zala , Alajos Stróbl , and Károly Senyey . The monumental sculpture group decorated the main ( northern ) façade of the palace , facing Szent György Square . On the top of the attic , crowning the façade , stood the female figure of Hungaria , the allegorical representation of Hungary . Two semi - nude figures sat at her side , one male and one female , representing Industry and Commerce . The group was made by sculptor Gyula Jankovits in 1905 . The sculpture was destroyed , together with the whole northern façade , during the 1950s . The pediment above the Habsburg Steps was decorated with an allegorical group of Károly Senyey representing the " Apotheosis of the Dual Monarchy " . It was destroyed during the 1950s , together with the great coat - of - arms of the Kingdom of Hungary which originally crowned the façade . The present - day pediment is plain , without any sculptural decoration . The ceiling of the Habsburg Room was decorated with a fresco representing the apotheosis of the Habsburg Dynasty . It was the last important work of Károly Lotz , painted in 1903 , one year before his death . The artist was already seriously ill when he worked on the fresco . The " Apotheosis " followed the traditions of Baroque court painting , and the work was praised by contemporary critics . The fresco survived the war unscathed , but it was destroyed in the 1950s . Museums and institutions . The Budapest History Museum is located in the southern wing of Buda Castle , in Building E , over four floors . It presents the history of Budapest from its beginnings until the modern era . The restored part of the medieval castle , including the Royal Chapel and the rib - vaulted Gothic Hall , belongs to the exhibition . The highlights of the exhibition are the Gothic statues of Buda Castle and a 14th - century silk tapestry decorated with the Angevin coats of arms . Small gardens were recreated in the medieval zwingers around the oldest parts of the building . The Hungarian National Gallery is located in Building A , B , C , and D . The museum presents the history of Hungarian art from the 11th century until the present , with a special exhibition concentrating on Gothic altarpieces ( housed in the former Baroque Ballroom ) . The only surviving interior from the pre - war Royal Palace , the Palatinal Crypt , belongs to the museum . " Building F " is occupied by the National Széchényi Library , the national library of Hungary . Its collection of rare and antique books , codices and manuscripts contains 35 Corvina pieces from the famous library of King Matthias Corvinus . The original Bibliotheca Corviniana was housed in the medieval Royal Castle of Buda .