Martonvásár is a town in Hungary. It's a popular tourist destination because of the Brunszvik Palace where Ludwig van Beethoven stayed and wrote "Für Elise". There is also a museum for Beethoven. The town is also famous for its beautiful English garden.

Budapest - DSC_1912_3_4_tonemapped

Buda Castle There has been a Castle on this site since 1265, but the present Palace was finished around 1758. The statue is of King Sigismund (who did much to enlarge the castle) on his horse. Apparently Vlad the impaler was imprisoned for some time in the original Castle! Also Harry Houdini was born near to the Castle (I think....there is a museum close!) As usual I had 3 manic hours to take photos of Buda and Pest. Also as usual during harsh sunlight and peak tourist times. Managed to get round most of the sites I wanted at a pace, but had a bit of a disaster later in the day...... more on that later. For anyone wondering if it is worth a visit just go. Like Prague it will blow you away.

Vajdahunyad Castle (Hungarian: Vajdahunyad vára) is a castle in the City Park of Budapest, Hungary. It was built between 1896 and 1908 as part of the Millennial Exhibition which celebrated the 1000 years of Hungary since the Hungarian Conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895. The castle was designed by Ignác Alpár to feature copies of several landmark buildings from different parts the Kingdom of Hungary, especially the Hunyad Castle in Transylvania (now in Romania). As the castle contains parts of buildings from various time periods, it displays different architectural styles: Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. Originally it was made from cardboard and wood, but it became so popular that it was rebuilt from stone and brick between 1904 and 1908. Today it houses the Agricultural Museum of Hungary, the biggest agricultural museum in Europe.

SecretGarden :Silence Speaks My lovely Friends -I wish you good and amazing whole new week! All the best and only beautiful things on your ways...... Bea:-))) Kisses : see this place in large Niedzica Castle (lat. castrum de Dunajecz, hu. Nedec Váralja or Nedec-Vár, ger. Sub-Arx Unterschloss), also known as Dunajec Castle, is located in the southernmost part of Poland in Niedzica (Nowy Targ County in Lesser Poland). It was erected between the years 1320 and 1326 by Rodric from Tyrol on the site of an ancient stronghold surrounded by earthen walls in the Pieniny mountains. The Niedzica Castle stands at an altitude of 566 m, on a hill 300 m upstream from the Dunajec River mouth, measured from the center of the dam on Czorsztyn Lake. The outline of Niedzica Castle can best be viewed from the ruins of Czorsztyn Castle on the other side of the lake. It is known as one of the most picturesque castles in the country and adorns the covers of many books. History The castle was an important centre of Polish-Hungarian relations since the 14th century. It was a place where the money lent by the Polish king to the Hungarian king Sigismund had to be returned following an agreement signed in 1412. Once the loan was paid back, the Polish king returned the 16 Spiš towns given to him by Sigismund as collateral. For centuries the castle was a border-post with Hungary. At the time of the Turkish invasion five hundred years ago, a deal was struck at Niedzica to make it a Polish protectorate. The castle was built by a Hungarian known as Kokos from Brezovica with family rights dating back to 1325. In 1470 it became the property of the aristocratic Zápolya family. However, in 1528, the entire county including the castle was given away by John Zápolya aspiring to the Hungarian throne, and became the property of Viliam Drugeth who received it as a reward for his support. Sixty years later it became the property of Hieronim Łaski and his son Olbracht. At the end of the 16th century the castle was bought by Ján Horváth from Plaveč. The fortress was renovated many times in the fifteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth and in the beginning of the 19th century by its successive owners. The last Hungarian inhabitants remained there until in 1943 when the coming of the front in World War II inspired the Salomon family to abandon it. The last countess left with her children two years before the Red Army marched in. The final reconstruction of the castle was completed in 1963 under the supervision of the Polish Ministry of Culture. It has served as a historical museum ever since. Please NOTE and RESPECT the copyright. ©bea.kotecka photography - All rights reserved.