Buda (Hungary)

Buda (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈbudɒ], German: Ofen) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, “Buda” referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (Hungarian: Várhegy), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and 1249 and subsequently served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1361 to 1873. In 1873, Buda was administratively unified with Pest and Óbuda to form modern Budapest. Royal Buda is called the Várnegyed (lit. 'Castle Quarter') today, while “Buda” pars pro toto denotes Budapest’s I., II., III., XI., XII. and XXII. districts. This colloquial definition thus includes medieval Óbuda and amounts to a third of the city’s total area, much of it forested. Buda's landmarks include the Royal Palace, Matthias Church, the Citadella, Gellért Baths, the Buda Hills, the Carmelite Monastery of Buda, and the residence of the President of Hungary, Sándor Palace.