Queen Elizabeth’s Favourite Palace

A third of a million people a year visit the former Royal Palace at Gödöllő (D5). One of Hungary’s finest mansions, and less than an hour’s drive from the capital, it was built in the eighteenth century for one Antal Grassalkovich, a legal official who in a most remarkable career rose to be one of the most influential aristocrats and keeper of the Hungarian treasury. Grassalkovich amassed a huge family fortune and had several other mansions built, but it is the elegant creation at Gödöllő, one of the very finest of the baroque style, that went on to be used as the inspiration for others around Hungary. Empress Maria Theresa was a frequent guest, but it was later, during the reign of Franz Joseph, that it became the favoured Hungarian residence for the Austro-Hungarian Royal family. The Emperor’s wife, the hugely admired Queen Elizabeth, affectionately known as Sisi, especially loved Gödöllő.
These days the main wing of the Palace once again greets visitors with suitable grandeur, and altogether twenty-six rooms have been restored and opened to the public, including the royal apartments, the grand hall and Franz Joseph’s study. Concerts and cultural festivals are regularly held in the Palace and in its grand courtyard. The baroque theatre, a rarity in Europe, has also been restored, and after 200 years, has once again become a working theatre.

Hungary’s Richest Plant Collection

Lovers of nature in general and plant life in particular should head for a well-loved beauty spot, Vácrátót (C5), where in the protected environment of the botanical gardens (covering 70 acres) 13,000 different species of plants can be seen.

Fine Example of Hungarian Romantic Style

The sight of the twin towers of the nineteenth century Catholic church will announce from quite far off that a traveller is approaching Fót (C5). One of the finest examples of Hungarian Romantic style, it is well worth visiting, not least to see its painted panelled roof and crypt with Carrara marble statues. The town’s second major attraction is the Károlyi Mansion, whose Grand Hall and park are venues for cultural events. Concerts are also held in the church.

European Nostra Prize-winning Village

The village of Ócsa (C7), not far from Budapest, was awarded a prestigious European Nostra Prize in 1996 for its work in preserving its old buildings. The thirteenth century Calvinist church is one of the most important surviving examples of Romanesque architecture in Hungary, and thanks to its excellent acoustics is a popular venue for choral and organ concerts.
Also noteworthy are the hundred or so strangely-shaped wine cellars, the rare flora and fauna that thrive in the nearby marshy areas, and the Village Ethnographic Museum situated in one of the old reed-thatched peasant houses.

Formula One

There has been motor sport in Hungary since the early 1900s, when the first automobile club was set up. In 1912 the first international car race took place. Today, at Mogyoród (C5) just to the east of Budapest, the Hungaroring circuit is the only Formula One racetrack in Central Europe, and each year in August it is tested to the limits by the world’s best racing drivers, attracting crowds in their hundreds of thousands. On the other hand, the Hungarokart go-carting centre is open all year to followers of that sport.

Hungary’s Only Triumphal Arch

The town of Vác (C4), on the Danube’s left bank, has a proud past stretching back a thousand years. The bishopric was founded by King Saint Stephen; there is also a neo-classical cathedral and bishop’s palace.
One of the finest baroque squares in Hungary is situated here – the 15th of March Square – and contains several noteworthy listed buildings. In the crypt of the Dominican church the “Memento Mori” exhibition is unique in all Europe. Coffins and their entire contents dating from the eighteenth century have been mummified by the peculiar climatic conditions in which they have lain.
Vác also possesses Hungary’s only baroque bridge decorated with statues, and its only triumphal arch, built for a visit of the Hapsburg Empress Maria Theresa.

Hungary’s Only Lamp Museum

A short distance to the west of Budapest is Zsámbék (A6), best known for its thirteenth century church ruin. It came to grief in an earthquake in the eighteenth century, but the towers and walls that are still standing present an interesting sight and an unusual venue for the annual summer festival of theatre and music. The village’s other main attraction is the unique collection of the Lamp Museum.

Journey to the Distant Past

At the town of Százhalombatta (B7) on the right bank of the Danube, the main attraction is the skansen. Here, by one of the hundred Iron Age tumuli that give the place its name, visitors can travel back in time to see Bronze and Iron Age dwellings, and can themselves fashion utensils and jewellery using contemporary methods.

A Paradise for Fishing and Water Sports

The Ráckeve branch of the Danube, to the south of Budapest, was once a favourite royal hunting ground; today it is home to many rare birds and plants and is also one of the most popular spots for fishing. In the town of Ráckeve (B8), Hungary’s earliest baroque mansion can be visited, along with the only Serbian Orthodox church dating from the fifteenth century.

Recruiting to the Sound of Drums

It is strangely appropriate that one should find Hungary’s only drum museum in the same town – Cegléd (E8) – as that in which the great Hungarian politician and patriot, Lajos Kossuth, began recruiting for the 1848 Revolution of which he was to become leader. A statue of Kossuth today stands in the town, and a museum is devoted to his life and work. Cegléd is home to Central Europe’s largest neo-classical Calvinist church, and is the venue for an annual international drum and percussion festival that also puts to use some of the special instruments on show in the drum museum.