ABSTRACT
The history of the medieval city of Buda (Ofen in German) comprises the life and events of 300 years.1 Both the beginning and the end were the outcome of decisive events: two crushing military defeats of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1241 and 1541, which exerted a distinctive influence on both the foundation and the destruction of the city. The 150 years of Ottoman rule completely and irreversibly did away with Buda’s medieval population and its traditions along with its written heritage. To the detriment of history writing the most important archives were destroyed in the course of the years of war. The town archives vanished completely and, except for a few examples, the documents of the guilds have gone too. The main part of the royal archives, which could have supplemented the missing archives of the city, was also lost. Thus not only was the tradition transmitted by local people interrupted repeatedly, but the number of written documents of the past also decreased significantly. In fact, today just crumbs remain, mainly accidentally preserved fragments, which can only offer us an obscure and deformed picture.2
