Pilismarót

Pilismarót is located in Komárom-Esztergom county at the border of the Maróti Hills and the Danube river. The settlement can be reached by car on route 11. Coach lines by Volánbusz lead to Pilismarót among others from Székesfehérvár, Esztergom and the capital. Ferry lines operate from the settlement to Szob between 1st April and 31st October. Zebegény can also be reached by ferry, operating on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

In the Roman age an important military camp was set up named Castra ad Herculem, the foundation walls of which can be seen even today on the Small Hill (Kis-hegy). During the Middle Ages and the early Modern Age the history of the settlement intertwined with various monastic orders. Pilismarót was granted to the Benedictines of Visegrád in 1260 and was taken away by King Sigismund, who donated it to the St. Stephen provostry of Esztergom. Owing to Ladislaus the Second, the settlement was granted to the Pauline Order in 1493 and stayed in their possession until the dissolution of the order in Hungary in 1786.

The Heckenast mansion in Pilismarót is of great importance from the sense of cultural history. In the printing-house of the owner, Gusztáv Heckenast the publications briefing the demands of the revolution in 12 points were printed in March 1848. In the romantic style villa built in 1860, after the revolution, there was an animated social life, and it was also considered a literary workshop. Distinguished poets and writers such as János Arany, József Eötvös, Mór Jókai, Sándor Kisfaludy and Mihály Vörösmarty also passed by. Ferenc Deák, the Wise Man of the Nation formulated the text of the Compromise (between Austria and Hungary in 1867) in the courtyard of the villa. Only the basement of the building is accessible for visitors, where the sculpture and medal exhibition of János Konyorcsik, Munkácsy-awarded sculptor can be viewed.

Pilismarót is one of the starting points for those wishing to explore the Danube Bend and the Pilis mountains. Popular tourist destinations such as Dobogókő, Rámszakadék (Rám Canyon), Hirsch Peak (Hirsch-orom) or Iron Gate (Vaskapu) over Esztergom can be reached from here. The rich stock of game of the surrounding forests attracts also hunters. The hunter’s lodges Hoffmann and Hamvaskő operated by the Pilismarót Forestry of the Pilis Forest Company welcome not only hunters. Anglers will find water rich of fish in the Danube, in the artificial bay formed during the construction of the barrage system at Nagymaros, and in the fishponds in the Deák Valley. Memorable events are the Danube Bend Majorette and Dance Festival (Dunakanyar Mazsorett- és Táncfesztivál) in late April, Lawrence-day and the summer farewell vine harvest festival at the Danube in late August.

Sources: http://www.pilismarot.hu/, http://hu.wikipedia.org/, http://www.vendegvaro.hu/, Dr. Dénes György: Budapest és a Dunakanyar. Carthographia, Budapest. 2001