Budapest Guide
Várhegy and central Buda
Szentháromság tér
Szentháromság tér (Holy Trinity Square) is the historic heart of Várhegy, named after an ornate Trinity Column erected in 1713 in thanksgiving for the abatement of a plague; a scene showing people dying from the Black Death appears on the plinth. To the southwest stands the former Town Hall, Buda having been a municipality until its unification with Pest and Óbuda in 1873; note the corner statue of Pallas Athene, bearing Buda's coat of arms on her shield.
Down the road at Szentháromság utca 7, the tiny Ruszwurm patisserie has been a pastry shop and café since 1827 and was a gingerbread shop in the Middle Ages. Its Empire-style decor looks much the same as it would have done under Vilmos Ruszwurm, who ran the patisserie for nearly four decades from 1884.
In the small park by the square, Tourinform can supply a free map of Várhegy and rent an audioguide for self-guided walks (3000Ft/3hr). Nearby is a touch-friendly scale model of the Mátyás Church and Fishermen's Bastion, labelled in Braille for blind visitors.