Sándor Palace (Hungarian: Sándor-palota, pronounced [ˈʃaːndor ˈpɒlotɒ]) is a palace in Budapest, Hungary. Located beside the Buda Castle complex in the ancient Castle District, it has served as the official residence and workspace of the president of Hungary since 2003.
Sándor Palace is the 37th largest palace in present-day Hungary.
Buda Castle (Hungarian: Budavári Palota, German: Burgpalast), formerly also called the Royal Palace (Hungarian: Királyi-palota) and the Royal Castle (Hungarian: Királyi Vár, German: Königliche Burg), is the historical castle and palace complex of the Hungarian kings in Budapest. First completed in 1265, the Baroque palace that occupies most of the site today was built between 1749 and 1769, severely damaged during the Siege of Budapest in World War II, and rebuilt in a simplified Baroque style during the state communist era. Presently, it houses the Hungarian National Gallery, the Budapest Historical Museum, and the National Széchényi Library.
The palace complex sits on the southern tip of Castle Hill (Hungarian: Várhegy). Its defensive walls extend to surround the entire Castle Quarter (Várnegyed) neighborhood to its north, which is well known for its medieval, Baroque, and neoclassical houses, churches, and other monuments. Several prominent government buildings, including Sándor Palace and the Carmelite Monastery of Buda, are located in the Castle Quarter. Locally, this neighborhood and the palace are collectively called a Vár (lit. 'the Castle').
Buda (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈbudɒ], German: Ofen) is the part of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary, that lies on the western bank of the Danube. Historically, "Buda" referred only to the royal walled city on Castle Hill (Hungarian: Várhegy), which was constructed by Béla IV between 1247 and 1249 and subsequently served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1361 to 1873. In 1873, Buda was administratively unified with Pest and Óbuda to form modern Budapest.
Royal Buda is called the Várnegyed (lit. 'Castle Quarter') today, while "Buda" pars pro toto denotes Budapest's I., II., III., XI., XII. and XXII. districts. This colloquial definition thus includes medieval Óbuda and amounts to a third of the city's total area, much of it forested. Buda's landmarks include the Royal Palace, Matthias Church, the Citadella, Gellért Baths, the Buda Hills, the Carmelite Monastery of Buda, and the residence of the President of Hungary, Sándor Palace.