Hungary’s Largest Church

The towns situated on the banks of the Danube tend to show their best faces to those approaching by boat. At Esztergom (A4), Hungary’s ecclesiastical centre and seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop, the Basilica and the walls of the ancient castle rise imposingly on the Danube’s right bank. The Basilica, as well as being Hungary’s largest church, is noteworthy for its remarkable altarpiece depicting the Assumption, which is the largest single-canvas oil-painted altarpiece in the world.
The church’s stately interior contains Hungary’s finest complete Renaissance monument, the Bakócz Chapel, built from red marble in the early 1500’s. The Cathedral Treasury is the richest in Hungary. In the nearby Bishop’s Palace is a Christian Museum noted for its valuable collection of fine arts.
The first fortress was built on Castle Hill in 972, and it was here that the founder of the Hungarian State and Church, King Saint Stephen, was born, earning the town’s epithet “Cradle of Hungary”. The twelfth century castle chapel and one of the symbols of Esztergom, the rose window, vividly recall the importance of the former palace building.

Central Europe’s Largest Mediaeval Castle Keep

The stretch of the river known as the Danube Bend is one of the most attractive parts of all Hungary. The river follows the form of a double “S” shape, which it carved out for itself between the hills after the last Ice Age. The town of Visegrád (B4) is in the most picturesque part. The town’s principal monuments are the thirteenth century citadel perched high on the hill and the fourteenth century royal palace at the bottom. Their golden age was the time of the Renaissance King, Matthias, noted for his discerning taste. He added terraces, a grand courtyard, a red marble ornamental well and baths. Guests visiting from far and wide regularly likened the palace to a paradise on earth. After Matthias’ time the buildings fell into ruins, were completely destroyed by fire and buried by mud and rocks tumbling down the hillside. Now, however, thanks to decades of archćological excavation and painstaking research, the palace’s Renaissance grand courtyard has been faithfully reconstructed.
Similarly, by reconstruction of a section of the original walls, visitors to the Citadel can appreciate how strong a fortress it would have been in its heyday. This is the finest lookout point anywhere on the Danube Bend. The nearby thirteenth century castle keep, the largest anywhere along the line of the Danube, has survived the ages completely intact. The five-storey, 31 metre high hexagonal Salamon’s Tower today houses original wells and statues found during the excavations of the Renaissance palace.

Most Visited Little Town

Whoever visits Szentendre (C5), the most picturesque little town along the Hungarian stretch of the Danube, and home to sculptors and painters, is not likely to forget it. The town is a charming monument to the eighteenth century, with its undulating cobbled streets and unexpected alleyways, and if it exudes something of a Mediterranean atmosphere then that’s probably thanks to the Serbs, Dalmatians and Greeks who settled here from the fourteenth century onwards. Szentendre is famed for its seven churches – among them a bishopric of the Greek Orthodox Church – its rich museums, exhibitions of contemporary art, galleries and wonderful eating places. Hungary’s largest open-air ethnological museum, or skansen, is situated at the edge of the town. Its old peasant houses, church and handicraft workshops are well worth visiting.