Budapest Guide
Gellért-hegy and the Tabán
Gellért-hegy
Surmounted by the Liberation Monument and the Citadella, Gellért-hegy makes a distinctive contribution to Budapest's skyline. The hill is named after the Italian missionary Ghirardus (Gellért in Hungarian), who converted pagan Magyars to Christianity at the behest of King Stephen. After his royal protector's demise, vengeful heathens strapped Gellért to a barrow and toppled him off the cliff, where a larger-than-life statue of St Gellért now stands astride an artificial waterfall facing the Erzsébet híd, his crucifix raised as if in admonition to motorists.