Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
with chestnut trees and weeping willows, Gesztenye fasor and Kis-Duna sétány form a lovely
shady promenade frequented by lovers and anglers.
Mária Valéria híd
Further west along Táncsics Mihály utca, the reconstructed
Mária Valéria híd
links Eszter-
gom with Slovak Štúrovo (also signposted as Párkány, its Hungarian name), five minutes'
stroll across the river. Blown up by retreating Germans at the end of World War II, the bridge
was left in ruins until an agreement to rebuild it was finally signed in 1999 after years of
bilateral negotiations, with the European Union footing the bill. It seems only fair that EU
citizens can
walkintoSlovakia
with barely a flourish of their passports - other nationalities
may need visas. Bring your passport anyway.
The lower town
From Prímás-sziget, it's an easy walk into the lower town, which has borne the brunt of the
town's ongoing problems - as evidenced by the numerous boarded-up buildings. Largely
devoid of life, the area's civic focus is the sprawling, pedestrianized
Széchenyi tér
, framed
by an imposing
Town Hall
with Rococo windows that once belonged to Prince Rákóczi's
general, János Bottyán. It's markedly quieter than nearby Rákóczi tér, the hub of everyday
life with its supermarkets, banks and outdoor
market
running off along Simor János utca.
Stop for cake and coffee at the Art Nouveau
Központi Kávéház
on the corner of Vörösmarty
utca before exploring the backstreets beyond.
Danube Museum
Duna Múzeum • Kölcsey utca 2 • Daily except Tues: May-Oct 9am-5pm; Nov-April 10am-4pm; closed Jan •
700Ft •
dunamuzeum.hu
The
Danube Museum
mounts a visitor-friendly exhibition on the history and hydrology of
Hungary's great rivers, the Danube and the Tisza. Interactive models, videos and a children's
section explain the principles of fluid hydraulics, regulating rivers and disaster relief during
floods, which are not uncommon on this stretch of the Danube; the most recent floods oc-
curred in 2013, comfortably beating previous record levels.
Szent Tamás-hegy
To get a final overview of the lower town, walk up Imaház utca past a flamboyant, Moorish-
style edifice that was once Esztergom's synagogue and is now a
Cultural Centre
(Művelődési Ház) with a variety of programmes. Shortly afterwards you'll find a flight of
steps leading to
SzentTamás-hegy
(St Thomas's Hill), a rocky outcrop named after the Eng-
lish martyr Thomas à Becket. A
chapel
was built here in his honour by Margaret Capet,
whose English father-in-law, Henry II, prompted Thomas's assassination by raging “Who
will rid me of this turbulent priest?” Even after her husband died and Margaret married Béla
IIIofHungary,herconsciencewouldnotletherforgetthesaint.Theexistingchapel(postdat-
ing the Turkish occupation) is fronted by a trio of life-size statues representing Golgotha.
