Kisoroszi

Kisoroszi  is situated at the northern end of the Szentendre Island, at a distance of 40 km from Budapest. It can be accessed through the Tahitótfalu Bridge, or by ferry from Visegrád-Szentgyörgy-puszta. In the summer the pleasure boats circulating between Budapest and Esztergom stop here too. The  poplar lane alongside the bank, and the woods of old willows  and its autochtonal fauna form part of the Duna-Ipoly Nemzeti Park (Duna-Ipoly National Park). The tiny little islands of the  Vác Branch of the Danube, such as the Szúnyog- és Kőhídi  Islands ,and the upper end of Szentendrei Island are favourite camping places of rowers.

According to certain assumptions the name of the settlement came from the word “orosz” (Russian) as during the reigning of King Kálmán (Coloman) Russian came from the Kiev Principality and settled here. According to another theory the name Kisoroszi is the product of the several hundred years development of the word “Rosd”, as the settlement was the possession of the Rosd family. In the 15^th century King Matthias settled “hajdú” (heyducks) here. Following the conquest of Buda, the village yielded to the Turks after the expellation of whom the village became isolated by the population of other villages of the island. The village has by one catholic and one reformed church, both under protection as a monument of art.  The main altar of the catholic church has a magnific painting of the battle of Lepanto. On the painting the patron of the church the Queen of the String of Beads helps the Christian armies to defeat the Turks.

In the first part of the 20^th century Baktay Ervin, who was a great admirer of the romanticism of the Wild West built the analogue of a small North-American town in the northern end of the Szentendre Island and founded the first Hungarian Indian Tribe the memory of which is treasured by the Baktay Ervin Western Museum in the culture house. Although the village no more exists, the spirit of Baktay Ervin is kept alive by a riding farm organizing Indian-cowboy camps. The oldest golf course in Hungary with 18 holes is here in Kisoroszi. The parks with rich vegetation and the vicinity of the Visegrád Mountains and the Danube Band steals the visitors’ hearts with their beauty. On the first week-end of July there is a three-days’ Danube fest, and on the last but one Saturday a vintage celebration. The PiMM Foundation working at Kisoroszi awaits the visitors with “school in the woods” (one or two weeks’ long extra-curricular classes for primary schools), school excursions church and arts camps and a guest house suitable also for organizing conferences.

Sources: http://www.kisoroszi.hu/, http://hu.wikipedia.org/, http://www.vendegvaro.hu/, http://www.iranymagyarorszag.hu/, http://www.pimm.hu/index.php