Cultural World Heritage Sites in Hungary
Hungary is a country very rich in what one would call natural and cultural wonders. The country lies in the Carpathian Basin, a region with favorable climate. It is partly due to this that from the dawn of civilization many peoples choose to area for a place to settle. All these peoples, migratory or settled have left some mark on the land and have left memories for us, their followers to know that they were here. I believe that the UNESCO world heritage sights below are some of these marks, left by our forefathers to remember them and honor their memory even if we do not quite know who they were and what they did.
Banks of the Danube and Buda Castle Quarter in Budapest
On the Western side of the Danube river on the hilltop stands the Buda Fortress with the Royal Castle within. Inside the hill you can find a labyrinth while on the surface centuries old architectural and cultural memories were preserved. The labyrinth of the Castle Hill was made by the nature and used as storage room, hiding place or fleeing path. It can only be visited with a guide as one can easily get lost in the complex tunnel systems. Above the tunnels the baroque castle also offers an amazing lookout to the whole city. The surrounding area is an amazing walking spot with the old houses and gates built in different periods of history from the Medieval Era with various influences from Turkish to Habsburg.
The Andrássy Avenue and the Heroes’ Square in Budapest
Both the Avenue and Square were designed and built at the turn of the 20th century. The Avenue fringed with trees is a set of imposing buildings, many of them currently serves as embassies of foreign countries. The rest of this iconic boulevard is made up or villas, universities and some notable places such as the famous House of Terror Museum or the Hungarian State Opera House. The Heroes’ Square commemorates the one thousandth anniversary of the arrival of the seven Hungarian tribes to the Carpathian Basin. It features the statues of the seven leaders of the tribes in the middle and the statues of other notable figures of the Hungarian history. On the two sides of the Square you can find the Palace f Arts and the Museum of Fine Arts. It is grand and beautiful, something you must see while in the city!
The Early Christian Necropolis in Pécs
In the 4th century AD the city of Sopianae, now called Pécs gave home to an extended Old Christian community. The tombs, burial chambers and memorial chapels they built in their cemetery are extremely well preserved and can only be compared to the ones found in Italy. The walls are decorated with colored murals depicting Biblical and other christian themes. Partly underground, partly on the surface, these buildings – apart from being breathtaking – give you a better understanding of the life and faith of the late-Roman age’s people. To be there is like traveling back in time.
Benedictine Abbey of Pannonhalma
The first Benedictine monks arrived to Hungary in 996 AD to convert the Hungarians to Christianity. They have first built a chapel and then founded the country’s first school and library and other buildings. They have also started the now extensive wine production that now also marks the area. The monastery is beautiful, some of the buildings were founded a thousand years ago and the surrounding forest and the botanical garden are also worthy of a visit. Try the local wine and take a tour in the monastery that features different architectural styles from Gothic to Classicist.
Hope this article of cultural world heritage sites in Hungary made you want to visit the country even more. There are a lot of hidden gems in this small Central European state that more and more tourists seem to notice on the map every year. Trust UNESCO and be one of the visitors to uncover the magical places of this small country.