Me in Hungary

[Azathoth]

So I was in Budapest a few weeks ago and decided to visit the old fort-town of Komarom/Komarno (the Komarno half is on the Slovakian side of the Danube). Komarom is a typical dingy-looking backwater, though Komarno looks a lot cleaner and bigger and even has some "skyscrapers".

I toured Fort Monostor, built after the 1848 Revolution by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is supposed to be the greatest fort in all of Central Europe or something like that. Here's a map and more info:

http://english.fortmonostor.hu/A417cb9cb7ba90.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Monostor
http://hungarystartshere.com/Fort-Mo...i-erod-Komarom
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache...1-5ff52fbe4dbd

Map:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Most of then photos I took were on the upper and right parts of the map, the right being the entrance and location of the 3 museums, all of which were closed because it was Monday. In fact, there are no guided tours on Mondays either, so I had to hoof it across the place with my mom, lurking in unlit subterranean chambers and tunnels. I'm pretty sure I even wandered into some Restricted Areas.

I can't really remember exactly where I was when I took all these photos, but I'll try to refer to the map to give you a better idea. Apologies for the crap quality, I had to scan these.

Me standing next to a cannon just inside the fort/outside the exit.

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Standing in some place a little bit north of the entrance.

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Standing next to some wash basins and latrines north of the exit/south of the stables.

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Standing next to an entrance in the Training/Stables region, maybe outside the left edge of the stables.

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Standing next to a window or firing slit (?) inside the stables or the area adjacent to them (east of the training/firing range area).

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Underground beneath the stables or training area.

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Standing next to a window in the left end of the stables overlooking the Soviet stuff.

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View of the southern area from a hillock south of the HQ/quarters. I clambered up using my mother's ancient Georgian mountain-climbing advice.

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A pile of rubble outside the HQ.

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A little cart for transporting ammo and equipment (I guess) inside the quarters, 2nd floor.

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Standing next to a room, maybe officers' quarters, or maybe some other room in the places I've been in so far. I can't remember.

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Standing on top of the HQ wall overlooking a pass which attackers would have had to run through while taking fire from all directions. I call it the "Canyon of Death", or maybe "Death Star Run".

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A better view of the Canyon of Death, going west.

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Atop the HQ wall, overlooking the Danube.

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The HQ and quarters from the north side. Some kind of assembly or drilling area.

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Pretending to be the commander.

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View from the Danube Bastion at the left corner of the fort. I don't think there was anything to see from the top, but I can't be sure as further progress was blocked by extremely thick foliage. I only saw the sign advising visitors to bring hiking boots, a flashlight, and a machete (optional) as I left the fort.

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Another Canyon of Death. I ran into the Casemate System (?) and this was on the left. Unfortunately, I ran in without looking and possibly stepped all over a huge pile of horse****.

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Me standing next to a Soviet howitzer, 150mm or thereabouts. I was running out of time here (I'd expected this whole thing to last 30 minutes, not a 100, so we basically just walked past the south end of the fort.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[A Very Super Market]

Cool. Forts are always so small in person.

[Aemilius Paulus]

Me standing next to a Soviet howitzer, 150mm or thereabouts.

For one, that is definitely not a howitzer. The barrel is too long. Secondly, it looks to be more of 122mm - the Soviets did not have anything of the 105mm calibre. That is a Western measure. And there were no 107mm howitzers, only 107mm divisional guns. So my best guess would be a 122mm divisional gun, with a small chance it could be a 107mm gun. [/pedant]



I love the photos though, you have so many. And you do look quite Georgian or Jewish . Either one, I am not quite sure which is more evident.

[Azathoth]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/152_mm_...er_M1955_(D-20)

So it's a gun-howitzer. I was 2/3 right.

Cool. Forts are always so small in person.

This fort is actually just like an iceberg - almost all of it is underground. Unfortunately, most of that is pitch-black, and I didn't want to trip over the century-old skeleton of some guy who got lost in the tunnels.

I mixed up a couple of the photos, fixed.

[CBR]

For one, that is definitely not a howitzer. The barrel is too long. Secondly, it looks to be more of 122mm...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Howitzer_D-20.jpg

Looks pretty similar don't you think


edit:gah too late

[Husar]

Nice pictures, I do notice though that the same annoying guy is in almost all of them.

Ok, j/k, hope you had fun.

[Kralizec]

I was in Budapest myself a month ago but only a day or so. I didn't really see any towns in the vicinty so I didn't see that particular fort.

In the Buda side of the city I did see this one though.

[HunGeneral]

Nice pictures you've got there.

I go past near Fort Monostori by train almost every week, but didn't have a chance to visit it yet. These photos convinced me to check it out sometimes.

If you really like forts and should travel to Hungary any time then I would suggest you also visit the Castle at Eger.

Fort Monostor being built from 1850 - 1871 was might have been the biggest and (for a while) the most advanced Fort in Central Europe in its time, but had little role in History. It was primearly used as baracks and as a training center by the Royal Hungarian Army. Between 1945 and 1991 it was the biggest weaponry storage of the Soviet occupation forces in the country - so no wonder they left some stuff behind.

Castle Eger despite it being a rather mediocre Castle of the Medieval age had a great part in the Ottoman wars in the 16th century and is a wery popular site even today. I've been there several times and find it worth visiting.
(for more info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Eger)