Esztergom – The Old Royal City with a Basilica for the Ages

July 9, 2023 by admin

Arrival in Esztergom
A Brief History of Esztergom
A Brief Geography
Castle Hill and the Basilica
Royal Esztergom (Old Town)
Szenttamás (St-Thomas)
Conclusion
Gallery

Arrival in Esztergom

I arrived in Esztergom, via Nyugati station in Budapest. To my dismay I found out that the station is not located directly in the town center near the Basilica, although the 3km walk did afford me the privilege the to visit a very pretty, albeit decaying city. Watch out for the St. Anne church located at the first roundabout after the train station. It is a pretty rotunda based structure, but does not seem to be open to visitors. Although it is tempting to walk the direct route from the main street to the basilica an alternate route should be considered instead. I have laid out my trajectory below.

The typical suburban street in Esztergom.

From the train station, follow the main road until you hit the intersection with Janos Street, turn towards the north and walk one block until you hit Szechenyi square. This square is part of a pedestrian corridor leading to the basilica and the old town. In the center of the square you will find the town hall along with a large variety of bars and restaurants to grab a bite to eat at.

Further to the north you have a pretty tree lined canal that leads directly to the basilica and the old town. The real adventure begins here, but first a quick history of the city is needed.

The dome of the Basilica rises above the treeline.

A Brief History of Esztergom

The city, the ancient capital of the Hungarian people, is one of the oldest in the country. Occupied since the stone age, the Celts made the Varhegy Hill at the center of the city their home in 350 BC. The region eventually passed into the hands of Rome going by the names of Strzegom and eventually Gran. Being a frontier town, the city was overrun by the Avars and other Germanic tribes before the layer invasions of the Slavic people. Finally in 896 AD the Magyars, precursors of the Hungarians entered the region, a palace was built here and an important child would be born within its walls. That child was Vajk, the future St. Stephen, first king of Hungary and the man who would convert the Hungarians to Christianity. He was crowned on either Christmas day or New Years of the year 1000 AD. During his reign the lands of Esztergom were declared the head bishopric of the nation. As such the bishop of the city was granted the exclusive right to crown kings. Furthermore under the reign of King Steven, the castle was constructed. The city would serve as Hungarian capital for the next 250 years until the arrival of the Tartars in 1241 AD.

The Tartar (Mongol) assault ended the city’s pre-eminence within the kingdom of Hungary. Although some townspeople managed to make it to the castle, the countryside was devastated and depopulated – peasants killed or sent away to the east into slavery. In 1271, Béla IV moved his capital to Hungary and donated the former royal palace to the Bishop, slowly the hill transformed from a fortress and palace to a fortified basilica. In subsequent years the Czechs and finally the Ottomans captured the town. The city had recovered substantially from the Tartar raid but the instability of Ottoman rule put an end to its growth. During that time period the city was besieged six times before being captured by christian forces in 1696.

The Basilica of Esztergom dominates the old town from all angles, the green building in the foreground is the Bálint Balassa Museum .

A Brief Geography

Esztergom is located at the northern border of the Hungarian nation, where the Danube separates it from the lands of Slovakia. It may seem odd to have a capital city directly on a border but Hungary was once a much bigger nation and as Esztergom was far removed from the border, a frontier that had moved north giving the capital a comfortable buffer. The medieval kingdom stretched south deep into present day Serbia, Bosnia as well as Croatia, East into Romania, West into Austria and North into Slovakia. Like much of Hungary, the municipality is blessed with great farmland.

View of the Danube river from the Basilica.

Castle Hill and the Basilica

There are two ways to assess the basilica; by way of the slope running up the riverfront side of Castle Hill and an extension of the main street that runs upward all the way to the entrance of the basilica. When you arrive to the top of Castle Hill you will be provided with a magnificent view of the Primatial Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumed Into Heaven and St Adalbert (Yes it’s a rather long name! Lets just refer to it as the Basilica). In front of the building, just before its oversized neoclassical colonnade, is a large patch of lawn with buildings belonging to the Theological College of Esztergom as well as a parking lot. In front of the basilica is a statue dedicated to Szent István (St. Stephan in Hungarian).

View of the great lawn from the Basilica.

To the south of the basilica, on a ledge overlooking the old town, is the old Seminary as well as the Esztergom Castle and museum. The castle was the first building the Hungarians erected on this site. It served a dual purpose, a defensive structure as well as the royal palace for the Hungarian king. It was established in the 10th century but what you see today is a 1930’s restoration of the 12th century Romanesque palace established by King Béla III. Although the palace restoration is the most noticeable portion of the complex, much of the original castle wall can still be seen if you walk the towpath along the riverfront hill. It must be noted that the citadel is the only building in the city that survived the Mongol insurrection of 1242 and as such this is the oldest portion of the city. During the insurrection the Hungarian army was defeated in battle and the Mongols proceeded to ravage all around the city limits. Fearing the worst, the villagers burned their own buildings and buried their valuables hoping to prevent them being taken by the Mongols. The castle was then laid siege to. This was ultimately a failure and after taking massive losses, the Mongol army retreated. At the end the only thing left of the city was the citadel with its terrified civilians and battle tested garrison – the countryside was deserted and the city would never truly recover from the blow.

The basilica with the palace in the foreground.

Behind the basilica, along the river, you can find a beautiful statue of St. Steven’s coronation. It is not to be missed and the monuments platform gives a great view of the Danube.

The Basilica, built in classical style, is the main reason to visit Esztergom. Outside the church I could see bus loads of local children unloading for a school trip and domestic tourists paying a pilgrimage to their historic heartland. I did not see a single other westerner. The building is the largest church building in Hungary. It also happens to be the tallest building in the country with a height of 71.5 meters (235 feet). The current iteration of the building was completed in 1869 but many elements of the religious complex predate this construction date, including several small chapels containing the church relics. The original building founded on the site was the Church of St. Adalbert founded by St. Stephen in 1010 A.D, it is the first cathedral of Hungary and subsequently rebuilt several times during the medieval era. These existing buildings were spoiled by the Turkish invasion and as such a replacement was needed after Hungary regained a degree of autonomy in the 19th century (as part of the Austro-Hungarian empire).

The inside of the church itself is pretty and worth exploring for its rich renaissance styled art but do make sure to pay the extra fee to see the top dome. A doorman, an elderly man, awaited our ticket to allow us entry and after letting me through I thanked him in Hungarian, “köszönöm”. His face lit up with pride. It must have made him happy that a foreigner had come to his city and even more so that I spoke to him in his native tongue! We climbed up a staircase, and then another, until finally reaching the roof. It is exhilarating, there is a narrow gangway that circles the roof. The wind is strong and there is very little in terms of barrier! You have an unadulterated 360 view of the city, possibly one of the best in Europe.

Views of the city from the top of the Basilica.

Royal Esztergom (Old Town)

The old town is built around castle hill with a main street flowing in from the train station and roads looping around the complex. This section is renowned for its typical central European streets paved in cobblestone and pretty baroque architecture including several churches. A museum to check out is the Bálint Balassa Museum, detailing the history of the city and displaying artifacts along with pictures of the castle excavations.

You should poke your head in at least one church. Although typical in style they are splendid. I would recommend taking a look at either St Ignatius (shown below) or the Exaltation of the Holy Cross church (shown above). The former is attached to Keresztény, the christian museum, housed in an ornate building.

Szenttamás (St-Thomas)

Opposite to the castle, to the south-east, is a second hill offering magnificent views of the basilica from the Sorrowful Virgin Chapel. The collection of houses centered around this hill were considered a separate village until they merged into the city of Royal Esztergom in 1895. In this district you can find the old synagogue as well as as a serpentine trail leading to the top of the hill. On this trail is a large sundial and a carving etched into the stone.

The Sorrowful Virgin Chapel is located at the top of this hill.

Approaching the top of the hill you will hear the sounds of a wind chime, this loud yet beautiful sound is coming from the chapel itself and projected surprisingly far.

Make sure to take pictures of the basilica from the viewpoint in front of the church so that you may get a panorama of the whole city.

Conclusion

Esztergom is a city far removed from the tourist radar but those willing to leave the glitz of Budapest will be richly rewarded. Spend a full day absorbing the charm of the old capital and learn about the history of a proud people. Spend at least a meal to gorge on some local cuisine, your stomach and your mind will thank you.