Lectori salutem!

The two tips of the Castle District of Buda have been home to eminent cultural and scholarly institutions for over half a century. Having revived from ruins after the Second World War, the one-time royal palace came to house what is presently known as the Budapest History Museum, the Hungarian National Gallery and eventually the National Széchenyi Library. Simultaneously, the former town palaces of the adjacent old civilian quarter were occupied by the humanities and social science research centers of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The best-known spot of the capital is not only the home of our academic community. The Castle District with its remarkable historical monuments and beautiful built environment hasbeen deservedly acknowledged by the UNESCO among the World Heritage Sites.

The Castle Hill of Buda rises above the capital as a natural lookout point whence one can gaze not merely onto the present, but also onto a true reflection of our past as preserved in monuments and stone. Our knowledge of this remarkable site is a shared heritage, we all cherish passed on from generations to generations. In our modern age of computers we are awash in information – almost as much as of the River Danube flow. It is no small task to find one's way in the sea of data – therefore experts in the field of historical studies and heritage preservation need to focus also on collecting, ordering and disseminating available materials for the interested public.

The concept of open access to knowledge should be a vital precondition of the public sphere. Bearing this in mind we launch our online database of architectural and municipal history of Buda Castle for the hopeful benefits of the general public in Hungary and abroad.

Budapest, 9^th December, 2013.