Page 173 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Budapest

FUR THER AFIELD  171

Kiskunfélegyháza is the Kiskunsági
National Park. Visitors can explore
nature trails (information is avail-
able from the Visitors’ Centre in
Kecskemét), and see rare animals
and birds, as well as the traditional
way of life of the plains herdsman.
The poet Sándor Petőfi was
born in Kiskunfélegyháza, and
his childhood home is now part
of the Kiskun Museum. The
Town Hall combines influences
of the Secession style (see pp56–
9) with motifs from folk art.
9 Ráckeve
43 km (26 miles) SW of Budapest.
* 8,500. £ Eötvös utca 11; H6 from
Budapest, Közvágóhíd. @ Népliget.
n Kossuth Lajos út 51. Tel (06 24) 42
97 47. ∑ tourinform.rackeve.hu
The village of Ráckeve is built
on Csepel Island, which extends
54 km (34 miles) south along
the middle of the Danube from Well-preserved frescoes in the Orthodox church at Ráckeve
Budapest. Ráckeve (Rác means
Serb in Hungarian) was founded 0 Martonvásár style. Little evidence of the
in the 15th century by Serbs 30 km (18 miles) SW of Budapest. original palace remains today,
from Keve, who fled Serbia after * 4,900. n Buda út 13. Tel (06 22) among the flamboyant turrets
the Turkish invasion (see pp28–9). 56 95 00. £ Déli pu. Brunswick Palace: and pinnacles. The magnificent
The oldest building in the Brunszvik utca 2. Open summer: parklands, however, are open
village is the Orthodox church, 8am–5pm; winter: 8am–4pm (park to the public and are much
built by some of the first of the only). & Beethoven Museum: as they always have been.
Serbian refugees. Dating back Open 10am–noon, 2–4pm Tue–Fri, The estate’s church, built in
to 1487, this is the oldest 10am–noon & 2–5pm Sat & Sun 1775, also remains largely
Orthodox church in Hungary. (Nov–Mar: to 4pm Sat & Sun). & 8 unaltered. The interior of the
Its walls are covered in well- church is decorated with
preserved frescos, the first The village of Martonvásár has well-preserved frescoes.
telling the story of the Nativity existed here since medieval times, Ludwig van Beethoven was
and the last showing the but its prin cipal tourist attraction a regular visitor to the original
Resurrection. The church has a is now the Brunswick Palace. palace. He gave music lessons
beautiful iconostasis separating Towards the end of the 18th to the daughters of the house,
the sanctuary from the nave. century the whole village was Therèse and Josephine, with
Ráckeve’s peaceful and bought by the German Brunswick whom he is said to have
convenient situation made family, and the original palace fallen in love. Some of the
it the country home of one was built for Anton Brunswick palace rooms have been
of Europe’s greatest military in grand Baroque style. A converted into a Beethoven
strategists, Prince Eugene century later, in 1875, the Museum. The Beethoven
of Savoy. Credited with the palace was totally rebuilt, festival is held in the gardens
expulsion of the Turks from this time in the Neo-Gothic during the summer.
Hungary at the end of
the 17th century, Prince
Eugene built himself a
country mansion on
Kossuth Lajos utca. Now
used as a hotel, the
interior of the house
has been modernized,
but the façade has been
preserved. The formal
gardens can be seen
from the river. The Neo-Gothic Brunswick Palace at Martonvásár

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