Picture remnants of ancient walls. This is the Kőzépkori pesti városfal-emlékmű. Imagine medieval Pest. Its walls protected it from invaders. The first walls existed before 1241. They were built hastily during the Mongol invasion. They failed to prevent the city’s destruction.
The second wall was more substantial. Built between 1443 and 1479 it doubled Pest’s size. It stretched 2.2 kilometers. This impressive structure had gates like the Váci gate. The Hatvani gate and the Kecskeméti gate stood proudly. They were square multi-storied. They guarded the main roads leading from Pest.
Between the gates half-round towers stood guard. The walls were reinforced by moats and earthworks. Rómer Flóris commissioned Bergh Károly. Bergh documented a surviving section in 1869. He described the irregular stone walls. The mortar was sandy and poor in lime.
The walls were 1.9-1.7 meters wide. The gate towers were thicker. The walls reached heights of 9.6 to 10 meters. They featured unique molding. The parapet featured steps. These were 135 cm high and 255 cm long. The gaps between them were only 70 cm wide.
The loopholes showed the walls’ age. They predated widespread firearms. Some were even keyhole-shaped. The battlements were covered by sloping stones. The interior featured murder holes. These were created by narrowing the wall. A wooden walkway likely ran along this defensive corridor.
The second wall couldn’t withstand 16th-century weaponry. It survived sieges in 1542 and 1598. It fell in 1602. The city was retaken by Christians but later abandoned without a siege. Its strategic importance faded in the 17th century. Both Buda sieges in 1684 and 1686 saw the Turks burn Pest.
Pest expanded rapidly. New gates opened in the older walls. The Porta Nova appeared by 1785. Others opened at the Sütő street Gerlóczy street Ferenczy István street Királyi Pál street and Váci street near today’s Fővám Square. Building lots appeared along the wall’s inside and outside.
Sections of the wall were integrated into newer buildings. A half-round tower near Deák tér was demolished in 1786. The northern Danube rondell was removed by 1788. The Kecskeméti gate’s demolition was decided in 1794. The Ferenczy István street half-rondell also vanished in 1794. The Szépművészeti Bizottság supported these demolitions.
Today few sections remain. They are found in the Vámház körút Királyi Pál utca and Básty utca. Also in the Múzeum körút Ferenczy István utca Magyar utca Károly körút and Semmelweis utca. Some are in courtyards or incorporated into buildings. The Kálvin tér holds a memorial. The Corona Hotel’s bridge creates a gate-like shape echoing the Kecskeméti gate.
A visitor center on Királyi Pál utca 13/b opened in 2014. It showcases the wall’s history. A nearly 30-meter long 8-meter high section is visible here. This was restored in 1958 and again in 2022. The Bástyapark now offers access to the murder holes. This site and the Királyi Pál utca display show nearly 85 meters of wall. More may exist concealed within walls.
The Kőzépkori pesti városfal-emlékmű stands as a poignant reminder. It reminds us of Pest’s resilient past. It whispers stories of sieges and survival. It invites us to delve deeper into Budapest’s fascinating history.