Exploring the Szigetköz

Itinerary

• You reach the centre of Mosonmagyaróvár avoiding the busy 1 and 86 roads, also passing the 56 memorial, following the route: Soproni Road - Töltés Street - Bauer Rudolf Street - Liszt Ferenc Street - Fertősor - Alkotmány Street - Gyári Road - Szent Imre Street - Fő Street.
• Opposite the town hall, turn right at Deák Ferenc Square; you can enter the castle by crossing the Mosoni-Duna and going through the castle gate. Leave the castle in the same direction, then follow Soós János Street - Szent László Square - Jókai Mór Street through the city centre.
• From the city - passing the Mosoni beach - follow Károly Road - Tallós Prohászka Street - Fazekas Mihály Street - Felsőötház Street - Aranyossziget Street - Rév Street to exit.
• Crossing the Mosoni-Duna, continue along the bike path beside the road towards Máriakálnok.
• At Máriakálnok, follow the main road through; to the Sarlós Boldogasszony Chapel, turn right onto the promenade starting at the bus turnaround.
• Leaving Máriakálnok, continue the route, then, on reaching the Szigetköz bike route, turn left.
• At the border of Halászi, turn right towards Püski/Lipót; from here to Lipót, do not deviate anywhere. On reaching Lipót, it is worth continuing on the main road for about two hundred meters, then turn left (at the building with the sign of the Civil Guard) towards Morotva Lake.
• Leave Lipót along the chestnut alley starting at the thermal bath leading to Darnózseli.
• At Darnózseli, reaching the Szigetköz bike path, turn left – then follow the bike path all the way to Győr.
• In Győr, leave the roundabout in front of the university at the second exit (Hédervári Road), go straight at the next roundabout, then after going down the Jedlik Ányos Bridge (going around the roundabout), turn left onto Töltésszer.
• At the next roundabout (Rát Mátyás Square) go straight towards the synagogue, then after leaving the building, enter the roundabout and take the Petőfi Bridge. After descending the bridge, turn left (going around the roundabout), then continue straight along Zechmeister Street to Bécsi Kapu Square – turn right here.
• Passing through the city centre, you can reach Városház Square along Szabadsajtó Street - Széchenyi Square - Kazinczy Street - Baross Gábor Road; the railway station is located behind the town hall.

Detailed description of the route

Before starting the Szigetköz route, it is worth saying a few words about the Szigetköz itself. It is about the largest island in our country, with an area of 375 square kilometers. The landscape was shaped primarily by the ancient Danube after the Pannonian Sea receded from the Carpathian Basin: as the river reached the plains, it spread out its sediment. The resulting alluvial cone was later completely enveloped by the Danube river system, and – although human activity was a significant landscape-shaping factor even here – part of the aquatic world has survived until today. The wetland of outstanding importance still features marsh forests, willow and poplar groves, and previously also the characteristic marsh meadows, although less frequently. Alongside the rich flora, the fauna is also very diverse, ranging from various fish species (even brown trout can be found here) and amphibians to over 200 bird species.

From castle to university

We will explore the Szigetköz from Mosonmagyaróvár, but first it is worth having a look around the city. From the railway station, avoiding busy roads, we start with a small detour towards the city centre. This detour has two other reasons: on the one hand, we pass by the huge, now derelict buildings of the former gunpowder factory (between 1914 and 1918, one of the largest military industrial investments in the Monarchy), and on the other, we turn towards the memorial of the victims of the 1956 Mosonmagyaróvár shooting. Staying with the first, the city has a significant industrial past (and present). Initially, in the 18th-19th century, it was characterized primarily by the milling industry and related small-scale crafts, then at the beginning of the 20th century, the Hirtenberg Cartridge, Primer, and Metal Factory, the predecessor of MOFÉM, was established at the town’s edge. Besides ammunition, initially, various shirt buttons, tie pins, perfume sprays, buckles, lighters were produced, later including brass mortars, razor blades, mining detonators, and much more; today, the MOFÉM factory produces various building and health fittings. Production started in 1934 at the alumina factory (operating until 2003), and the Kühne Agricultural Machinery Factory, founded in 1856, also fits into this line of production, still operating in the city. The 1941 factory catalog lists only a few items, showing the wide product range: plows, harrows, hay cutters, fertilizer spreaders, mowers, harvesters, coal rakes, sea dredgers, beet cutters, corn shellers, grinders, hammer mills, fertilers, beet and potato sprayers, and more.

The mourning barracks are also close to the industrial area. On October 26, 1956, several hundred people gathered in the streets of Mosonmagyaróvár, who on the one hand knocked the red star off several buildings, and on the other marched towards the Aluminium Factory and Dalton blanket factory on Gyári Road, to involve the workers there in the demonstration. Unfortunately, they passed by the border guard barracks where Captain István Dudás, upon learning of the events, ordered the defense of the barracks, mainly setting up machine gun nests. When the unarmed crowd, swelling to 1,000-2,000 people, singing the Hungarian National Anthem and the Szózat, reached the barracks, shots were fired. The shooting and hand grenades thrown into the crowd claimed a still unclear number of victims, estimates range between 59 and 107 dead. The enraged crowd lynched four border guard officers on October 26-27, despite efforts by the Győr National Council delegation to save them. The dreadful events are commemorated by sculptor Tibor Rieger's work called Golgota and by 50 carved wooden posts.

Reaching the Main Road, one gets a picture of the former county seat: King Saint Stephen organized Moson County with Mosonvár as its centre, but a settlement and military camp called Ad Flexum already existed in the area of today’s town in Roman times (the name Óvár may be linked to that ancient city; the name Magyaróvár served later for distinction from nearby Németóvár – Bad Deutsch-Altenburg). The Hungarian ispán’s castle began as a rampart castle, later strengthened with stone walls. The direct predecessor of the present castle was started in the 1250s by Konrád of the Győr clan; it was a hexagonal residential tower without fortification, destroyed in 1290. Construction of the present castle began in 1364, it changed owners several times, and was burnt down by the Turks in 1529. In the following fifteen years, it was rebuilt and strengthened with walls and an annex (the "castle captain’s building") only to be set on fire again in 1683 by the retreating Turks from the Siege of Vienna. It was rebuilt, but lost its military significance after the Rákóczi War of Independence, so it was repurposed for civilian use: it belonged to the imperial court, and in 1766 Maria Theresa donated the Magyaróvár estate and its seat to her daughter, Maria Christina. By 1818, the building had acquired its current form (the second floor was built), and Maria Christina’s husband, Albert Casimir, Duke of Saxe-Teschen, founded the Magyaróvár Agricultural Private Institute here. Today, the castle houses the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science of the Széchenyi István University, thus the old walls continue to serve higher education purposes – naturally, there is also a castle-history exhibition in the beautifully renovated building. During renovation, a stone coat of arms carved and painted in the mid-15th century was uncovered, which can be seen behind a glass wall hidden in the castle courtyard.

Very close to the castle is the Lucsonyi Chapel, built after the 1713 plague epidemic, in gratitude and atonement by the survivors. We continue rolling through the atmospheric streets of the city centre – it is worth stopping and entering the St. Gotthard Church. The Baroque exterior of course hides a Baroque interior (a more restrained, prettier version), funded largely by the already mentioned Maria Christina and Albert Casimir. In the crypt beneath, the coffins of Archduke Frederick of Habsburg and his wife, Isabella of Croy, were placed. Worth mentioning near the church is the so-called "legged house" which used to be a slaughterhouse.

We leave the city centre along the route of the St. James pilgrimage route, which is the Hungarian section of the Camino de Santiago. We cross the Mosoni-Duna twice in the town, then soon arrive at its bank, where the Mosoni beach promises a very pleasant bathing place in summer right at the start of the route. With children, the Futura Adventure Centre in the city is surely at least as good a destination; it advertises itself as Hungary’s largest scientific playhouse.

World of waters: miraculous spring, thermal bath, Morotva Lake

After crossing the Mosoni-Duna for the third time, we leave Mosonmagyaróvár behind to finally head for the roughly 60 kilometres ahead of us. A good-quality bike path leads to the neighbouring Máriakálnok, sometimes on one side of the road, sometimes on the other. Máriakálnok is a well-known pilgrimage site, associated with several miracles recorded in chronicles. Pilgrimages began in the mid-16th century, connected with a spring near Kálnok whose water was considered healing, with many miraculous recoveries and conversions reported there. A fisherman who retrieved a statue of Mary from the Danube built a small chapel near the spring and a hermitage for himself. The neighbouring landowner, in 1663, out of respect for the Virgin Mary, built a larger, more permanent chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Visitation, which however burnt down 210 years later – but the statue of Mary remained intact. The rebuilt chapel has been awaiting the faithful since 1874 in a small pleasant park and is worth visiting.

After leaving Máriakálnok behind, we head north between the arable fields, then turn left at the main road crossing the Szigetköz, continuing on the bike path to the Püski junction near Halászi, where we turn right. Passing through Püski (there is a pleasant resting place next to the village hall where you can relax and fill your water bottle), we continue towards Dunaremete – cycling on asphalt in the summer heat with limited shade can be a challenging experience. According to local legend, approaching a village founded by two hermits living in the area, we pass a neat small roadside chapel and then glide past the village. It's worth noting that almost every house has a small pond in its backyard. Near Lipót, a row of holiday homes appears on the left, indicating proximity to water – indeed, water surfaces sparkle at the end of the small gaps among houses. The lake called Morotva Lake, a side arm of the Danube, borders the village to the north; it is navigable by a (digital) nature trail that strings together the reed lakes, meadows, softwood groves, and the hardwood groves that once bordered all watercourses. Those not wishing to walk around the oxbow can also enjoy the view from a small lookout of the densely reed-covered water surface. Lipót is mainly known for its thermal and adventure baths, and the Lipóti Bakery, which even has a visitor centre hosting a glass gallery tracing the bread’s journey from flour sack to packaging.

We leave Lipót along the chestnut alley starting from the thermal bath parking lot towards Darnózseli. The tree crowns form a tunnel-like cover over the narrow asphalt strip for nearly three kilometres, providing a unique experience and real refreshment in the summer heat (nowhere else on the route do we ride this long in the shade). At Darnózseli, we turn onto the Szigetköz bike route crossing from the Rajka border to Győr, which is also part of the EuroVelo6 (Danube) route. The most interesting sight is not even in the village but just outside it, right beside the bike path, surrounded by shrubs. It is the French "stone pillar", fortunately marked by a sign, otherwise easy to miss. The "stone pillar" is actually a memorial column erected by Georg Rivoli's wife – according to legend – in the border area of Darnózseli (then still called Darno and Zseli) in 1809 for her husband, who was a Polish-origin officer in the Napoleonic armies fighting against the Habsburgs and died of a fatal gunshot there.

World of knights and goldminers

History also left visible traces in the neighbouring Hédervár. Right at the border of the settlement, in the middle of the bike path (!), we find the St. Peregrinus Chapel. This time, one cannot blame the bike path planners, as the small sacred building is nicely bypassed on both sides; it was built by a certain Countess Viczay who was taken away by French soldiers during the Napoleonic wars. Her feet became ulcerated by hardships, but thanks to Peregrinus’s intercession, she was freed and healed. (Peregrinus – called San Pellegrino in Italian – also had foot issues, but according to the legend, before amputation was necessary, he prayed to Jesus and was miraculously cured.) Approaching Hédervár, on the left side of the road, the Khuen-Héderváry Castle draws the attention of the traveler.

The castle’s "predecessor" was built in the 12th century by Héder (Hedrych), a knight serving King Géza II: a wooden fortification stood on today’s Zsidó Hill but was destroyed during the Mongol invasion. Later, a residential tower may have stood there; the Renaissance original of today’s castle was built by János Héderváry in the 16th century. It acquired its Baroque form in the second half of the 18th century, by which time it closely resembled today’s castle, which, according to legend, has three towers because it was located at the border of Győr, Pozsony and Moson counties (in fact, Moson never quite reached here). Unfortunately, as of 2021, the castle is not open to visitors; however, one can see the richly decorated interior through the windows – the castle served as a school, kindergarten, and from the 1980s as artists’ studios, renovated in the 2000s and last used as a castle hotel. In the courtyard, if one could enter, a large old plane tree, Renaissance cloisters, and Baroque wrought-iron candelabra could be admired; currently, visitors must be content with the castle’s former park, which is freely accessible. Opposite the castle, at the curve of the road, there is a small park with a curious statue: a huge Colorado potato beetle puffing up on a rock. The species, also known as Colorado beetle, was first found in Hédervár in 1947; it is mainly known for feeding on the stems and leaves of potato plants, causing serious agricultural damage. At the unveiling of the statue in 1997, it commemorated primarily the beginnings of organized plant protection rather than the striped pest.

The sights of Hédervár do not end with the Colorado beetle; in front of the Chapel of Our Lady, there is the Árpád tree, which according to legend was where Árpád tied his horse when he rested here on his way to the battle of Bratislava. Since the tree would have to be at least a thousand years old, it is indeed just a legend. Behind the tree rises the Chapel of Our Lady, probably built at the end of the 12th century and expanded several times over the centuries. Also called the cemetery chapel, the building served simultaneously as a parish church, a Marian shrine, and the burial site of the Héderváry family.

From Hédervár, we continue towards Ásványráró, where upon entering the village, it is worth leaving the main road to visit the St. Andrew Church, whose foundations were built in the 14th century. Then continue cycling towards the Danube’s branch system, where (with prior arrangement) one can even embark on a canoe to explore the water world. A short, one-hour round trip provides insight into the wonders of the wetlands (recommended even for those who are less enthusiastic about water tours), but the real experience is probably provided by half-day, whole-day, or multi-day tours in the Szigetköz. Speaking of Ásványráró (and the other island villages) and the Danube connection, one must mention fishing, (swimming) grazing, turtle-making, and gold panning. The gold content of the Danube and its tributaries’ sediments was known already in Celtic times, and probably the Romans also washed gold in the Szigetköz. The most famous gold-mining town was Ásvány at the twilight of gold panning in the 19th century: in 1831, 72 families lived from gold panning, and in 1870, 102 gold miners were registered in Ásvány. For example, in 1842, András Horváth delivered 182 grams and Márton Bősi 216 grams of gold according to contemporary records; today only a few pursue gold panning as a hobby throughout the country. Continuing on the island bike path towards Győr, near Ásványráró (on the other side of the road) there is a calvary, whose appearance differs from the usual: the three crosses stand on a covered Baroque podium. Next to the calvary stands a black poplar tree taller than 550 centimeters in circumference, roughly a hundred years old.

The bike path runs along the main island road all the way to Győr; it is worth taking a small detour off the path at Dunaszeg. However, before that, near the border of Dunaszeg, we pass a narrow-gauge railway memorial: the C50 small locomotive and the attached hopper wagon recall the island agricultural railways. The estates of the Szigetköz built narrow-gauge railways in the 1920s for their private farms, connecting them with the main railway on the Budapest–Győr–Hegyeshalom line at the stations of Lébény, Öttevény, and Kimle, running narrow-gauge tracks. Three separate narrow-gauge railways operated in the Szigetköz with a total length of over 50 kilometres, transporting agricultural products between the two World Wars.

Diverse industrial relics can be seen in the building behind the village museum: a collection of old internal combustion engines is housed in a building reminiscent of the old village granaries. The stable motor collection features "motors" that once drove some work equipment (pump, saw, grinder, polisher, threshing machine, shredders, generators). Nearby is Morotva Lake, whose name reflects its former function and horseshoe shape, indicating that it was once a meander of the Mosoni-Duna. It is worth stopping at the shore of this friendly little lake to rest a bit and observe the floating water lilies, lotus flowers, or the birds that prefer wet habitats.

The iron rooster crows

Passing through Győrladamér, Győrzámoly, and Győrújfalu, we approach the "city of rivers", namely Győr, which naturally offers enough sights and programs for several days for cycling tourists. We do not choose the shortest way to the station to have as many opportunities as possible to taste the atmosphere of Győr’s city centre. Passing the university, instead of heading for the Kossuth Bridge, we take a detour crossing the Mosoni-Duna via the Jedlik Ányos Bridge towards the synagogue. The huge historic and Secessionist style building visibly served a large public from its inauguration in the 1870s until the crisis period. In 1944, 5700 people from Győr and its surroundings were deported; although the synagogue was reconsecrated in 1946, the greatly reduced Jewish community could not maintain either the synagogue or the associated school, leading to state ownership and its use as a cultural space to this day.

We cross the Rába on the bike path on the Petőfi bridge, then continue on the melodious-named Zechmeister Street towards the city centre, entering through Bécsi Kapu Square – but first, it is worth climbing the Rába bridge. Firstly, because on Rád Island it is worth taking a look at the Heroes’ Square (in the background on the riverbank waits the country’s oldest – built in 1897 – boathouse for a turn of fortune), and in the other direction, the Episcopate. On the northwest side of Káptalandomb is the fortress, home of the bishops of Győr, a strategic point likely appreciated already by the Romans, as archaeological finds suggest the castrum belonging to the Arrabona camp was here. The old medieval castle was replaced by Káptalandomb, which besides the Episcopate also hosted the vice-ispánship in the Middle Ages; today it is the most significant building next to the Episcopal Palace, namely the Győr Basilica. The first version of the cathedral was built in the 11th century, but due to historical turmoils and repeated reconstructions, the oldest parts display Gothic style features today, though mostly dominated by early Baroque. Perhaps for reasons not architectural but sacred, the basilica is a truly important place, as it houses the reliquary of Saint László, i.e., the head relic of the ruler that holds a part of the king’s skull.

We enter the city centre through Bécsi Kapu Square, where it is worth glancing at the eclectic façades from various eras, and at the dominating Carmelite Church (and the hidden monastery behind it). Towards Széchenyi Square, we can take any small street, discovering the small communities characteristic of Győr, but Király Street promises a real curiosity: Napoleon stayed here in 1809 (as the plaque on the house reads: "I. Napoleon stayed here Aug. 31, 1809."). The French armies marched into Vienna in May, and Napoleon then issued a proclamation calling for secession from the House of Habsburg and election of a national king. The Hungarian nobility chose resistance and was defeated by the French forces on June 14. According to contemporary records, Napoleon arrived in the city in a six-horse carriage to personally assess the city’s defenses. A legend is connected to this extraordinary event: a cannonball lodged into the wall of the house across the street, supposedly fired personally by Napoleon at people partying too loudly at night.

The nearby Széchenyi Square has always been the city’s main square, the site of real life: popular assemblies, trials, executions, markets throughout history. The Vastuskós House, the St. Ignatius Church, and the Marian Column erected in 1686 after the liberation of Buda could all be symbols of Győr, but the real symbol is the Győr Cross standing in front of the town hall with an iron rooster on top. The city’s oldest symbol is the crowing iron rooster, whose legend says that in 1594, when the Turks occupied Győr and placed the crescent moon and the copper weathercock on the Danube Bastion tower, Grand Vizier Sinan shouted: "When this copper rooster crows, and the crescent under the rooster fills, then the Hungarians will retake Győr." Indeed, this happened in March 1598: a soldier climbed the Danube Bastion and crowed; the Turkish warriors, seeing that the rising sun completed the crescent, fled headlong. The importance of the victory is underscored by a decree issued one month later in Lower Austria by Emperor Rudolf: in memory of this, all fallen or weathered crosses and statues on roads, straits, and borders in Lower and Upper Austria should be renewed within two months, equipped with crosses, easily readable in black letters engraved or written on stone or metal: "Praise and thanks to God for returning Győr’s castle to us."

Győr hides many other legends and smaller or bigger curiosities to discover (for example, a fountain shaped like a soda siphon erected in memory of the city’s native, Ányos Jedlik; the signs of Győr’s streets; the St. László Visitor Centre; or the Xantos János Zoo located farther from the city centre), so there are reasons to return.