Esztergom

A town with 30,000 inhabitants situated on the right bank of the Danube. Many schools make it the cultural centre of the surrounding district and it is the centre of the Roman Catholic Church in Hungary. http://www.esztergom.hu/fotok.htm

People lived on Var-hegy (Castle Hill) at Esztergom even in the stone age. The Romans built a military camp on top of the hill in the 1st century. The Hungarians settled there soon after the conquest and Prince Geza shifted his headquarters to Esztergom. According to tradition Saint Stephen the first Hungarian king was born and crowned there. Later Szekesfehervar became the place of coronation, but the performance of the ceremony remained the duty and privilege of the Archbishop of Esztergom. The present image of Esztergom took shape after the Turkish era, when archbishop returned to the town.

The work of rebuilding the Maria-Valeria bridge, which was demolished in 1944 at the end of the World War II, begins in this year. The new bridge will provides permanent connection between Esztergom, Hungary and Sturovo, Slovakia. Nowadays you can use a ferry-boat to visit Sturovo.

The medieval Royal Palace

It was on the top of Var-hegy overlooking the Danube and the town. In the end of the 12th century King Bela III. had an ornate and considerably larger palace that built above the palace of Saint Stephen. Early in the 13th century, the ownership of the palace passed to the archbishop. It become the headquarters of the Hungarian Roman Catholic Church. The palace decayed during the Turkish wars and in the 18th century. The exploration of the remains only began in 1930. The remaining parts of the Royal Palace, which is surrounded by walls from the 14th century, can be viewed in a restored state. Today the palace is the home of a historical museum, which contains the oldest living room in Hungary, where St Stephen was born, the study of archbishops with Renaissance frescoes and the remains of the 12th century royal chapel.

The Classicist Basilica (the Principal Cathedral)

The Basilica dominates the whole town. This is the largest church in Hungary is the site of an old church founded by St Stephen. Construction work went on for decades and the cathedral was finally finished in the late 1860s. The main entrance is on the eastern side. The vestibule is shaped by 22 m high Corinthian columns. The most impressive part of the building is the cupola soaring to a height of 100 meters. It is supported by 24 columns arranged in a circle. The cupola may be visited. It provide an excellent view to the town and the Danube.

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