Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

BUDAPEST 341

Mátyás Fountain 3

Mátyás Kút

Royal Palace. Map C3. @ 5, 16, 78,
Várbusz.

The ornate fountain in the
northernmost courtyard of
the Royal Palace was designed
by Hungarian sculptor and
artist, Alajos Stróbl in 1904.
Decorated with bronze
sculptures, this flamboyant
fountain is dedi cated to
the great Renaissance king,
Mátyás Corvinus who is the
subject of many popular
legends and fables.
The design of the bronze
figures takes its theme from
a 19th-century ballad by the
poet Mihály Vörösmarty (1800–
55). Accord ing to the legend,
King Mátyás met a peasant
girl, Ilonka, while on a hunting
expedi tion. The two fell in
love but their love was
doomed. This representation
shows the king dressed as
a hunter, stand ing proudly
with his kill. He is accom-
panied by his chief hunter
and several hunting dogs in
the central part of the
fountain. Below the columns
on the left, is the statue of
Galeotto Marzio, an Italian
court poet, with a hawk in his
hand. The striking figure of
the young Ilonka, with a doe,
is below the columns on the
right. In keeping with the
romantic reputation of King

Statue of King Mátyás with his

hunting trophy, Mátyás Fountain

Mátyás, a new tradition is

gain ing popularity with

visitors, who throw coins

into the fountain in the belief

that this will ensure their

safe return to Budapest in

the future.

Buda’s Old Town Hall, crowned with an onion-shaped dome, on Holy Trinity Square

Holy Trinity

Square 4

Szentháromság tér

Map B3. @ Várbusz from

Moszkva tér.

This square, located close to

the Royal Palace, is the central

point of the Old Town. It takes

its name from the Baroque

Holy Trinity Column in the

middle of the square, which

was originally sculp ted by

Philipp Ungleich between

1710 and 1713 and restored

in 1967. The column was

com mis sioned by the Buda

Council after the out break of

the sec ond plague in the city.

It com mem orates the dead of

two outbreaks of the plague,

which struck the inha bitants

of Buda in 1691 and 1709.

The pedestal of the column is

decorated with bas-reliefs by

Anton Hörger depicting the

horrific fate Buda’s citizens

suffered dur ing those epide-

mics. Further up the ornate

column are sta tues of holy

figures, while at the sum mit

is a superb com po sition of

the figures of the Holy Trinity.

The central section of the

column is deco rated with

beautiful angelic figures sur-

rounded by clouds.

Buda’s Old Town Hall, a

large Baroque building with

two courtyards, was also built

on the square at the begin-

ning of the 18th century. It

was designed by the 17th-cen-

tury imperial court archi tect,

Venerio Ceresola, whose archi-

tectural scheme incorpo rated

the remains of medieval

houses. In the 18th century an

east wing was built and bay

win dows and a stone balus-

trade with Rococo urns, by

Mátyás Nepauer, were also

added. The corner niche,

oppo site Mátyás Church,

houses a small statue of the

Greek goddess Pallas Athene

by Carlo Adami.