ESZTERGOM

Beautifully situated in a crook of the Danube facing Slovakia, ESZTERGOM is dominated by its basilica, whose dome is visible for miles around. The sight is richly symbolic, since it was here that the locally bom St Stephen, king of Hungary, converted his subjects to Catholicism in 1000 AD - the city has remained a centre for Catholicism ever since. It also served as the royal seat from the tenth to the thirteenth century, when the Mongol invasion forced the royal court to move to Buda. 'Me capture of the town by the Turks in the sixteenth century curtailed the Church's influence until the nineteenth century, when a concerted campaign was started by the Catholic Church to restore Esztergom as its center. As a pillar of the ancien regime, the Church was ruthlessly attacked during the Rákosi era, when hundreds of priests were tortured and jailed. It is claimed that Esztergom's basilica was well maintained because Khruschev's wife was particularly fond of it. However in its change of approach the regime settled for a modus vivendi from the Sixties onwards, hoping to enlist the Church's help with social problems and to harness the patriotic spirit of the faithful. The avowedly Christian government elected in 1990 did its best to restore prestige and property to the Church, while the return of the reform communists in 1994 has sparked off new worries about anti-Church policies. One change in the local landscape has been the arrival of the Suzuki car plant which you pass as you enter town by train.

Esztergom's craggy Basilica Hill is the natural focus of attention. It was here that Prince Géza established the royal seat. Subsequently his son Stephen chose it as the site of Hungary’s first cathedral. His coronation by a papal envoy on Christmas Day 1000 AD signified the country's recognition by Christendom. In 1991, the hill was the setting for two events symbolizing the Church's triumph over Communism: the reburial of the exiled Cardinal Mindszenty and the first papal visit to Hungary.

The Basilica

Esztergom's Basilica (March-Sept daily 7am-6pm; Oct-Feb Tues-Sun 7am5pm) is the largest in Hungary, measuring 118m in length and 40m in width, capped by a dome 100m high. Built on the site of the medieval basilica ruined by the Turks, it was begun by Pál Kühneland and Janos Packh in 1822, and finally completed by Jozsef Hild in 1869. It was consecrated thirteen year earlier in 1856 (as soon as the dome was in place), and Liszt's Gran Mass was composed for the occasion - Gran being the German name for Esztergom.

As befits what is claimed to be the fifth largest church in the world, its nave is on a massive scale, clad in marble, gilding and mosaics. To the left of the entrance is the lavish red marble Bakócz Chapel. Archbishop TamAs Bakócz from the original basilica for which it was commissioned salvaged its Florentine altar. It was this prelate whose papal ambitions were dashed when "his" crusade turned into the great peasants' revolt of 1514. The Venetian Michelangelo Grigoletti, based on Titian’s, painted the basifica’s main altarpiece Assumption in the Frari Church in Venice.

Don't miss the crypt, which resembles a set from a Dracula film with giant stone women flanking the stairway down to gloomy vaults full of entombed prelates. Though several other mausoleums look more arresting, it is the tomb of Cardinal Mindszenty that transfixes Hungarians (see box below). The walls of the crypt are 17m thick, to support the weight of the basilica.

Having seen the overpowering collection of bejeweled crooks and chalices and kitsch papal souvenirs in the treasury (May-Oct daily 9am-5pm; Nov-Dec & Feb-April daily 10am-4pm; closed Jan), it is almost a relief to climb the seemingly endless stairway to the bell tower (May-Oct daily 9am-5pm). The stifling heat inside the cupola and the pigeon droppings within the bellroom are forgotten the moment you step outside and see the magnificent view of Esztergom, with Slovak Sturovo across the water. Tickets for the treasury (kincstar) and bell tower (harangtorony) are sold at the entrance to the crypt.

South of the basilica are the ruins of the palace founded by Géza, now known as the Castle Museum (April-Oct Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; Nov-March Tues-Sun 10am4pm). In its former life the royal palace entertained Louis VII and Frederick Barbarossa on their way to the Crusades and, after Buda became the capital in 1249, the widowed Queen Beatrice and sundry archbishops lived here. According to the chronicler Djelalzade, the Turks "knocked down idols in the churches and destroyed the symbols of infidelity and error" when they sacked Esztergom in 1543, but left intact the wheel and "narrow copper tube" which piped water up to the castle from the Danube.

Excavations in the 1930s uncovered a twelfth-century chapel with a beautiful rose window and Byzantine-style frescoes. You can also visit Beatrice's suite, and the study of Archbishop Vitez - known as the Hall of Virtues after its allegorical murals depicting Intelligence, Moderation, Strength and Justice. During June and July, plays and dances are staged at the open-air theatre nearby (look out for advertisements).

Coming back down the hill, look out for the monumental Dark Gate beneath it. Constructed to facilitate access between church buildings on either side of the hill, this tunnel was later exploited by the Red Army, who maintained a base below "Peace Square" until 1989.

Below the hill, the sound of choirs seems to float through the Baroque streets of the Watertown district (Vizivdros). Turning into Pázmány utca, you pass the Cathedral Library at no. 21, and the Bálint Balassi Museum at no. 63. The latter, a small art gallery, is named after the poet Bálint Balassi (1554-94), who perished in the battle to recapture Esztergom from the Turks - a campaign in which the Italian composer Monteverdi also fought.

Further west stands the Italianate Baroque Watertown Parish Church, fronted by an equestrian statue of King Stephen. A few doors along, the old Primate's Palace at Berényi utca 2 makes a worthy setting for the Christian Museum (Tues-Sun lOam-5.30pm), Hungary's richest hoard of religious art. This includes the largest collection of Italian prints outside Italy; Renaissance paintings and woodcarvings by German and Austrian masters; and the Lord's Coffin of Garamszentbenedek, a wheeled and gilded structure originally used in Easter Week processions.

From the parish church cross Archbishop Mindszenty Square and the Kossuth Bridge onto Primás-Sziget (Primate's Island). A popular tourist spot with two campsites and an outdoor Halászcsdrda (fish restaurant), it faces the Slovak city of Sturovo across the river. The towns were linked by a wrought-iron bridge until it was blown up in World War II. Its elegant stump - decorated with a freshly painted Hungarian coat of arms - rises between the ferry landing stages. Having admired the scene, head east along Táncsics utca and over the Bottyán Bridge into the lower town.

Should you come directly from Watertown instead, it’s worth a detour up to Szent Tamás-hegy (St Thomas's Hill), if only for the view. The hill is named after the English martyr Thomas á Becket. A chapel was built here in his honour by Margaret Capet, whose father-in-law, Henry II of England, prompted the assassination of Thomas by raging 'Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" In the way of medieval royalty, Margaret later married Bé1a III of Hungary, but her conscience would not let her forget the saint. The existing chapel was built after the Turkish occupation.

Walking down Bajcsy-Zsilinszky utca, you might consider another detour to Esztergom's former synagogue, a flamboyant, Moorish-style edifice on Imaház utca that now serves as a science club or Technika Háza. From here you can cut across Vörösmarty utca to the Museum of the Danube (March-Oct Tues-Sun 10am-5.30pm) at Kö1csey utca 2, containing exhibits on the history and ecology of this great river. Unfortunately there is little information in English, but the photos and models are interesting. Among the latter is a replica of the Vidra, the first steam dredger in Hungary, introduced from England by Count Széchenyi.

Otherwise, carry on to Rákóczi tér and the older lower town beyond. By following the pavement caf6s, you should emerge on to Széchenyi tér - a pleasant square culminating in a town hall with Rococo windows. A couple of blocks further south stands the eighteenth-century City Parish Church, built on the site of a medieval monastery where B61a IV and Queen Mária were buried. The marble plaque to the right of the gate shows the level of the flood of 1832. More exciting and only slightly further from the square is the outdoor market halfway along Simor János utca.

Practicalities
Arriving by bus from Visegrád, alight near the Basilica Hill or down in the centre, rather than staying on to the bus terminal on Simor utca in the south of town. Should you arrive at the train station, 1 km farther south, buses #1 and #5 run into the centre. Ferries from Budapest tie up alongside the island to the west of the lower town, fifteen minutes’ walk from the centre.

Eating and drinking

Most of the restaurants around the centre are pretty touristy, but none the worse for that. The best one in Watertown is the AnonymÉtterem at Berényi utca 6; another place near Basilica Hill is the Csülök Csárda, at Batthyány utca 9. In the lower town you'll find the Kispipa Étterem (which has pool tables) at Kossuth utca 19 (daily 8am-10pm). The Primás Pince at Béke tér 4 serves wholesome Hungarian food, while the Arany Elefánt ("Golden Elephant") on Petöfi utca is good and not too touristy. On Primás-Sziget, there's an excellent restaurant in the Hotel Esztergom, and violinists serenade diners at the outdoor Halászcsdrda on Táncsics Mihály utca (8am-10pm).