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Szentendre
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Szentendre (Medieval Latin: Sankt Andrae; Serbian: Сентандреја, Sentandreja) is a riverside town in Pest county, Hungary, near the capital city of Budapest. Szentendre is known for its museums (most notably the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum), galleries, and artists. Due to its picturesque appearance and easy rail and river access, it has become a popular destination for tourists staying in Budapest and there are many shops and restaurants catering for these visitors.
History
Populated for well over a millennium, under the Romans it was called Ulcisia Castra, meaning Wolf Castle. Since the 1500s it was considered the center of the Hungarian Serb community. At one point it had as many as eight Serbian Orthodox church buildings and 3 chapels, and only one each Roman-Catholic and Evangelical. It is still the see of the Buda Diocese of the Serb Orthodox Church. Szentendre and the surrounding villages were also inhabited by Bulgarians ever since the Middle Ages. In 1690, the Serbian teacher and hegumen Stevan notes that Szentendre was even called Bolgarija by some. It had a Bulgarian neighbourhood of settlers from Chiprovtsi (æiprovaèka) and a "Chiprovtsi church". The names of locals clearly hint at a Bulgarian population.
In the 1700s, after liberation from the Turks, Szentendre enjoyed a rebirth with Mediterranean leanings, as Serbian, Croatian, Slovak, German and Greek newcomers moved in and lived alongside the Magyar inhabitants. According to the 1720 data, 88% of the population of the town were South Slavs (mostly Serbs, but also some South Slavic Catholics). The town to this day is characterised by a south European atmosphere with much baroque architecture, churches of various faiths, narrow sidestreets, and cobblestone roads.
The arts
Szentendre has been the home of many generations of Hungarian artists since early 20th century. There are many museums and contemporary galleries representing the rich traditions of the visual art.
List of art museums:
Margit Anna - Imre Ámos Collection
Jenõ Barcsay Collection
Béla Czóbel Museum
Károly Ferenczy Museum
János Kmetty Museum
Margit Kovács Ceramic Collection
Lajos Vajda Museum
Szentendre Gallery
Gallery of the Artists' Colony
ArtMill
List of contemporary galleries:
Aktív Art Gallery
Gallery Erdész
Mûhely Gallery
Palmetta Design Gallery
ArtUnio Gallery
Vajda Lajos Studio
Wikipedia
