Buda Castle – A palace fit for a Magyarophile Queen

I'm delighted to welcome old friend Julia Meister to the salon once more, as your guide to Buda Castle!

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Buda Castle – A palace fit for a Magyarophile Queen

For any Habsburg devotee, visiting Budapest for the first time is a unique and spellbinding experience: The twin capital of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy is full of sights that must not be missed, cafés which were once frequented by Emperors, queens and princes, as well as one of the most spectacularly located Castle you’ll ever set eyes on. I’m talking, of course, about Buda Castle, situated on the south tip of Budapest’s Castle Hill. It is surrounded by several historical – medieval, Baroque, as well as Modernist – buildings. Paying a visit to Buda Castle also means being transported back in time due to one being surrounded by the 19^thCentury atmosphere of the Castle District as a whole.

However, first things first – the view of Buda Castle from afar never fails to take my breath away. Whether you’re strolling along the beautiful blue Danube, or are already sitting on the tiny bus* which is about to take you up the curvy serpentines of Buda Hill: Trust me, it is quite the experience!  As you cross the Chain Bridge with its famous lions, which bear the name of the Emperor himself (I. Ferencz Josef in Hungarian), you feel as if you are being welcomed to a place where the Austro-Hungarian monarchy actually still exists. 

After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 – which, to a degree, liberated the Kingdom of Hungary from Austrian rule (foreign policy was still decided upon together) and re-introduced the historic constitution of the Kingdom of Hungary – , Buda Castle was being rebuilt from 1875 to 1912. With Elisabeth (Erzsébet) and Franz Joseph having been crowned as King and Queen of Hungary on 8 June 1867 in the adjoining Mathias Church, the Hungarians were obviously keen to provide their rulers with a splendid palace! Not much had been done to modernise the inside of the Castle since the 18^thCentury. 

Hungary had been rebelling against Austrian rule since 1848 (although, to be fair, they had always been trying to break free from the Habsburgs). Thanks to Empress Elisabeth’s love of Hungary – she was fluent in the language, loved the Hungarian countryside, and had Hungarian ladies-in-waiting –, Franz Joseph had no other chance but to bow to his wife’s will and declare Gyula Andrassy, Elisabeth’s good friend, Prime Minister. Under his rule, Hungary went from strength to strength, and the Hungarians showed their gratitude by worshipping their Queen like a goddess. (A tradition which has continued until the present day!). 

Elisabeth thanked them in return by spending more time in Hungary than in Austria. You can imagine that the Viennese court did not approve of such behavior – oh, how Elisabeth loved to rebel! While in Hungary, Erzsébet mostly favoured the Royal Palace of Gödöllö, where, due to it being located an hour away from the hustle and bustle of Budapest, she enjoyed much more privacy. However, when Elisabeth found out that she was pregnant again with her fourth child (her youngest daughter, Sophie, had died at a young age), I can only imagine that she decided to give birth at Buda Castle as a display of gratitude to her favourite nation on Earth! The child, Marie Valerie, was to be her favourite, and rumor had it that not the Emperor himself, but Erzsébets dear companion had fathered her…Historians do agree that this rumor is completely unfounded. Interestingly, Marie Valerie was called The Hungarian Child, since her conception coincided with the Hungarian coronation. Elisabeth and Franz Joseph had apparently not been sharing a bed up until that event. Erzsébet agreed to resume intimate relations (at least for a short while) as a reward for Franz Joseph’s cooperation. Another interesting fact: Marie Valerie was only allowed to converse in Hungarian for the first few years of her life. This made things a bit complicated when she eventually returned to Vienna, since the German language was not exactly her forte! 

Packed with all this background information, you may ask yourself whether it is possible to not only admire the Castle from afar, but to set foot inside it? But of course: The Budapest History Museum (http://www.btm.hu/eng/) is highly recommended! It features a permanent exhibition called The Royal Palace – The Castle of Culture, which allows the visitor to catch a glimpse of the castle’s beautiful furnishings, decorations and paintings. Since most of the interior of the castle was destroyed during the Second World War, it is lovely to see how much time has been put into the reconstruction of some of the castle’s features. By visiting, one may also have a look at the medieval part of the castle, which features a truly remarkable chapel!

I highly recommend ending the day by paying a visit to the Monument of Prince Eugene of Savoy. It is situated on the Danube Terrace, from where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city’s Pest side. Keep your camera ready, as this is a photo opportunity par excellence! Still looking for a further Habsburg fix? If so, a café called Ruszwurm(Szentháromság u. 7) is a must for you. Delicious cakes, coffee specialities and lots of Habsburg memorabilia to look at while you enjoy the cosy 19^thCentury atmosphere of the place  – what better way to end the day?

*Bus no. 16 departs at Déak Ferenc ter or Széll Kálmán tér every 5-6 minutes; for further information, please have a look here: https://bkk.hu/apps/menetrend/pdf/0160/20180303/1.pdf

A Tale of Conjoined Twins

Helen and Judith (Szőny, Hungary, 19th October 1701 – Presburg, Hungary, 8th February 1723)

My tale today is another of medicine, brought to my door by Doctor Dillingham, who has recently returned from a sojourn to the continent. It is, however, also a story of family and of lives that ended before their time. When I first encountered a mention of the twins known simply as Helen and Judith, the story struck me as one that I wanted to share and off I went to find out more. I am pleased to present the tale here on the anniversary of their birth.

On the face of it, there should have been little of note to remark on in the birth of Helen and Judith, twin girls born in Szőny, Hungary. Although their surname is lost to history, they became knows simply as the Hungarian Sisters, and that nickname lasts to this day. There was indeed something most remarkable  about the sisters though, as far from being just another set of twins, they were conjoined twins. 

Medical science was baffled by the birth and swiftly decided that their circumstances should be blamed on their mother's overactive and somewhat excitable imagination during the pregnancy. This is quite a diagnosis, of course, but there the matter rested without further debate.

Helen was the first child to be born and within three hours Judith also emerged, joined to her sister at the coccyx. Just as she had been born first, so too was Helen reportedly the physically stronger of the two, as well as the more attractive and intelligent. Luckily the sisters were able to adapt to their very particular circumstances and soon their unusual condition became their livelihood.

From infancy into childhood, Helen and Judith were exhibited to excited crowds across Europe where they submitted to medical tests, enjoyed an education and enjoyed the society of artists, poets and others who found them utterly fascinating. However, this life was not to last and Judith suffered a debilitating stroke at the age of six that left her partially paralysed for the rest of her days. 

For three more years the girls continued to tour Europe until, at the age of nine, Judith's physical state could no longer endure such rigours. The girls were taken into the Convent of St. Ursula in Presburg, Hungary and here they remained, focusing on their faith.

The unusual story of the Hungarian Sisters was to end in 1723 when first Judith and then Helen fell ill with a fever. Throughout their entire lives, despite being conjoined, the girls did not share a sensation; they would experience neither feast nor hunger at the same time and lived as separate lives as they could yet, when their final moments came, they were almost simultaneous. Judith died early on 8th February and was followed within moments by her sister. The girls were laid to rest in the churchyard of the convent, the unusual lives of the Hungarian Sisters finally at an end.

From the Priesthood to the Heavens: Maximilian Hell

Maximilian Hell (né Rudolf Maximilian Höll; Selmecbánya, Kingdom of Hungary, 15th May 1720 - Vienna, Austria, 14th April 1792)

Today we greet a wonderfully-monikered man of science who is immortalised today in the name of a crater on the moon. From his early beginnings as a Jesuit priest to travels in pursuit of the transit of Venus, Maximilian Hell made his mark on the world on the scientific landscape of 18th century Europe.

Born Rudolf Maximilian Höll to mathematician Matthäus Kornelius Höll and Julianna Staindl, the future astronomer was the third of the couple's staggeringly high count of 22 children. Language and cultural identity was always an important factor in Hell's life and he was raised as a German speaker but considered himself as Hungarian. Although he undertook studies in science, astronomy and mathematics, Hell was eventually ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1751. Followed his ordination he devoted himself for a time to researching and writing on the subject of language in the region of his birth, supplementing his income by working as a tutor.

Though it appeared that Hell was destined for a life of faith, he could not set aside his passion for astronomy and in 1756 was placed in charge of the Vienna Observatory and used the facility to research his Ephemerides for the Meridian of Vienna. At the personal invitation of the Danish court, Hell travelled across Scandinavia to observe the transit of Venus that was so important in the Georgian age and published widely on the subject of astronomy, though some of his works were erroneously considered to have falsified evidence and findings. Regardless of what some of his contemporaries may have thought, Hell enjoyed great success and was eventually elected as a foreign member of both the Royal Swedish and Royal Danish Academies of Science.

Hell died at the age of 71 after contracting pneumonia; he left behind a wide body of astronomical works.