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Pomáz |
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POMÁZ , on the HÉV line between Budapest and Szentendre, is an
excellent place from where to step off into the Pilis, with regular
buses leaving from the HÉV station (Mon-Fri every 2hr, Sat & Sun hourly),
on the eastern edge of town, to Dobogóko, 18km northwest of Pomáz.
Before doing so, though, it's worth exploring the town, most of which is
fairly recent, though the Roman sarcophagus outside the town hall on the
main street indicates that people have been living and dying here for a
long time. Serbian immigrants fleeing from the Turks arrived in the late
seventeenth century, and by the nineteenth century there was a
flourishing German community here too. However, the first museum you
come to as you walk up to the town from the HÉV station has nothing to
do with either group: the ethnographical collection of folk costumes and
embroidery ( Magyar Néprajzi Gyujtemény ; Tues 2-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-noon
& 1-6pm; 100Ft), behind the colourful Transylvanian gate at József
Attila utca 28/b, was put together by private collector János Hamar, and
covers four regions of Hungarian-speaking communities; every spare inch
of furniture here is covered with decoration. The Community History
Collection at Kossuth Lajos utca 48 ( Község Történeti Gyujtemény ;
daily 10am-6pm; closed Dec & Jan; 150Ft), a ten-minute walk up the road
just past Hosök tere, on the left of the main road offers something more
local. It re-creates homes in Pomáz belonging to the Serbian and German
communities, and includes a very nice enamel stove which also served as
a boiler, with a tap on one side to let out the hot water. Archeological
finds from the area are housed to the left of the entrance. The Swabian
community, originally from Germany, was mostly deported back there after
World War II, and links with the deported families have only been
officially re-established over the last decade or so.
Pomáz's Serb community has been shrinking steadily this century,
although you can still hear old ladies chatting to each other in Serbian
on street corners, and the town is proud of its dance group which has
won prizes in Belgrade. Ten minutes further up Kossuth utca, at
Szabadság tér, is a Plague Cross erected in 1792. Five minutes' walk up
to the right along the suitably named Szerb utca stands the church of St
George, which holds masses for the small community at 10am on the second
and fourth Sundays of the month. Your best chance to look around the
church is to go in just before the service starts. The church's main
annual celebration is the feast of the church's patron saint on May 6.
The square behind the church, Vujicsics tér, takes its name from the
Serbian composer Tihamer Vujicsics (1929-75), who was born in the street
beyond; a plaque on Plébánia utca marks the spot. The Vujicsics Ensemble
, which preserves his memory, started in Pomáz and performs frequently
there in the summer, although it's now based in Szentendre.
Pomáz has a couple of places to stay : the Kara Hotel at Beniczky utca
63 (tel 26/322-114, fax 325-355, www.hotels.hu/kara_hotel ;
5000-7000Ft), ten minutes' walk up the main road past the Plague Cross,
has both pension and hotel rooms and its cellar restaurant is the best
place to eat in town. All buses from the HÉV terminal pass by here. The
Tutti Panzió , ten minutes' walk from the station along the main road at
Budakalász út 14 (tel 26/325 888; 3000-5000Ft), is the alternative - a
bland place with worn rooms.
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