Horváth M. Ferenc (szerk.): Vác The heart of the Danube Bend. A historical guide for residents and globetrotters (Vác, 2009)
Tartalom
166 VÁC IN THE 20TH CENTURY The Hübschl Villa ent prom music became a popular weekend pastime for the people of Vác. The public baths and the jetty were also situated on this stretch of the Danube bank. Passers-by could also enjoy the sight of the watermills on barges anchored in the river. By the beginning of the century the railway had won over passengers travelling to Pest. The steamer ran only twice a day, and among the passengers there were more day-trippers than market traders, who were now welcomed by a lovely promenade instead of the stench of the tanner workshops. The business prospects of the busy promenade were soon exploited: Gizella Kulcsár opened a photographer's studio on the quay, and the first Italian ice-cream vendor also arrived here for the season. Pretty villas were built along the promenade making the street look even lovelier, and a public building was built in art nouveau style, the House of the Chief District Administration of Vác. In 1932 the music pavilion was moved from the corner turret of the Bishop's Palace to its present location. By opening the iron fence of the promenade the national flag was also raised here. The icy flood of 1940 badly damaged the railings. In the 1970s the Danube bank was widened to make room for a park between the promenade and the river. However, the old photos and postcards record the old promenade where our greatgrandmothers, wearing cart-wheel hats and carrying parasols, passed the time walking under the shady sycamore trees. Just a few minutes'walk from the promenade, the triangular Baroque Main Square acted as the town centre. One side of the square bordered the main road, so nobody could avoid Plan of the Hübschl Villa
