Szentendre évszázadai (Szentendrei Múzeumi Füzetek 3. Szentendre, 1996)

The Centuries of Szentendre In 1996 we celebrated the 850th anniversary of the first occurance of the name of our town in an official document. Géza II had a document made here: „S. Andreae secus Danubium". There are several archeological remains justifying the earlier existence of the settlement. People settled here as early as the Neolithic Age because of the advantageous potentialities of the place. Szentendre does not have a permanent exhibition on its local history. On the occasion of the anniversary two venues will be at our disposal to show the inhabitants of the town and the public at least a part of the result of a several decade long collecting work At the Picture Gallery in the Main Square we can follow the several thousand year long history of the town from the very beginning to the World War II. In the first hall the remains of the archeological ages can be seen: all the peoples from the Neolithic Age on have left their marks on this territory. The presence of the Romans was significant. From the 3rd and 4th century A.D. a villa, the Roman military camp (Ulcisia Castra) and the graveyard have been explored by the archeologists. There are less artefacts to be put on show from the Migration Period and the Middle Ages. From this time on, however, there are more and more written documents at our disposal. The centre of the settlement in the Middle Ages was on the territory of the Churchyard Townhall - Main Squaire, with a triangular shape marketplace, and the church towering over it. There were houses between the Main Square of today and the Danube. From the settlement of the 15th and 16th century the walls of stone houses and cellars have remained. At the end of the Turkish Age Szentendre was depopulated for 9 years. In 1690 Serbs and Dalmats moved in the area. In the second hall the development of Szentendre into a countrytown, its 18th century golden age up to the end of the 19th century is shown through written documents. The majority of the Serbs were merchants and craftsmen, while the Dalmats and the returning Hungarians made their living with vinegrowing. The craftsmen - especially those dealing with tanning - gathered in guilds quite early, first the bootmakers in 1695. There are several relics of guilds, some weapons and household utensils from the 17th—19th centuries displayed. There is a Serbian woman's wear on show with the photo of its maker, as well as stockings - including ones woven with beads - belonging to the costume, and decorative towels, the so-called peskirs. Goods were conveyed mainly by water, which contributed to the development of wine producing and the enrichment of the citizens. Local trade also became more and more lively. Grocer's shops and restaurants stood one after the other. In the third exhibition hall a grocer's shop can be seen, the Dietz-f amily 's shop from the first half of the 20th century. The Roman-Catholic Dalmats, who introduced grape culture, lived on the Szamárhegy (Donkey-Hill), separated from the Orthodox Serbs. From the end of the 18th century more and more Germans settled in. They were merchants and master builders, while Slovaks came here because vine-growing provided work for them. By the end of the 19th century the life standard of the citizens of this multinational town had become fairly homogeneous and civil, which can be justified on the one hand by the wear and on the other by the interior - both are documented with old photos - while the most beautiful items representing the middle-class way of life are displayed in the last hall.