360 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

E Christian Museum

Mindszenty tér 2. Tel (033) 413 880.

# Mar–Oct: 10am–6pm Tue–Sun;

Nov–Feb: 11am–3pm Tue–Sun. & 8

The Roman Catholic Primate

of All Hungary, János Simor,

moved into this grand Neo-

Renaissance palace after it

was completed in 1882 and

immediately opened the

palace and its vast collection

of paintings, including works

by early Italian Renaissance

artists Migazzi and Bertinelli,

to the public. The building

has been a dedicated museum

(Keresztény múzeum) since

1924, and its collection of

church art, bol stered by many

subsequent purchases, is

now the finest in Hungary.

Tamás Koloszvári’s Ascension

(1427), is consid ered the

most outstanding example

of Hungarian Gothic art.

The splendid, wheeled Lord’s

Coffin of Garamszentbenedek

(1480), now in Slovakia,

deco rated with carved figures,

• Royal Palace and
  Castle Museum
  Szent István tér 1. Tel (033) 402 354.

  9am–5pm Tue–Sun. & 8

  
  

  Opposite the Basilica stands
  the Royal Palace (Vár), parts
  of which date back to the
  10th century. From 1256 it

  
  

P Víziváros

Berényi utca.

A district of mainly Baroque

buildings, Víziváros

(Watertown), has narrow

streets, single-storey houses

and tiny well-kept gardens.

The area was developed

during the regeneration

of Esztergom after the

View of the imposing Esztergom Basilica

Esztergom 7

Esztergom is the seat of the Archbishop of Hungary
and the most sacred city in the country. St Stephen,
Hungary’s first king, was baptized in the city and
crowned here on Christmas Day in the year AD 1000.
Almost completely destroyed by the Mongol invasion
250 years later, the city was gradually rebuilt during
the 18th and 19th centuries. Although it is dominated
by the huge Esztergom Basilica, the city has much
to offer besides its mighty cathedral, including the
remains of a 10th-century castle, a picturesque Old
Town, the fascinating Danube Museum and Hungary’s
finest collection of ecclesiastical art.

The intricately carved Lord’s Coffin

of Garamszent benedek

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp390–93 and pp394–7

withdraw al of the Ottomans.

Víziváros Parish Church,

consecrated by Jesuits in 1728,

is a perfect example of the

Baroque architecture of the

time, with its rounded façade

and high nave. The twin spires

were added in the middle of

the 19th century. The Baroque

interior was lost during World

War II. A bridge behind the

church leads to the island of

Prímás Sziget, from where

another bridge crosses the

river into Slovakia.

served as the palace of

Esztergom’s Archbishops until

it was sacked during the

Ottoman invasion. Much of

the palace survived, and is

open today as the Castle

Museum (Vármúzeum). The

only way to see it is on a

guided tour, which takes in

the study of King Mátyás’s

tutor, with Renaissance-style

ceiling fres coes, and the

12th-century Royal Chapel,

with an original rose window

and 13th-cen tury portraits

of the Apostles.

To the south and north are

well-preserved remains of the

ramparts and steps back into

the town. The Esztergom

Castle Festival takes place

in the palace grounds.

R Esztergom Basilica
Szent István tér 1. Tel (033) 402 354.

Mar–Sep: 7am–6pm daily; Oct–

Feb: 7am–5pm Tue–Sun. & 8 7
^ treasury, crypt. 0
Rising above the Danube, its
bright blue cupola visible from
afar, Esztergom Basilica
(Esztergomi bazilika) has been
a symbol of Hungary for a mil-
lennium, since St Stephen was
crowned here. Hungary’s lar-
gest cathedral, the present
struc ture dates from the 19th
century and was built over a
47-year period from 1822 to

1869. Its interior has a copy of
      Titian’s Assumption of the
      Virgin (1853–4), the largest
      single-canvas painting in the
      world. Other highlights include
      the Treasury, which holds the
      country’s most valuable col lec-
      tion of liturgical and royal art.