Dunavecse

Dunavecse lies on the left bank of River Danube in Bács-Kiskun County. It can be approached on Main Road 51 and Expressway M8, crossing Pentele-híd (Pentele Bridge). Its railway station can be found on the Kunszentmiklós-Tass-Solt line. Archaeological finds dating back already to the 2^nd millennium B.C. have been found here; they are kept in Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum (Hungarian National Museum). Before the conquest Thracians, Scythians, Celts and Avarians used to live here. Painter Jean Toth and photographer André Kertész were born in the village.

Dunavecse is an important literature historical memorial place. The father of Petőfi Sándor, Petrovics István rented a slaughterhouse in the village between 1840 and 1844. In the spring of 1844 the poet spent two months in Dunavecse and during this time he fell in love with the local Nagy Zsuzsika. He wrote a number of poems here, e.g. Füstbe ment terv (Plans gone up in the smoke), Egy estém otthon (Evening at home), Zsuzsikához (To Suzy), etc. The house at Zrínyi utca (Zrínyi street) 38., where used to Petőfi live, is a memorial house today. The centre of the village is Petőfi tér (Petőfi Square). Here stands the former slaughterhouse of the poet's father, now hosting the Helytörténeti Múzeum (Local Historical Museum). The collection comprises mementoes related to Petőfi and archaeological, industry historical and ethnographical materials. The museum also commemorates linguist, literary translator and folklore researcher Vikár Béla having died in the village in 1945. We can thank him, among others, the translation of Kalevala. In the main square of the village stand the statue of Petőfi Sándor, the monument of the 2^nd World War and of the victims of the freedom fight in 1956, the latter being the work of Makovecz Imre.

The bank section of the Danube also suitable for mooring offers excellent water-touring, water sports and relaxation possibilities. You can angle not only in River Danube but also in Fűzvölgyi csatorna (Willow Valley Channel) and Malomér (Mill Brook). Those being only in transit in Dunavecse can find trimmed parks, beautiful monuments and peaceful village environment where it is worth taking a rest. Each year, on the last Friday of February, Kalevala Day is held in the village, in March Vikár Béla is commemorated by a series of events lasting for several days, on 20 August the commemoration day of Szent István (St. Stephen) is organised on the bank of the Danube and at the end of September a Petőfi literature evening awaits visitors.

Sources: dr. Dusek László: Az Alföld. Cartographia, Budapest. 2000, http://hu.wikipedia.org/, http://www.dunavecse.hu/, http://www.vendegvaro.hu/