After travelling through Eastern Europe for almost 3 weeks I had seen my fair share of castles, palaces and gardens. No matter how amazing those sights are, you are bound to get bored after a while, and I was itching to see something really different. After a little digging, we came across one of the most amazing sights I have seen in this part of the world – Buda Castle Labyrinth (Labirintus).
Buried deep beneath Buda Castle is a cave system spanning nearly 10km of passages and chambers. The caves have existed for nearly half a million years, carved by hot water springs in the limestone rock under Castle Hill. During WWII the caves housed 10,000 people as an air-raid shelter and survived even when the castle was destroyed.
Now the labyrinth is not just a series of passages, but a mysterious and interpretive exhibit. The dim lighting, music and sculpture create an eerie ambience and weave a web of paths leading through our history, world and identity. The exhibit has changed a few times over the years but always aims to be innovative.
It’s easy to spend around 2 hours here getting lost in the series of caves and examining the strange sculpture that pops out of every corner. Its a rather difficult to explain exhibit, but the passages are individually themed beginning with the Prehistoric Labyrinth and working its way through many collections until the haunting Pantheon (temple dedicated to all gods), when we see the remnants and relics of the human race.
I highly recommend visiting the Labyrinth for anyone who needs a break from the typical Budapest tourist circuit. Its a wonderful and thought-provoking display and one of my favorite sights in all of eastern Europe.
