2001 - june

A Bridge From The Past Into The Future

The word "heritage" usually conjures up some kind of a relative, or a deceased friend, who has left behind his/her material or intellectual goods for us, in order that we safeguard them with proper care and pass them on to future generations. The world's cultural heritage is somewhat similar. The Unesco World Heritage Committee and List were established in line with a UN agreement in 1972, and the list includes those natural and cultural properties that are considered to have universal value for humankind. Each nation has its own unique treasures that also bear a universal value and hence they are worthy of international esteem and awareness.
Hungary boasts with five such properties. The following is a description of these.

Hollókő and the Surrounding Nature Reserve

The village has 55 protected buildings, and it is indeed a jewel box that welcomes visitors in a condition unchanged from the beginning of the 20th century. Almost every building conceals a museum or a folk art shop, heralding the beauty of Palóc art and architecture from northern Hungary. Certainly, civilisation has pushed into this village, as well, but the locals have managed to hide all of its signs very discreetly.
Several events are held at Hollókő each year to maintain traditions or to celebrate certain holidays, such as the Easter Festival, the Corpus Christi Festival, the Palóc Folklore Festival, the Castle Days and the Grape Harvest. The surrounding areas offer excellent possibilities for hikes, cycle trips, riding, hunting and angling.

The Benedictine Archabbey of Pannonhalma

Prince Géza, father of the state-founder King Saint Stephen, invited the first Benedictine monks from Germany, who settled here with the aim to convert the pagan Hungarians. Simultaneously with establishing the abbey, they found the country's first monastic school. Saint Stephen endorsed the abbey with rights and privileges in 1002, being the starting point of the Christian mission in western Hungary. The first church and the abbey were built in the 11th century, followed by the current church and crypt in the 13th century. One of the most beautiful monuments from this age is the Porta Speciosa, which can still be seen at Pannonhalma today. The centuries that followed saw both the size and the importance of the abbey gradually increasing. They collected unique and very valuable archives, and also functioned as an educational institution from the 18th century. A secondary school was established here before World War 2, which was considered as the country's most modern school at the time. The Saint Gellért Theological College also operates here. In addition to the basilica and the crypt, it is worth visiting the library and an exhibition presenting the history and collections of the abbey. As a result of the fact that there is an active monastic community living here, visitors are mostly welcome if arranged in advance. The relics of the archabbey can only be viewed with a local guide.

Budapest: the Buda Castle Quarter and the Banks of the Danube

According to the official wording of the World Heritage list, "the panorama over the two banks between Margaret Bridge and the Gellért Hill, and the Buda castle quarter" has been awarded with the honourable world heritage membership.
Construction of the Buda castle was started 750 years ago. A 100 years later, when the royal seat was moved from Visegrád to Buda, the predecessor of the current castle was built, which was renovated in the 15th century, initially in gothic style, then later in the spirit of Quattro cento. The castle quarter is currently Budapest's most important cultural centres, including several museums and the country's largest library.
The castle quarter offers a magnificent sight even under the ground. The network of caves found here is a unique geological formation.

Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst

Caves of this karstic area represent a geologically unified system in spite of the fact that they are divided by the border between Hungary and Slovakia. The two countries applied jointly for the World Heritage title for this site. This underground world is the first and so-far only natural property in Hungary that has met both the "outstanding on a world scale" and "preserved intact" requirements.
Limestone of 220-240 million years of age form this 60-hectare karstic area, where a total of 712 caves are currently recognised, with 262 of them opening on Hungarian territory. The most important cave is the 25-kilometre long Baradla-Domica cave system, which is the longest stalactite cave with an underground river in the temperate climatic zone. More than 500 cave and subterranean aquatic animals live in the unique and confined world of these caves.
A number of cave tours are organised every day in the Baradla cave, starting off between 8am and 6pm during the summer period and between 8am and 4pm in the rest of the year.

The Hortobágy National Park

The alkaline, grassland plains of the Hortobágy cover an area of 115 km2. It was declared a Natural Park in 1973, in an effort to preserve its flora and fauna.
The Hortobágy was once populated with booming villages and settlements. However, the Mongol invasion of Hungary in 1241-42, earlier attributed to the Tartar, followed by 150 years of Turkish rule almost completely emptied the area, where a unique pastoral life developed afterwards, and it remained characteristic until recent times. Currently. the Puszta attracts a great number of visitors because it has maintained much of its romantic air. The nine-arch bridge over the river Hortobágy is Hungary's longest stone bridge, and the nearby lookout tower offers a magnificent view over the endless plains.

Pécs Early Christian Cemetery

The latest Hungarian member of the World Heritage list is the early Christian cemetery of Pécs established in Roman times, on an area comprising of the Dóm Square located in front of the Pécs cathedral, and the Saint Stephen Square with its surrounding area. The World Heritage site of this five-thousand-year-old city includes the so-called Decanter Burial Chamber, the Early Christian Mausoleum and Late Roman Sepulchres. It is a unique architectural feature of the cemetery that the burial chambers are split-level and not catacombs, and their walls are decorated with paintings.