Batthyany Square (Batthyany ter) is a historic public square on the Buda bank of the Danube in Budapest, occupying a prime riverside position directly opposite the Hungarian Parliament Building on the Pest side of the river. The square is one of the most important transport interchanges and one of the most attractive historic squares of the Buda side, and offers what is widely regarded as the finest head-on view of the great neo-Gothic Parliament building across the water. The square is named after Count Lajos Batthyany, the first prime minister of Hungary during the revolution of 1848, who was executed by the Austrian authorities in 1849 and is one of the principal martyrs of the Hungarian national cause. The square developed as a market square in the eighteenth century - it was originally known as the Upper Market Square (Felso Piac ter) - and the surrounding buildings preserve a fine ensemble of Baroque and eighteenth-century architecture, including several former merchant houses and the elegant former White Cross Inn where Casanova is said to have stayed. The dominant building on the square is the twin-towered Baroque Church of Saint Anne (Szent Anna-templom), built between 1740 and 1762, one of the finest Baroque churches in Budapest, with a richly decorated interior and a facade that faces directly onto the riverfront. The square also holds the Saint Elizabeth Parish Church and the former Saint Francis monastery, and the elegant nineteenth-century market hall that anchors the northern side of the square and still functions as a food market and shopping arcade. The square is one of the principal transport hubs of the Buda side, with the M2 metro line, the H5 suburban railway to Szentendre, several tram and bus routes and the riverside tram all converging at the square. The riverside embankment in front of the square offers the celebrated panoramic view across the Danube to the Hungarian Parliament, which is particularly spectacular when the building is floodlit at night, and the square is a popular gathering point and a regular stop on Budapest walking tours.

Type: Street

Address: Batthyany ter, Budapest, Hungary