Budapest - Gellért Hill

(Local Name: Gellért-hegy) Probably the most striking feature of the landscape of Budapest is the panoramic Gellért Hill (235m (771ft): a block of dolomite, the east flank of which falls steeply down to the Danube, while the west side consists of terraces. Along its geological fault several medicinal springs emerge which supply the Gellért Baths, Rudas Baths and Rác Baths.

The hill is named after St Gellért (St Gerald of Csanád), a Benedictine monk who did good works during the time of King Stephen I. He was made the first Magyar bishop, but died a martyr's death in 1046. On the northeast slope of Gellért Hill, above a man-made waterfall, stands a statue of St Gellért by Jankovits (1902).

The Citadel, built by the Austrians on the summit of Gellârt Hill after 1851, is still in good repair. Parts of the fortifications are open to the public.