Vác

What Esztergom is on the right bank of the Danube, Vác is on the left bank. Vác is younger. As with many of the leading cities of the Middle Ages, the church was the reason for the city, not industry and not trade. And, though it is a mere bishopric, not an archbishopric, it began with a royal edict from the great St. Stephen, the first king of Hungary. The Cathedral (at Marcius 15 tér) was therefore built with all the wealth and splendor of the church at that time, rising over 150 feet, with 12 gigantic Corinthian pillars and magnificent Renaissance balustrades with frescoes and artistic treasures gracing the walls and ceilings.

Other sites include the Upper Town Parish Church and the Baroque Bishop’s Residence (1699-1755), as well as the Town Council Hall (1764). All three were the work of F.A. Maulbertsch, probably the greatest exponent of the Baroque-Classical style in the 18th century.

The historic center of Vác stretches between Konstantin tér, overlooked by the Constantine Cathedral, and along Köztársaság út, stretches to Március 15 tér (March 15th Square) to the north, which is dominated by the Franciscan Cathedral. The route is lined by 18th- and 19th-century patricians' houses as well as most of the town monuments.

In the ornate chambers of the Vác Cathedral, at Konstantin tér (Constantine Square) the Mori Memento Exhibition, a medieval burial site, is home to the coffins of adults and children, artifacts, and mementos, from the time when the Dracula legend supposedly was born.

Vác, being a respectable town, would not be without its Holy Trinity Statue. It’s on Szentháromság tér (Trinity Square), and it is today considered one of the finest monuments in the country (1750-1755).

Another world-class monument is the classical Baroque Stone Gate, a triumphal arch erected for the visit of Maria Theresa in 1764. It was built by Bishop Migatti on Köztársaság út. Only a few years before that the Baroque stone bridge (1753-1757) was built over the Gombás Stream. Today it’s a protected monument dominated by six large stone statues. But since you are on the Danube shore, going north out of town, stop and take a walk along the Danube embankment, gaze across the river to Szentendre on the opposite bank, and cast your eye over the natural flatlands of the Danube shore, home to herons, grey herons and cormorants. Often you can watch them take flight, gracing the sky with the liberty of their wide-spread wings.

Try the Spring Festival here, which is an extravaganza attracting regional and national talent, and the Vác World Festivities, or the International Gregorian Festival which brings echoes of heaven into cathedral concerts. Then there is the more hedonistic, Magyar cultural statement, the Vác Wine Festival. As with many other events, information about these events is available through Tourinform (see pages 571 ff).

Vácrátót

From Vác we can turn away from the Danube to discover inland sights as well. One of Hungary’s richest plant collections is in the nearby Vácrátót Botanical Garden. The botanical garden is gigantic, at almost one square mile. Count Vigyazo founded it in the 1870s. He bequeathed the garden to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Waterfalls, artificial stone hills and mountains, mock ruins, forest-like glades and the garden itself will take anywhere from two to three hours to walk. The lake, overshadowed with willows and brush, is a romantic delight. Over 12,000 species make this the largest collection in Hungary.