Secret Habsburg paths across Budapest

What happened

Habsburg-era Budapest is full of details we walk past every day without noticing. The corridors of Buda Castle, the cobbled streets of Holy Trinity Square and the Danube promenades all keep a secret from the age of the monarchy.

Buda Castle was not merely the seat of the royal court but one of the most important stages of imperial representation. The diplomatic events in the palace halls shaped the fate of the continent, while everyday life inside the walls carried on in its own rhythm.

The key locations

The defining locations of the era can still be visited today. The selection below shows the most spectacular buildings and documents that preserve the memory of Habsburg rule in the capital.

• Buda Castle Palace: the Hungarian residence of the Habsburg rulers, the stage of every important act of imperial representation.

• Habsburg crypt: the palatinal crypt built in the early 1900s — the final resting place of the dynasty's Hungarian branch.

• Sándor Palace: today the presidential residence; in the age of the Compromise it housed the prime minister's office.

Secret passages and legends

For centuries the passage system under the castle served as a route of escape and secret communication. According to legend, members of the royal family used these tunnels to move between different points of the city away from the public eye. Archaeological excavations have since opened up several sections to visitors.

Gallery: Habsburg relics in Budapest

Join us and see the city as it might have looked in the age of the monarchy: on the trail of hidden paths, old coats of arms and legends still alive today.