Citadella, Military fortress on Gellért Hill, Budapest, Hungary.

The Citadella is a fortress on Gellért Hill with strong stone walls that occupy the summit and provide wide views over the city. From the entrance, visitors can explore the grounds along paved paths and visit different areas including cannons and a statue.

The Citadella was begun in 1850 on plans by Austrian engineer Emmanuel Zitta, with Ferenc Kasselik directing construction, and finished by 1856 using Hungarian forced labour. Austrian troops moved into its casemates in 1854. After the 1867 Compromise the Hungarians demanded its demolition; the garrison left in 1897 and the city took possession in 1899. In 1956 Soviet troops occupied it and fired down into the city.

The Liberty Statue on the eastern side represents independence for visitors and shapes how people experience this location today. It draws the eye from the city below and becomes a focal point as you climb the hill.

The fortress stands on the 235-metre plateau of Gellért Hill, reached by the Szirtes út road built in the 1960s; the summit paths and the road around the former fort were laid out by 1965. The site was closed and abandoned from 2014 and reopened on 5 April 2026 after years of renovation, so check current access before climbing.

The Citadella's casemates served as an air-defence base for German and Hungarian troops during the siege of Budapest, with depots and a dressing station set up inside. Damage to the ramparts from that fighting stayed visible until the renovations begun in the early 2020s.