Héjjas Pál - Horváth M. Ferenc: Régi képeslapok - Old postcards - Alte Ansichtskarten, 1896 - 1950 - Váci Történelmi Tár 2. (Vác, 2001)

Város a Duna partján - történeti áttekintés

Vác, "a famous town from time immemorial" lies on the left bank of the Danube, about 40 km of Budapest, where it has a sharp bend towards the south. Two regions meet here: the hills and mountains of Cserhát and the plains of the Alföld. Whether the man of the Palaeolithic Age settled here or not was not proved by archaeological findings, but in the surroundings, in Kosd and Verőce, and along the Ipoly River human traces have been discovered. From the so-called Mesolithic Age (8,000-5,000 BC) there are remains, which prove the existence of human settlements in the Vác area and surroundings. The man of the Neolithic culture (5,000-2,500 BC) toiled the land and dealt with stockbreeding. The remains of linear pattern pottery came to the surface in the northern boundary of the town. In the Copper and Bronze Ages (2,500-1,900; 1,900/800 BC) human communities lived in this northern area. A fortified site, the so-called Pogányvár (Pagan castle) relating to the previous era was found on a hill near the Danube, opposite the Kompkikötő Island (Ferry port island). Archaeologists found an amphora decorated with a bull's head, which was presumably used for sacrificial offerings. Celtic house remains, 55 cremation graves and a 36 pieces Celtic silver coin set were found from the Iron Age (800-100 BC). The almost 4 centuries of Celtic independence in the Transdanubian region was interrupted by the Romans. The border of the Roman Empire in the 1

st century AD was the Danube. The river was the natural boundary between the Roman Province Pannónia, organized in the 8 century AD and the barbarians' land, the Barbaricum, Vác being part of the latter. Many findings in the surroundings prove the trading relationship between the two territories. The Sarmatian-Jazygs, who played an important role in the area for centuries, occupied the northern part of the area, between the Danube and the Tisza. The Romans laid a big stress on the protection of their Empire's frontiers, the "limes". A huge network of trenches was built by Roman leadership as part of the protection system constructed after 322. The settling Hungarians called it Csörsz' trenches. The terminal point of the middle section was built up in the Vác region the same way as anywhere else along the river, and opposite the fortress, on the right side of the Danube there was a counter fortress and a port. The wall-remains opposite the Seven Chapels south of the Pokol country tavern are known as Bolhavár nowadays. North of this place, in Verőce and south of it, in Dunakeszi there are traces of similar fortified camps. Burial places were found from the 5

th century south of the town at the bank of the Gombás stream, belonging to the Kvads the first Germanic tribe to settle in the Carpathian Basin. The whirl of the migratory people swept away the Kvads and the Avars and Slavic people settling instead of them remained in the proximity of Vác for centuries. A number of valuable archaeological finds witness the traces of their settlements and burial places. Perhaps even the name of the town is of Slavic origin, meaning "accommodation site" and originates from the Vaclav person name. From the 10 century the Hungarian conquerors took possession of the surroundings of the town who coexisted here with the Slavic people for another 1-2 centuries. We do not know THE TOWN ON THE BANK OF THE DANUBE Historical overview much about the condition of the original conquest because there are no written records about this area, not even in Anonymus' "Gesta Hungarorum". The best-known archaeological remains of the age are from the early Árpád era, the cemetery from the 10-11 centuries but whether Hungarians or Slavic people were buried here is not known. In all certainty the village belonging to this might have been the ancient settlement of Vác. The Caroline-type, double-edged straight sword from the 10 century found in the Csörög vineyard is a unique archaeological find. The "sword of Csörög" could have got here with Viking mediation. It is most likely that warriors belonging to the middle class of the Hungarian conquerors used such a sword. The almost thousand-year-old past of the town is closely related to the bishopric. The first written mention of the town of Vác can be read in the Yearbook of the town Iburg in lower Saxony (Annales Yburgenses) at the events registered in the year 1074. The castle of Vác "Wazenburg" is mentioned in connection with the Hungarian Battle of Henry IV, German Emperor supporting his brother-in-law Salomon. In spite of the name the reference is not necessarily about a castle, just a fortified town core, which was on the site of today's Franciscan church and monastery. The desolation of the village lying at the Seven Chapels, to which the Chapel of St Peter probably also belonged, commenced when the center of the Vác diocese, the Episcopal Palace began to be built, when people living nearby settled at the bottom of the palace, because they found livelihood and protection here. The Pictorial Chronicle gives an account of the battle of Mogyoród from 1074, and the wondrous events preceding it. According to this account the ducal troops, lead by Géza, Ladislas and Otto, were camping close to Vác. There was a big deserted forest nearby, in which only Vác, the Hermit lived, and of whom Géza named the town built in this place. The Princes were consulting at St Peter's chapel, when Prince Ladislas had a vision. An angel descended from the sky and placed a crown on Géza's head. As Géza couldn't see anything from the vision, Ladislas deciphered it for him, saying that they will defeat Salomon, and his elder brother, Géza will be crowned king. Following this Géza promised that he will build a church in honour of the Holy Virgin. After the victorious battle they sought a place for the church and another wondrous event happened. They saw a deer carrying candles on its horns, and