Page 19 - Esztergom 2021

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s square of Esztergom
Széchenyi Square, the core, the main square and the market
square of the medieval royal city is under monument protec-
tion. After the Turkish occupation, it was the first area that

was rebuilt. It was named in 1860, immediately after the death

of István (Stephen) Széchenyi, the greatest Hungarian. Th e
triangular promenade square is dominated by the palace that
became the town hall, once the noble mansion of János Boty-
tyán. Since its existence, it has been expanded and rebuilt sev-
eral times, and a school even operated within its walls, where,
among others, Gábor Baross, the Iron Minister, studied.
The building has been operating as a town hall for three

hundred years. When the square was renovated, the founda-
tion walls of two medieval churches were found among its
flagstones. Near the town hall, the outlines of the Szent Mik-

lós (St. Nicholas) Church, and at the northern end of the
square, the Szent Lőrinc (St. Lawrence) Church can be seen by
the tourists who walk in that direction. Near the latt er stood
the so-called Lőrinc (Lawrence) Gate of the medieval city
wall. The streets surrounding the Baroque and Classicist main

square are lined with many elegant buildings. The third build-
ing from the corner of the square, the Savings Bank’s Palace,
built at the turn of the century, and the neighbouring two-
storey building of the neo-baroque county palace dominate
the image of the district.

Today, the square is made attractive by cosy cafes, restaurants,
concerts, and various urban programmes.
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