Vajdahunyad Castle

Vajdahunyad Castle, Budapest Overview

Located in the city park, Vajdahunyad Castle holds a very romantic, fairy tale-looking, and historic architectural vibe to it. It has one main courtyard which is open to all and a ticketed museum of agriculture inside, which is the largest agricultural museum in Europe today.

The castle is naturally decorated with shady trees, pebble streets and little ponds which give it a fairy tale look. The castle portrays a very medieval look, but actually it isn’t that old in age.When the castle was completed in 1908, a museum of agriculture was built inside it. The museum portrays more than a 1000 types of bears, deers, and other hunted animal heads along with their furs. The museum also features exhibits on the history of Hungarian agriculture from the beginning to present, domestication of animals, forestry, fishing, and plant life. Many tourists don’t find the castle worth a visit from inside but they are unaware to the magnificence this museum holds. Paying a visit to the museum is totally worth exploring if one is in Budapest.

This large castle has 21 replicas of marvellous buildings inside its premises which are a good photographic spot. If not the museum, just an evening walk in the courtyard of Vajdahunyad can turn out to be the most romantic adventure ever. During daytime and weekends you might find a lot of crowd having family picnics in the courtyard but as the sun sets, this place turns a little spooky.

History of Vajdahunyad Castle

Dating back in 1896, this castle was built to celebrate the firs millennial of the state and was built by the famous Hungarian architect born in eastern part of Budapest, Ignác Alpár József. The museum was built to temporarily portray Hungarian agricultural highlights. As a matter of fact this castle was originally built with cardboard and wood, which much later, in 1908 was rebuilt, into a more concrete structure and stands in the same condition today because the immense fame it received from the Hungarians. The Vajdahunyad was built as a copy of a castle in Transylvania. This is also why this castle earned the title of “The fake castle”.

The castle beautifully expresses how the ruling class lived about 800 years ago. Surprisingly, not once but twice during the world war and again 10 years later, the museum was attempted to be destroyed but with the help of donations and public attention this museum regained its glory gradually over time. The fake castle is a proud feature of Budapest’s City Park today.

The different architectural styles depict three different eras of families living in the castle -

Romanesque- Arpad dynast

Gothic- Hungarian royal houses and the

Renaissance and Baroque- Habsburg family

Architecture of Vajdahunyad Castle

The building stands on an artificial island in the Városliget Lake and is only accessible via four bridges which stretch across the surrounding lake. The statue of medieval chronicler is placed in the interior courtyard. The main entrance of the Castle is from the Heroes’ Square, and this gate is called the Bridge Gate decorated by stone lions holding the coat of arms of Budapest. Each section is modelled after an existing building in the Kingdom of Hungary, which in total are 21. The museum is accessed via a monumental staircase which brings one to the first floor where there are eight permanent exhibitions. The knight’s hall of the Vajdahunyad castle allows one to admire the beautiful interior including a reconstruction. The castle is surrounded by the water of the boating lake of the City Park, which turns into a skating rink in winters.

Events and Festivals at Vajdahunyad Castle

Chimney Cake Festival

This is a newly invented festival and shows various types of chimney cakes 'kürtőskalács', a traditional Hungarian pastry. Fried, roasted, cooked over charcoal etc. Are some ways of cooking it. There are also various drawing contests, cooking competitions, magic shows, and live music at the event. This for sure is an all round entertainer event.

New Wine and Cheese Festival

This is the most famous festival in Budapest and takes place in November. Wine is something the Hungarians can’t survive without. This fest displays winemakers from all over Hungary with their speciality of wine paired with a suitable type of block of cheese. The tickets are of 2000 HUF as a day pass which includes free unlimited wine tasting and ticket to the museum of agriculture.

Summer Music Festival

This festival takes place every year at the castle in the beginning of July. It is a perfect display of gypsy, classical, swing, klezmer music performed by various bands. The tickets cost around 3900-5400 HUF and the concert begins at 8:30. If you are a music fan you must attend this evening.

Lamb Festival

The castle gives home to a 4 day long Easter lamb Festival in April where the visitors not only get a wide variety of lamb preparations in various Hungarian styles but also craft workshops, cooking competitions, folk dance and music. There are plenty of performances for kids too so this is a great family outing.

Accommodation Near Vajdahunyad Castle

Vajdahunyad locates in the main hub of the city and is at a walking distance from all major attractions. Thinking of a stay near Vajdahunyad is highly recommended. Accommodation might be a little costly around the city park for it being a tourist’s delight. A Bed n breakfast place like the Mirage Medic hotel is just 300 metres from the castle. Other famous hotels are Park&Art Mini Boutique Hotel, Benczur Hotel, Mamaison hotel which are just 600m from the main attraction.

One can also find cheap AirBnB’s around the vajdahunyad. Famous apartments like Baroque hostel, City Park Lawrence, Palma Villa etc. Are also some cheaper and better options to stay near the castle.

How to Reach Vajdahunyad Castle

METRO (230- 260 HUF): Take the Metro M1 to Széchenyi furdo. From the station will have to walk 300 metres to reach the castle.

BUS (350 HUF): Take the trolleybus number 72 and get down at Széchenyi fürdõ and walk for 600 metres.

Take the local Bus number 105 and deboard at Hősök tere M and walk for 600 metres.

TAXI (1700- 2100 HUF): Taking a taxi might be costly but if one wants comfort then this is the best. Taxi4, 6x6Taxi are some taxi providers in Budapest.

WALK: The castle is in the middle of the City Park, located at a walking distance from hero square.