Visegrád - Solomon Tower
As part of the lower castle the Vizibástya on the banks of the Danube was connected to the Solomon tower by a wall and served as a watch tower for the waterway and the palace's water supply. The multi-storied Romanesque construction was an obstacle to laying a road and so was torn down. The reconstruction was built on the same site in 1937.
The hexagonal originally 311m (102ft) high Solomon torony (walls up to 8m (26ft) thick!) is an impressive relic of the Visegrád lower castle.
The hexagonal originally 311m (102ft) high Solomon torony (walls up to 8m (26ft) thick!) is an impressive relic of the Visegrád lower castle.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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The road along the river bank was surveyed from here. A popular explanation of its name is that in the 11th C. King Solomon, who was under the protection of Emperor Henry IV was kept prisoner here by the Hungarian aristocracy. However, this cannot apply to the present tower as it was not built until the 13th C.
The tower, which suffered damage during the Turkish wars, has been successfully restored and houses a museum with finds from the former splendid palace.
In the Anjou room on the ground floor is the superbly crafted Anjou fountain from the second half of the 13th C, a major work of medieval Hungarian stonemasonry, which in its present form is the result of exemplary reconstruction out of numerous minute original pieces. King Matthias removed it from the courtyard of the royal palace in the 15th C and replaced it with a "modern" Renaissance style Hercules fountain which is in the adjoining Matthias room. This valuable red marble fountain is thought to be the work of an Italian sculptor from the circle of the Florentine artist Desiderio da Settignano. He is also thought to have sculpted various other works in the royal palace which are kept in the Solomon tower, including the red marble Madonna relief from the high altar of the palace chapel, which earned him the name "master of the marble madonnas". Remnants of the lion fountain which stood in the royal private garden of the palace, can also be seen in the Matthias room. On the top floor of the Solomon tower the medieval vaulting has been reconstructed by means of metal netting. There is a marvelous view over the Danube and the Visegrád Hills from the roof terrace.
The tower, which suffered damage during the Turkish wars, has been successfully restored and houses a museum with finds from the former splendid palace.
In the Anjou room on the ground floor is the superbly crafted Anjou fountain from the second half of the 13th C, a major work of medieval Hungarian stonemasonry, which in its present form is the result of exemplary reconstruction out of numerous minute original pieces. King Matthias removed it from the courtyard of the royal palace in the 15th C and replaced it with a "modern" Renaissance style Hercules fountain which is in the adjoining Matthias room. This valuable red marble fountain is thought to be the work of an Italian sculptor from the circle of the Florentine artist Desiderio da Settignano. He is also thought to have sculpted various other works in the royal palace which are kept in the Solomon tower, including the red marble Madonna relief from the high altar of the palace chapel, which earned him the name "master of the marble madonnas". Remnants of the lion fountain which stood in the royal private garden of the palace, can also be seen in the Matthias room. On the top floor of the Solomon tower the medieval vaulting has been reconstructed by means of metal netting. There is a marvelous view over the Danube and the Visegrád Hills from the roof terrace.
Hours
May 1 to October 31
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Closed | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 | 9:00 |
| Close | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 | 17:00 |
