Szigetcsép

Szigetcsép lies in the central part of the Csepel-island, between the Ráckeve branch and the main branch of the Danube, at a distance of 30 km from Budapest. It can be reached by car on route 5101, by public transportation by suburban train towards Ráckeve and by scheduled coach line operated between Csepel and Makád.

The early inhabitancy of the village is evidenced by the Copper Age finds and the Iron Age cemetery excavated near the village border. Its first written mention is from 1283 under the name “Cséptelek”. Under the Turkish thraldom, Szigetcsép, just like other villages was abandoned. Around 1706 Rác people settled in the village, later Germans arrived, bringing along their viticulture. The settlement moved to its present-day site, further from the Danube after the great flood of 1838. Nevertheless, the village was still unprotected against the floods of the Danube, therefore during the flood of 1878, when the village main road was only accessible by boat, the construction of the dike started.

Tourists arriving in Szigetcsép can see dead channels by the Danube lined with willows and reed-beds, so-called “hókony”, which were left by the icy flooding of the Danube. The hókony are today excellent fishing areas. We can discover islands and floating bogs made of reed at the riverbank. The water and the waterfront are protected, providing habitat for rare plant and animal species. We can admire the yellow water-lily, the marsh helleborine and the early marsh orchid. If walking cautiously and attentively on these areas, we may see e.g. the spotted crake, the European pond turtle, the Eurasian bittern, the little bittern, the water shrew or the otter.

Strolling down the atmospheric village streets, we should not forget to visit the Serb Orthodox, the Catholic and the Calvinist churches. A valuable adornment of the Serb Othodox church built in 1768 in late rococo style is the iconostasis restored in 1907. The Roman Catholic St. Teresa church was built by Maria Theresa in 1755. The inhabitants of the village are rightly proud of the courtyard beside the church, which is also a pilgrimage site. The courtyard is fitted with a rock garden around the sculpture of Our Lady of Fátima, a Way of Cross Hill, St. Stephen chapel, a chapel for Our Lady of Medugorje and a replica of the Lourdes cave. The modern building of the Calvinist church is decorated with a wooden shindle roof originating from Transylvania. A monument symbolising the togetherness of the three churches of the village is erected in front of the church. This is the fourth time already that the horse riding competition “Huculösvény” was organised in the village, during which riders have to pass a 2,000-15,000 m long obstacle course.

Sources: http://www.szigetcsep.hu/, http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szigetcs%C3%A9p, http://www.lovasok.hu/index.php?i=24728