Western Bank of the Danube
Pomáz
That Pomáz, which lies along the Pilis mountains on Route 11, is a town with an ancient heritage is attested to by the Roman sarcophagus that graces the outside front entrance of the town hall. Serbians who were fleeing the Turks arrived in the late 17th century. Added to that was the influx of Germans, by the 19th century, and each in turn mixed with the Magyar cultural base.
Places to See in Pomáz
Magyar Neprjzi Gyujtmeny is an ethnographic collection of folk costumes and embroidery from the last several hundred years. Behind the Transylvanian gate at Jozsef Attila utca 28/b, it was put together by the private collector János Hamar, and covers four regions of Hungarian- speaking communities.
The Community History Collection at Kossuth Lajos utca 49 (Kõszeg Történeti Gyûjtemény) is a 10-minute walk up the road past Hõsök tere, on the left of the main road. It re-creates a 19th-century German commoner's kitchen and main room, as well as a Serbian commoner's kitchen and main room. The attendant speaks a little English. The ancient enamel stoves served double duty as boilers, and they each have a hot water tap on the side. Some archeological finds from the area are to the left of the entrance. The Swabian community (German) that was once here was mostly deported back to Germany after WWII. (Once again the specter of history rears its head, touching all the lives of Hungary in that hectic mix of Magyar and German and Serbian and Slav.) It is only in the last 10 years that the community has overcome the painful memories, and reaches out to family connections once again.
The substantial Serb community here is well integrated into Hungary, but has still retained its Serbian identity. Their dance troupe has traveled to Belgrade every year and has garnered prizes for their Serbian folk dancing. Street-corner chatter still rings with old ladies speaking Serbian to each other. Ten minutes farther up Szabadság tér is the Plague Cross, which was erected in 1702, and only five minutes off from there, up Szerb utca, is the Church of St. George, which holds masses for the community at 10 am on the second and fourth Sun of the month. This monument, as with the famous fountain in the Castle District, was erected both in honor of those who died in the plague, and in hope that God would protect the community from its return. Behind the church is a public square, Vujicsics tér, named for Serbian composer Tihamer Vujicsics (1929-75) who was born in a home marked by a plaque on Plegania utca, just beyond. The Vujicsics Ensemble preserves his name in memorium. Though it is now based in Szentendre, it was originally formed in Pomáz, and still plays here frequently.
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