HUNGARY Szentendre
Szentendre is the jewel box of the Danube Bend
The history of Szentendre
Szentendre is located in a beautiful environment. The city of artists and culture is located 8 km from Budapest in the Danube Bend. You can come across countless museums, churches, galleries, historic buildings and other interesting sights while walking through the city's streets with a Mediterranean atmosphere. The city's population barely reached four thousand people until the 1870s. The area of the city was already inhabited in prehistoric times, but the city was depopulated several times over the centuries. Starting from the 14th century, groups of different nationalities settled here. By 1872, the city of Szentendre had assumed an urban character, and both the public administration and the infrastructure allowed it to truly function as a city.
Sights of Szentendre
Main square
Fő tér is the center of the city. It was also the location of social and economic life in the Middle Ages. The Kalmár Cross, the symbol of the city, can be found here. The square was the center of the former Serbian quarter. The national road from Buda, Visegrád and Pilis converged on the main square, thus forming the triangular square. The cross in the middle of the square was erected in 1763. The houses shown here were once the homes of mostly Serbian merchants.
St. John the Baptist Church and St. Peter-Paul Church
It is the oldest building in Szentendre, its foundations were laid between 1241 and 1283. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style in the 14th century, and again in the Baroque style in 1710. It acquired its present form in 1741. Its tower is 29 meters high. The St. Peter-Pál church was built in 1751. It took on the name in 1856, and in 1942 the church was taken over by the Catholics. The church, which was renovated in 1989, was rebuilt in 1991 by II. Pope John Paul II also visited it.
Belgrade Cathedral and Blagovestenszka Eastern Greek Church
The tower of the Cathedral was built between 1732 and 1734, the rest of the building was completed in 1763. Descendants of Serbs from Belgrade built the church. Among the churches in Szentendre, this is the most decorated, but not the largest. The interior and furnishings of the cathedral, which is 32 meters long, 14 meters wide and 15 meters high, are extremely valuable. Serbs, Greeks, Dalmatians and Bosnians fleeing the Turks settled in Szentendre, mostly in the area between today's Fő tér and the Danube. Here, in the eastern half of the Main Square, the Blagovestenszka Eastern Greek Church was built, the foundations of which were laid in 1752. It was consecrated in 1754.
The Dunakorzó
The Danube promenade in Szentendre is one of the most popular parts of the city among tourists and locals alike. The korzó awaits visitors on a 2 km stretch where you can find cozy accommodations and restaurants. The ferry connecting Szentendré and Szigetmonostor runs regularly throughout the year. Those who like cultural tours can visit a number of museums in the small street along Korzó.
The Ethnographic Museum of Szentendre
The open-air museum, which is part of the Danube-Ipoly National Park, was founded in 1967 and is the largest museum of its kind in Hungary. Permanent and temporary exhibitions can be viewed here. Visitors can learn about folk architecture, housing culture and rural lifestyle from the 18th to the 20th century. More than 300 original and relocated buildings await those interested in a contemporary environment on an area of 63 hectares.
Program recommendation
Ferenczy Museum
The Ferenczy Museum offers countless programs for relaxation with its regularly renewed program offer and temporary exhibitions. Art Capital, the largest fine arts festival in Central and Eastern Europe, is held here.
Ticket price: 1700 Ft/main
Serbian Church Museum
The episcopal treasury of Szentendre forms the basis of the exhibition. The most significant Hungarian Orthodox collection can be found here. Most of the works are from the 18th century. comes from the century
Ticket price: 1000 Ft/main
Kmetty Museum
The oeuvre of János Kmetty can be viewed in the museum, which was opened in 1981. After a long break following the renovation, the museum will welcome visitors again from 2018. The permanent exhibition presents the various creative periods of the artist.
Ticket price: 1700 Ft/main
Margit Kovács Ceramic Museum
We can view the oeuvre of the Kossuth prize-winning ceramic artist Margit Kovács. The museum was opened in 1973. We can see a collection of his outdoor and public works.
Ticket price: 1700 Ft/main
Szentendre weather forecast