Esztergom

Overview

The place was populated from the end of the ice age. The first well-known population is the tribe of celts, they are settled here from west-europe about 350bc. Later the roman legions counquered this region. After the fall of the roman empire, there was lots of tribes: germans, avars, franks. After the settlement of the Magyars (Hungarians) in Hungary, one of their farseeing lord (Geza), christenized his son Vajk, who got a new name from the german priests: Stephen (Istvan) and a Crown from the christian western europe. He was the great, legandary first king. St. Stephen banned the pagans, and created a modern nation from these wild hordes of horsemen ca. 1000 ad. Esztergom was the first capital in Hungary and there was the centre of the new religion. After being destroyed by the invading Mongols and Turks and only gradually rebuilt in the 18th and 19 century, today, the town itself is rather bland. What makes Esztergom worth visiting is the magnificent cathedral. This vast building dominates the whole town and, located on a hill, can be seen from miles away. The sheer size of it dwarfs every other structure in the surroundings. Thanks to the windows in the immense dome the interior is surprisingly light and airy.

History