Adony

Adony is located in Fejér county, 50 km south of Budapest along the right bank of the River Danube. By public road, it is accessible via Motorway M6 and Main Road 6; by rail, is accessible taking a train along the Budapest–Dunaújváros line. The city may also be reached via Road 62 from Székesfehérvár. There is a ferry service running between Adony and Lórév, a village on Csepel Island. There is a large number of community organisations in town dedicated to preserving local traditions.

Adony was inhabited as early as in the Bronze Age. During the Roman Era, the settlement, then called Vetus Salina, was a fortress along the limes. Having lost most of its population during the Ottoman Turk occupation of the country, the settlement had to be repopulated after the ousting of the Turks; to this end, István Zichy brought Serbian settlers to this market town or oppidum. During the 18^th century, Hungarian, German, and Slovak settlers followed. Due to their numbers and strong traditions, the German community became the determining factor in defining and shaping the general character of the settlement. They built their own church and introduced the cult of Saint Urban, the patron of grape and wine. Their German heritage is still alive in the form of dance and music.

A short stroll takes us from the centre of Adony to the vineyards of Szőlőhegy, where we can taste local wines in small cellars. This is where St. Urban Wine Order of Adony organises Orbán napok (“St. Urban Days”), a winemakers’ competition involving wine tasting as well as performances by folk dance and folk music ensembles. The Wine order also organises county and micro-region level wine competitions and winemakers’ conferences. Visitors may enjoy the romantic vistas of the River Danube either from the shore or from boats, canoes or kayaks rented from the guest houses along the bank of the river. Anglers will be happy to visit the Danube oxbow or the fishponds of Cikola-Lívia, which form one of the largest systems of fishponds in the region. The fishponds are located within an area under nature protection and are home to a number of very rare bird species.

Sources: dr. Lóczy Dénes: Dél-Dunántúl. Cartographia, Budapest. 2001, http://hu.wikipedia.org/, http://www.vendegvaro.hu/