2000 - june - august

Szentendre

This small town - which is actually not so small - is located 20 kms north of Budapest on the bank of the river Danube. Its residents are rightly very proud of their town, whose centre looks just like a jewel case. Szentendre is a "compulsory destination of pilgrimage" for all guests arriving in Hungary; it is such an enchanting and captivating place, that the writer of these lines can not withdraw himself under the town's influence even after several hundreds of visits.

    Thanks to the extremely favourable location of the area - lies in a valley surrounded by the Buda hills and the Visegrád hills on the right side of the river Danube - it has been continually inhabited since prehistoric times. The Romans established a town here called Ulcisia Castra (Wolf Camp). Its current name, which it has probably received from the Apostle Andrew (Endre), patron saint of the Visegrád Basilica, was first mentioned in a Latin charter originating from 1146.
    Its closeness to Esztergom, Visegrád and Buda, which were royal residences in medieval times, and the fact that the road connecting these residences passed through Szentendre contributed greatly to the development of the town. A new chapter began in the life of Szentendre in the 16th century, when a large number of Serbians settled here, to escape from the expanding Turks. Another wave of refugees arrived only 40 years later, and the many new constructions and customs of these Southern people left an increasingly characteristic mark on the small town. However, during Hungary's Turkish occupation between 1540 and 1686, Szentendre lost most of its population. The old settlers of Szentendre died out together with the indigenous Hungarians, but the fame of this northern settlement stayed alive in the south, and when Belgrade was again occupied by the Turks in 1690, another huge wave of refugees arrived from the south.
    A small but bustling town of farmers and traders developed here in the 18th century, which had strong southern characteristics, especially due to the Serbian influence, and an episcopacy of the Eastern Church was set up here, which had as many as 9 parsonages just in Szentendre.
    Szentendre's current image as a small town developed in those years, when many wooden buildings were replaced by public and residential buildings made of brick and stone, showing Turkish and Slavic characteristics and evoking a Mediterranean feel. Development came to a sudden halt in the 19th century. Although the wind of industrialisation did sweep through Szentendre, but farming and vine-growing still remained the main occupation of local residents. That's why the vine-pest of 1880 was considered such a huge natural disaster by locals. It was something they were unable to recover from, so with a lot of unbelievably hard work the vineyards were replaced by orchards. These have remained famous ever since, and currently Szentendre and its area are some of the largest fruit suppliers, and especially gooseberry suppliers for Budapest. The majority of the Serbian inhabitants assimilated in the meantime, and some of the settlers moved back to Serbia. Of the descendents of these settlers, there are hardly a dozen of Serbian families who still live in Szentendre today. Even to wander around in this town is unforgettably delightful, but if it is some cultural experience you are after, then it is worth visiting some of the numerous museums, art-galleries and churches.
    Without trying to be exhaustive, and sampling some very different types of spectacles, we can start the tour on the highest point of Szentendre, the Church square, which offers a beautiful view over the river Danube and the town. The history of the Roman Catholic church we find on this square goes back to the 13th century. The building got its current shape in the 18th century, but it also has Roman, Gothic and Baroque characteristics in it. Whichever way we start the tour, we will come across several museums. Starting off in the direction of the Danube, the closest building is the Károly Ferenczy Museum, which was originally built more than 200 years ago as a Serbian orthodox school. Today it hosts an art exhibition presenting works of the Ferenczy family. Next door is the Margit Kovács Museum which presents the distinctive ceramics of the artist. This 18th century building was originally used as a salt-depot, then as a post office, and later as a commercial house. Next we may tempt you to visit a real original exhibition. Hungary's first and largest marzipan museum may be found in Jenõ Dumtsa street, running parallel with the Danube. The famous confectioner Szabó dynasty prepared the sweet marzipan figures exhibited here, which include such delicacies as a life-size chocolate figure of Michael Jackson or the small version of the Houses of Parliament.
    Hungary's first Open-Air Ethnographical Museum is only 2 kms north of the town centre, at the foot of the Pismány Hill. From the road we may see the Mándok Greek-Catholic church standing on top of the hill, and it is worth exploring the entire 46-hectare area. There are dwelling houses, workshops, churches and wooden towers originating from various different areas of Hungary, and they faithfully represent many characteristics of folk architecture from Hungary as well as architecture of some neighbouring countries at around the turn of the last century. Old altar-stones, sarcophaguses and various carvings are presented in the museum of Roman stonework remains.
    The small streets of Szentendre wind around in a rather haphazard way, which makes the town difficult to survey. In addition, the many tiny alleys, lanes and staircases make the structure of the town even more complicated. However, all this is very much part and particle of the Szentendre townscape, and the picturesque irregularities, the sets of interconnecting streets, squares and alleys make Szentendre so attractive, unique and matchless.