Brief History of Szentendre
Romans (2nd century AD-476)
Like most towns along the Danube Bend, present-day Szentendre was an important stronghold of the limes, the border defence line of the Roman Empire from the 2nd century AD under the name Ulcisia Castra (Wolf Castle).
Middle Ages (1009-1526)
The Romans were followed by the Huns, the Lombards and the Avaric people before the Hungarians arrived in 896. The town played an important role in the Middle Ages because
– it was situated along the Buda-Visegrád-Esztergom route and Hungarian kings frequently stopped here with their court,
– the nearby Pilis and Visegrád Mountains were one of the kings’ popular hunting grounds, and
– it was an important religious centre with the manor house of the Veszprém Bishopric.
Serbian Szentendre (1690-1890)
After 150 years of Turkish occupation, Hungary was liberated from the Ottoman occupation in 1686. However, fighting continued in the Balkans and a large number of people, mainly Serbs, but also Greeks, Bulgarians and Dalmatians fled north along the line of the Danube to Szentendre under the lead of the Serb patriarch. They soon became prosperous communities thanks to grape and wine production, handicraft and commerce.
Churches
The different ethnic groups fleeing from the Balkans settled down in close-knit communities called mahalas in Szentendre and each mahala built its own orthodox church. Several churches were named after the place of origin of these communities (e.g., Požarevačka Church was built by people from Požarevac). Belgrade Cathedral was the seat of the Serbian Orthodox patriarch. Since Dalmatians were Catholic, they used Saint John the Baptist Church built in the 13th century on Church Hill.
Town of Painters (20th century)
After the Peace Dictate of Trianon (1920) following WWI, Hungary lost ½ of its population and 2/3 of its territory, including the vibrant artist colony in Nagybánya. Painters started looking for a new place and soon found Szentendre and set up their new Art Colony in this picturesque Mediterranean-style town.
Top Attractions along the Route
Commemorative Plaque of former mayor Jenő Dumtsa
Jenő Dumtsa was the first mayor of Szentendre and the head of the town for 31 years. He was a generous benefactor of the poor and widows. In 1882, a phylloxera (wine-blight) epidemic wiped out the grapevines, which were the principal source of income of the town. Many lost their livelihoods and left the town. Jenő Dumtsa had tens of thousands of fruit trees planted replacing the destroyed vineyards. He also introduced the local steam engine railway, helping people find jobs in the capital.
Szamos Marzipan Museum and Pastry Shop
The history of world-famous Szamos marzipan goes back to the early 1930s, when Mátyás Szamos learnt to make marzipan from a Danish confectioner. The museum displays beautiful marzipan works of art, pop stars, kings and queens, a life-sized figure of Princess Diana and the Hungarian Parliament.
Barcsay Collection
The Barcsay Collection contains the work of one of the founders of Szentendre’s art colony, Jenő Barcsay (1900-88).
Main Square
The triangle-shaped square was formed in the Middle Ages in the junction of three main roads. When the Serbs arrived, the wealthiest merchants built their houses in the square. Under every house, there are spacious cellars, which were used as storage areas. The merchant houses had five stories (cellar, ground floor, first floor and a two-storey loft). The ground floor was the shop area, while the first floor was used as the living quarters.
Merchants’ Cross
The Baroque-style Merchants’ Cross standing on a red marble pedestal and decorated with icons was erected in 1763 by the Serbian Merchants’ Association of Szentendre as a token of their gratitude that Szentendre escaped a plague epidemic. The Cross demonstrated the important role and wealth of the rich merchants.
Blagovestenska (Annunciation) Church
The Serb Orthodox church in Main Square is also called the Greek Church because of the epitaph of a Greek-Macedonian merchant on the side of the building and also because the members of the Greek soap-makers’ guild used to live in this street.
Town Hall and Szentendre’s coat of arms
The Town Hall was built in the 1730s on the site of a former mediaeval manor house. The characteristic arched façade was added later and became a symbol of the town.
The lamb on Szentendre’s coat of arms is an ancient Christian symbol. The flag on the golden pole held by the lamb is a typical symbol of the Calvinist Church.
Church Hill – Saint John the Baptist Church
The first patron saint of the church was Saint Andrew, after whom the town was named. The church, which was in ruins at the end of the Ottoman occupation, was rebuilt and used by the Dalmatians. It was reconsecrated to Saint John the Baptists, the patron saint of Dalmatians. The frescos on the walls of the sanctuary were painted by members of the Szentendre Artist Colony between 1933 and 1938. These paintings are especially interesting because they show biblical scenes against a background of different parts of Szentendre.
Belgrade Cathedral
The bishopric cathedral, also known as Saborna, was built in 1764 by Serbs, who fled from Belgrade and the surrounding region. The interior is especially interesting in terms of history of art. The icons of the richly ornamented grand iconostasis, which occupies the entire opening of the triumphal arch, were painted by Vasa Ostojić.
Saint Nicholas fresco
On the façade of the corner house just off the lower entrance to Belgrade Cathedral, there is a fresco of Saint Nicholas in a violin-shaped alcove. Since St. Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors and merchants, he was especially venerated by Serbian merchants, whose main commercial transport route was the river Danube.
Rab Ráby Square
One of the most prominent buildings in the square is the house of a Dalmatian winemaker built in 1768. The bunch of grapes carved in the keystone of the gate is a symbol of the profession of the former owner. The small iron door under the windows leads to the wine-cellars and the squashed grapes harvested in nearby vineyards and transported by cart were poured into the cellar though these doors.
Donkey Hill
After the refugees from the Balkans arrived in Szentendre, Dalmatians, who did mainly physical work in the vineyards and were less wealthy than Serbian merchants, settled down on Donkey Hill. They used donkey-drawn carts to transport goods up and then the hill, hence the name of the place.
Tanners’ Cross
The memorial cross on the top of Donkey Hill is one of the best outlook points of the town. There is a magnificent view of the Danube, Szentendre Island on the other side of the river, the houses of the centre and Preobrazenska Church right at the foot of the hill. Both the church and the wrought-iron cross placed on a simple stone pillar were erected by tanners from Bosnia in the 18th century.