Szentendre - History

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History

Szentendre today

If we travel North from Budapest on motorway No 11, holiday villages of the Danube bend are like beads of a necklace along the way. The first and biggest of the beads is Szentendre, a peaceful little town inhabited by a population of about 20.000. It takes 20 minutes to get to the town on road and app. 38 minutes by HÉV (local train). The town is situated on the Danube side and is an ideal place for water tourism. It is located in the rain shadow of the Pilis mountains and has more sunny days without rain than many others. If, however, you prefer to go hiking, the Pilis mountains are easily accessible. A great variety of cuisines were introduced in the area by the mixed settlers, so people fond of delicacies will not be disappointed either. The industrial area in the Southern part of the town is well separated from the populated area. There is no smog in Szentendre! Because of the pleasant weather a great number of weekend houses have been built on the hillsides surrounding the town. The population of Szentendre triples during the holiday season due to the large number of vacationers. You, too, are most welcome in our town!

Skanzen Szentendre is a town of arts and museums. It gives home to the Hungarian open Air Museum exhibiting the folklore architecture and culture of the Carpathean basin. One of the most visited museums of the whole country, the Kovács Margit Museum, is also located here. There are further 14 museums and art galleries acquainting visitors with the rich historical past and teeming life of arts. It is not by chance that the quietness of the little town and the closeness of the bustling metropolis of Budapest has drawn over one hundred artists here.

Amongst the line of villages and holiday resorts - Leányfalu built along the bank of the Danube, and the villages of Szentendre Island: Kisoroszi, Tahitótfalu, Pócsmegyer and Szigetmonostor - are very popular among tourists enjoying the water front. Tiny villages located in the Pilis, such as Pilisszentlélek, Pilisszentkereszt, Pilisszántó, Pilisszentlászló, Csobánka, Pilisborosjenõ, Pilisvörösvár, Üröm, Pomáz and Budakalász are untouched natural environments with clean air and are paradise for tourists, who enjoy outdoor activities.

History of Szentendre

Owing to its excellent geographical endowments, the town of Szentendre has been populated since the new stone age, its first known inhabitants being the Illyrians, who were followed by the Celtic Eraviscus tribe.

During the reign of Augustus Caesar, the town was occupied by the Romans and named Ulcisia Castra (wolf camp). It consisted of an auxiliary camp with civilian settlements surrounding it.

In the 4th century the name of the town changed to Castra Constantia. The ruins of the latter are hidden by a hill located between the "S" bend of highway M 11 and Bükkös Creek. Today, joined to its South-side, is the Roman Museum of Stonework Finds, an exhibition of numerous relics of the Roman era.

The well developed frontier system consisting of camps and watch-towers was swept away by migrating tribes in the 5th century. Their ruins, however, can be seen in several places on the banks of the Danube and Szentendre Island. Szentendre was a place of importance in the time of Lombards and became the tribal center for the Avars who followed.

During the Hungarian conquest of the country, the town was occupied by reigning prince Kurszán as a strategically important site. The first documented mention of the town originates from 1009. The medieval settlement was built around Church Hill. Its center was the church ordained in Saint Andrew's honour. The town has its name after him. The importance of the town guarded by the city wall increased after the 14th century as it was located half way between the reigning centers, Buda and Visegrád. During the Turkish occupation and wars, the population decreased gradually. Reformation, however, reached the native population before they settled from the right side of the bank of the Danube to Szentendre Island. Later on, Serbians and Germans have been settled in their places. We can still find Hungarian Calvinists villages on Szentendre Island.The town was repopulated again as a result of events at the Southern part of the country.

Serbian church In 1690 Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) was reoccupied by the Turks, and Serbs supporting the Habsburg emperor had to flee. Kaiser Leopold had more than 6000 Serbs settled down in Szentendre, giving them special privileges. As a result the Serbs of Szentendre did not join the war of independence led by the Hungarian reigning prince Rákóczi. Settlers came from various countries. Serbs from Opovatz, Chiprovatz, Pozharevatz and Belgrade as well as Greeks, Catholic Dalmatians and Bosnians, with each group settling in separate parts of the town. In the beginning, all of the communities - in the hope of returning back home - settled down only temporarily building separate wooden churches. Their hopes of returning home were shattered by the Karlóca peace treaty, thus in the 18th century, beautiful Baroque style stone churches were built to replace the old wooden ones.

The town soon became famous for its thriving trade, good wine and skillful craftsmen. Houses and warehouses of rich tradesmen can still be seen in the area bordered by Péter-Pál, Dumtsa Jenõ and Bercsényi Streets. The narrow houses of Serbian tradesmen are located around Fõ tér (Main Square) with a little shop on the ground floor, flat above and storage place in the attic. Narrow alleys join the houses together. The Dalmatian tradesmen and winegrowers lived around the Church Hill area. Later on, the Serbs moved back home. In 1815 42%, while in 1890 only 19% of the population were Serbs. Hungarians, Germans and Slovak population settled down here following the Serbs. The flourishing town of the 18th century started on the road of decay during the 19th century due to wars, natural disasters, rivalry among industrial establishments and, finally, because of phylloxera disease (a wine-pest). While other towns nearly bursted by the growth of riches, Szentendre remained a quiet little town retaining its Baroque features. The newly opened local railway line in 1888 brought the city of Budapest even closer to Szentendre.

Serbian churches became either Catholic or Calvinist ones. The Hungarian population of the town had become predominant by the 20th century. In 1926 the Art Foundation started to influence the characteristic features of the town. After World War II, new factories were built to replace the old ones of the 19th century. One of the great events of the 80-es was the discovery of possibilities offered by tourism. Many small hotels, family boarding houses and restaurants await your visit.

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Created by Kádár András, Rózsa Sándor
Copyright © 1998-2003.

	[Menu] [History] [Pictures] [Information] [Transport] [Museums] [Restaurants] [Links]
	History
	Szentendre today If we travel North from Budapest on motorway No 11, holiday villages of the Danube bend are like beads of a necklace along the way. The first and biggest of the beads is Szentendre, a peaceful little town inhabited by a population of about 20.000. It takes 20 minutes to get to the town on road and app. 38 minutes by HÉV (local train). The town is situated on the Danube side and is an ideal place for water tourism. It is located in the rain shadow of the Pilis mountains and has more sunny days without rain than many others. If, however, you prefer to go hiking, the Pilis mountains are easily accessible. A great variety of cuisines were introduced in the area by the mixed settlers, so people fond of delicacies will not be disappointed either. The industrial area in the Southern part of the town is well separated from the populated area. There is no smog in Szentendre! Because of the pleasant weather a great number of weekend houses have been built on the hillsides surrounding the town. The population of Szentendre triples during the holiday season due to the large number of vacationers. You, too, are most welcome in our town! Szentendre is a town of arts and museums. It gives home to the Hungarian open Air Museum exhibiting the folklore architecture and culture of the Carpathean basin. One of the most visited museums of the whole country, the Kovács Margit Museum, is also located here. There are further 14 museums and art galleries acquainting visitors with the rich historical past and teeming life of arts. It is not by chance that the quietness of the little town and the closeness of the bustling metropolis of Budapest has drawn over one hundred artists here. Amongst the line of villages and holiday resorts - Leányfalu built along the bank of the Danube, and the villages of Szentendre Island: Kisoroszi, Tahitótfalu, Pócsmegyer and Szigetmonostor - are very popular among tourists enjoying the water front. Tiny villages located in the Pilis, such as Pilisszentlélek, Pilisszentkereszt, Pilisszántó, Pilisszentlászló, Csobánka, Pilisborosjenõ, Pilisvörösvár, Üröm, Pomáz and Budakalász are untouched natural environments with clean air and are paradise for tourists, who enjoy outdoor activities. History of Szentendre Owing to its excellent geographical endowments, the town of Szentendre has been populated since the new stone age, its first known inhabitants being the Illyrians, who were followed by the Celtic Eraviscus tribe. During the reign of Augustus Caesar, the town was occupied by the Romans and named Ulcisia Castra (wolf camp). It consisted of an auxiliary camp with civilian settlements surrounding it. In the 4th century the name of the town changed to Castra Constantia. The ruins of the latter are hidden by a hill located between the "S" bend of highway M 11 and Bükkös Creek. Today, joined to its South-side, is the Roman Museum of Stonework Finds, an exhibition of numerous relics of the Roman era. The well developed frontier system consisting of camps and watch-towers was swept away by migrating tribes in the 5th century. Their ruins, however, can be seen in several places on the banks of the Danube and Szentendre Island. Szentendre was a place of importance in the time of Lombards and became the tribal center for the Avars who followed. During the Hungarian conquest of the country, the town was occupied by reigning prince Kurszán as a strategically important site. The first documented mention of the town originates from 1009. The medieval settlement was built around Church Hill. Its center was the church ordained in Saint Andrew's honour. The town has its name after him. The importance of the town guarded by the city wall increased after the 14th century as it was located half way between the reigning centers, Buda and Visegrád. During the Turkish occupation and wars, the population decreased gradually. Reformation, however, reached the native population before they settled from the right side of the bank of the Danube to Szentendre Island. Later on, Serbians and Germans have been settled in their places. We can still find Hungarian Calvinists villages on Szentendre Island.The town was repopulated again as a result of events at the Southern part of the country. In 1690 Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) was reoccupied by the Turks, and Serbs supporting the Habsburg emperor had to flee. Kaiser Leopold had more than 6000 Serbs settled down in Szentendre, giving them special privileges. As a result the Serbs of Szentendre did not join the war of independence led by the Hungarian reigning prince Rákóczi. Settlers came from various countries. Serbs from Opovatz, Chiprovatz, Pozharevatz and Belgrade as well as Greeks, Catholic Dalmatians and Bosnians, with each group settling in separate parts of the town. In the beginning, all of the communities - in the hope of returning back home - settled down only temporarily building separate wooden churches. Their hopes of returning home were shattered by the Karlóca peace treaty, thus in the 18th century, beautiful Baroque style stone churches were built to replace the old wooden ones. The town soon became famous for its thriving trade, good wine and skillful craftsmen. Houses and warehouses of rich tradesmen can still be seen in the area bordered by Péter-Pál, Dumtsa Jenõ and Bercsényi Streets. The narrow houses of Serbian tradesmen are located around Fõ tér (Main Square) with a little shop on the ground floor, flat above and storage place in the attic. Narrow alleys join the houses together. The Dalmatian tradesmen and winegrowers lived around the Church Hill area. Later on, the Serbs moved back home. In 1815 42%, while in 1890 only 19% of the population were Serbs. Hungarians, Germans and Slovak population settled down here following the Serbs. The flourishing town of the 18th century started on the road of decay during the 19th century due to wars, natural disasters, rivalry among industrial establishments and, finally, because of phylloxera disease (a wine-pest). While other towns nearly bursted by the growth of riches, Szentendre remained a quiet little town retaining its Baroque features. The newly opened local railway line in 1888 brought the city of Budapest even closer to Szentendre. Serbian churches became either Catholic or Calvinist ones. The Hungarian population of the town had become predominant by the 20th century. In 1926 the Art Foundation started to influence the characteristic features of the town. After World War II, new factories were built to replace the old ones of the 19th century. One of the great events of the 80-es was the discovery of possibilities offered by tourism. Many small hotels, family boarding houses and restaurants await your visit. Back to the top
	Created by Kádár András, Rózsa Sándor Copyright © 1998-2003.