Finding yourself in a charming historical village just ten kilometers from Budapest is one of the surprises the Danube River offers up to travelers. The small town of Szentendre (Hungarian for Saint Andrew) is the gateway to the Danube Bend, a curve of Hungary’s most majestic river, and it retains its 18th and 19th century appearance and atmosphere.
With a population of approximately 26 000, here to this day the customs and traditions of Serbs who fled the invading Ottoman Turkish armies at the end of the 17th century are kept alive. Evidence of this are the many churches and crosses all over town, built facing the east according to orthodox tradition, as well as the great cross erected in 1763 by traders in order to give thanks to God for protecting the town from the plague.
For many years Szentendre has been a favoured destination of all kinds of artists who came to live and work there. Today it has so many museums and workshops that it is hard to choose which to visit. If you´re pushed for time, make sure to squeeze in the famous Margit Kovács Ceramics Collection and the Ferenczy Muzeum, named after a famous local 19th-century painter and showcasing generations of fine Hungarian art as well as historical, archaeological, and ethnographical (lifestyle) artifacts from the region.
In fact, the very streets here are works of art, with the Baroque-style town center filled with decorative facades with bright colours and rococo flourishes, giving the sensation of being on the set of an elaborate period film.
And just three kilometers from town is Hungary´s largest Skanzen( open-air museum), an interesting expanse of 46 hectares which brings together exhibits of rural architecture and culture, such as houses, churches and bell towers, from different parts of the country, as well as recreations of traditional life.
If you´re traveling to Budapest, a trip to Szentendre is a must!
IBEROSTAR Hotels & Resorts has a hotel in Budapest: the IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Budapest, which has 5 stars. It enjoys a privileged location, surrounded by important buildings, embassies and shopping areas. The hotel was built in 2011 and its suites are absolutely luxurious.”
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