Visegrád is a small town in the Pest County area of Hungary, north of Budapest. Its name comes from the Slavic for “the upper castle,” and it is so named for good reason. Though the town’s population numbers less than 2,000, Visegrád has no fewer than three castles.
Visegrád’s mountainous location near the Danube Bend makes it ideal for fortification. After the 13th-century Mongol invasion, Hungarian kings built the Upper Castle; 14th- and 15th-century kings expanded and renovated it and also constructed a Lower Castle connecting the Upper Castle with the Danube below. All of these were occupied by the Ottomans in the 15th century; the Upper Castle was damaged and never used again, but can be toured, while the lower castle houses the King Matthias Museum of Visegrád. There is also the Royal Palace, first built in the 14th century and rebuilt in numerous styles since then. It too was ruined by occupying Turks and was actually covered over by earth until it was excavated in the 20th century. Its structures and grounds are open for public tours.