Matthias Fountain and Fair Ilonka

Budapest · Ungern · Palace

Fair Ilonka fell in love with a hunter in the forest. When she saw him again he wore a crown — and she wasted away with grief. The water in the fountain never turns warm.

In the palace courtyard Fair Ilonka stands in bronze, looking up at the man she could never have. The legend says King Matthias loved to hunt in disguise in the forests of Buda, and that one day he met a girl living alone with her old grandfather. She invited the stranger home, and they fell in love. Only at a parade in Buda did she understand who he was: the most powerful man in the country, forever out of reach. Ilonka went home, faded and died, and her grandfather followed soon after. When the king returned to the forest he found only an empty, crumbling house. Vörösmarty gave the story its classic form, and Buda locals say the fountain's water never turns warm. Alajos Stróbl's bronze from 1904 shows the moment before she understood, and that is what visitors return for.

FAQ

Where is Matthias Fountain and Fair Ilonka located?

Matthias Fountain and Fair Ilonka is in Budapest, Ungern.

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