History buffs may remember that the Ottomans were stopped at the gates of Vienna. They did occupy sometimes empire sister city Budapest for 200 years ending in 1686. Yes that did make a difference. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
The palace was built in a grand Gothic style for Hungarian Kings. The Ottomans used the complex as a fortification and armory with it’s finery long gone. Thus the return of the Hungarians must have seemed a restoration of civilization. This is captured well on the stamp by using Gyula Bencur’ s much later painting.
Todays stamp is issue A806, a 4 Forint stamp issued by the People’s Republic of Hungary on September 2nd, 1986. This was a single stamp issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 30 cents used.
Buda castle is located on the high ground facing the Danube River. The first Royal Residence there was built for Hungarian King Bela IV around 1250 AD. The last Royal occupant was Hapsburg Regent Admiral Miklos Horthy until 1944. The palace was greatly expanded in the Gothic style to serve as the main residence of Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund around 1400. Hungary evacuated the town before the arrival of the Ottomans in 1526. The town was looted and burned but the castle left intact. The treasures were carted back to Constantinople by Sultan Sulieman the Magnificent. He was not magnificent enough to preserve what he liberated as most was destroyed in rebellions there a few years later.
Budapest, it was three separate towns then, went into a decline during the Ottoman years. Those of Hungarian or German heritage mostly departed for the still Hapsburg ruled Royal Hungary. The population and importance of Budapest declined and in addition to Ottomans numbers of Gypsies and Jews increased. With no local Royals to house, Buda Castle became an Armory. In 1686 troops of 13 Christian European nations fought to retake Budapest from the Ottomans. During the fighting the armory that was Buda Castle exploded. The force was so great that a wave on the Danube wiped out artillery batteries on both sides of the river. The Castle was a ruin but was later rebuilt in even a grander style by Hapsburg Queen Marie Theresa as thanks for Hungarian support of her during the War of Austrian succession. The elaborate grounds were the center of Hungarian political life.
During World War II, Buda Castle was again destroyed. The Germans in defeat had hoped for a Stalingrad like turnaround in Budapest. It was hoped to bog down the Soviets in winter house to house fighting in Budapest while German tank units encircle them. The Germans were not able to encircle the Soviets, they got within 20 miles of it. There was however much house to house fighting with the last holdouts being on the grounds of Buda Castle.
Interestingly the post war Red government decided to rebuild Buda Castle not in the Hapsburg style but more as it was at the time before the Ottomans. Medieval Castles were also of course fortifications and the war had showed that what happened before could always happen again.
Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast the residents of modern Budapest. In October, I enjoyed a great trip there were I was able to wonder the grounds of Buda Castle as well as enjoy the excellent food and drink and yes tour their stamp museum. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.