Sights of Budakeszi

The second half of Budakeszi's name, Keszi, comes from the name of one of the Magyar tribes which settled Hungary; Buda refers to the region to which it belongs. The first mention of the settlement in a document was in 1327.

The town is situated at the junction of roads from Buda Castle, Zsámbék, Székesfehérvár, and Tinnye. This route was also used in the direction of Esztergom in order to avoid paying taxes on the Visegrád road.

At the end of the 20th century the border of Budakeszi reached the areas of Normafa, Zugliget, and János Hospital (kórház) which today belong to Budapest. At the end of World War II the majority of the Swabian residents were forcibly resettled from this typically German village. Hungarians, primarily from the part of Upper Hungary annexed to the former Czechoslovakia, came to take their place. The German name of the settlement, Wudigess, is remembered to this day.

Over the years, numerous artists and scientists have moved out to Budakeszi from the capital, including composer Ferenc Erkel, and actress Mária Mezei, who spent the last years of her life here and after whom the artists' days held here in October are named. Budakeszi is today one of Budapest's 'commuter settlements'.

SIGHTS

Church ruins

Remains of the walls of a medieval church, large in comparison to the size of the settlement, were found during excavations in 1997 in the courtyard of the Roman Catholic Church. These walls are now displayed in a garden of ruins.

The archaeological digs discovered the foundations of a Romanesque church with a rectangular nave which had been extended westward. The nave was enlarged when the Romanesque church demolished in the 15th century, and the sacristy was then built onto these walls from north. Built into the walls of the Gothic sacristy are a Roman gravestone with a carved hunting scene and an altar stone. At medieval times stonewalls surrounded the church and its cemetery.

Mansions, peasant houses

Several elegant Baroque and Classicist mansions as well as peasant houses are hidden away on the streets parallel to the main street. The Virágvölgy Street, and Jókai Street are especially pleasant places to walk.

Some of the peasant houses were built with the wooden veranda and ornamented gables typical of the turn of the century mountain areas. Number 187 on the Main Street built in Classicist style in 1838 is worth a look. 12 Jókai Street is an attractive, although redesigned, Baroque house from 1776.

The houses of the middle class and the former wine cellars of Virágvölgy and Jókai Street were built in the 19th century.

Roman Catholic church of the Queen of Angels

The restored building of the Makkosmária Roman Catholic Church is found in a forest clearing at the edge of Budakeszi town. The church is a popular place of pilgrimage.

In 1731 a young lad from Budakeszi - one János Traub - was miraculously cured. He commissioned a painting of the Virgin Mary in gratitude for his recovery and nailed it to the oak tree under which he had experienced his miraculous vision. The place became a popular destination for pilgrims, and in 1768 the Trinitarian Order built a monastery here. After the dissolution of the order, the church and monastery were left to ruin, until the church was finally restored between 1938 and 1947. On the facade of the restored church there are statues and memorial plates. The place is a popular hiking destination today, located as it is in a beautifully kept forest park. The church and pilgrim house are currently maintained by the Dominican Order.

Accommodation in Budakeszi:

 http://www.hungaryrooms.com/hotels/Budakeszi/

Map of Budakeszi:

 http://www.hungaryrooms.com/map/Budakeszi/