Horváth M. Ferenc (szerk.): Vác The heart of the Danube Bend. A historical guide for residents and globetrotters (Vác, 2009)
Tartalom
THE 19TH CENTURY - THE CENTURY OF GREAT CHANGES 151 The Danube below the Pointed Tower the riverbank is prepared by Sándor Péts Municipal Engineer in 1888. Based on this design the 260 metre long Maria Theresa Embankment (today's Ady Endre Promenade) is built between Eszterházy Street and Petróczy Street, that is between the ferry and the jetty, which becomes "the most popular promenade" of the town. In 1891 Mayor Géza Gajáry is proud to report on the work that has been done: "...in order to arrange and improve the look of the town there has been so much work done and so many works completed which only few country towns can boast of" In the course of this work the embankment is fenced off with the 256 metre long iron railings removed from outside the Parliament in Budapest and given to the town for free. Three iron passages are made, seven big iron lamps are set up, trees are planted, pavements are built and the dumping of garbage is forbidden. The Danube bank will be further improved in the 20th century. In the 19th century the town related to the river in more ways than nowadays. It is used as a source of drinking water and food, a way of transport, a place of pursuing trade and industry, a source of power for the watermills, a"laundry"and a collector of effluent, but the floods make it a source of disaster as well. This manifold relationship is reflected in the way the Danube bank is divided into sections (from south to north) and port duties are levied in 1877: i) From the Füzes up to the end of the garden of the Bishop's Palace, timber is unloaded and processed, vessels are renovated and built; hay, straw, thatch and other crops are stored; coal and firewood are unloaded, and here is the military laundry as well (consider the nearby barracks.); ii) Between the bishop's garden and Petróczy Street building, paving and fired building materials can be stored; iii) The riverside sector at the end of Petróczy Street is used as a watering place both for horses and humans; iv) As far as the riverside garden gate of the beer house in Fürdő Street the tanners and the fabric dyers place their drying frames, and the fishermen can anchor their barges and boats; v) Between the beer house garden gate and Eszterházy Street ferry boats can be anchored; vi) The next 38 metre long sector is a bathing place; vii) The next embanked section is a port for steamships; viii) Between this latter embankment and the lower corner of the prison there is a 335 metre long loading place for the market ships; ix) Between the lower corner of the prison and Molnár Street cord wood and building materials can be stored, and here is the bathing place of the prison; x) North of Molnár Street materials used for all kinds of water constructions can be stored. The first steamship puts in at Vác in 1840, and from this time on scheduled ships carry people through Pest as faras Vienna. The first landing place (until 1930) is in the U-shaped building at the end of today's Petróczy Street (still extant), sharing the building with the White Ship Restaurant famous for its balls. In 1872 the steam ship company sets up a second jetty at the end of Eszterházy Street, which is in use until 1889. After that they have another landing place below the prison. As we can see, the Danube and the riverside provide for lots of activities. The river water spreading on to this section is used for bathing horses, watering cattle, but drinking water is also carried from here by small carts with barrels on them. On the upper part of the river, the Kisvác sector are the View of Vác towards the Fair-ground, 1898 I !A <*? . r
