1 Castle Hill
Restored Habsburg glory
he limestone plateau where the Royal Palace stands – built in the 13th century, after Mongol attacks, and much developed since into an extensive complex of excellent museums – is called Castle Hill. When it was being reconstructed after getting badly damaged in the Second World War, historians made an interesting decision. Rather than rebuild it as it had been in 1939, the 19th and 20th-century additions were stripped away to recreate a Habsburg-era townscape. As well as visiting the