During the reign of Maria Theresa – Queen of Hungary and Croatia from 1740 until 1780 – a U-shaped palace was added to the castle with a central courtyard (cour d’honneur). The façade was designed by Franz Hillebrandt in 1765. This is one of four buildings at Buda Castle constituting the Hungarian National Gallery. Magyar Nemzeti Galéria was founded in 1957, yet the museum’s collection of over 100,000 pieces began in 1839. The permanent exhibits include Hungarian art and artifacts, some dating back over 500 years.
