Looking The Other Way – Sight Unseen In Sturovo (The Lost Lands #26)

For travelers, the most famous 20th century entry into Hungary did not come from the broken and battered Hungarian soldiers returning home at the end of World War I, the German Army’s invasion in 1944, nor the Red Army later that same year and once again in 1956. The most famous entry occurred in 1934. That was when a young British traveler only 19 years old, crossed over the Maria Valeria Bridge from Parkany (present-day Sturovo) to Esztergom on Easter. This entry is recounted in the opening to one of the most magnificent travel books ever written, Between The Woods And The Water, by Patrick Leigh Fermor. It is a moving start to the continuing saga of Fermor’s journey that took him from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople on foot in 1933 – 1934.

Traditional Views - Standing At The Altar

Of the three volumes Fermor wrote about his journey, Between The Woods And The Water, is the most famous. Some of that has to do with the opening. Fermor’s arrival in Esztergom is saturated with curiosity, wonder, and history. Left unsaid is that Fermor turned his back on Parkany, the town on what was then the Czechoslovakian side of the Danube. Parkany was the equivalent of flyover country except for the fact that Fermor’s fleeting visit was done on foot. ?A Time of Gifts, Fermor’s first volume of the trip, ends with him on the verge of crossing from Sturovo to Esztergom. Fermor was too busy looking forward to take a look back. He only mentions Parkany twice. The first, that he has arrived in the town. The second, that he makes his way down main street, gets his passport stamped, and is headed across the bridge to enter Hungary.

Parkany is a bit player in Fermor’s travel drama. It acts as the setting for the view it provides of Esztergom. For all the uniqueness of Fermor’s trip, his experience with Parkany is the same as for traveler’s past and present. There is supposedly nothing to see there, or at least nothing as interesting as can be found in Esztergom. The Basilica rising in splendor on the Danube’s opposite bank steals the show. Fermor was taking the traditional view of Parkany by looking past it. He can hardly be faulted. Fermor is one of many who have become so enchanted by the sight of Esztergom that everything else vanishes before it. The Basilica is the star attraction, drawing the eyes across the Danube and ever upward. Parkany might as well not exist. Ironically, it gets relegated to oblivion though it has by far the best view of Esztergom. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride.?

Going In Reverse - Backward Against The Wind

On my first visit to Esztergom, I ignored Sturovo in my haste to visit the Basilica. I have now lived long enough to regret that decision. It would have been much more interesting to visit both towns. At the time, I knew nothing about Fermor’s travels in the area other than a handful of references in guidebooks. That oversight is something I intend to rectify. My itinerary for the lost lands beyond Hungary’s border allows me the opportunity to do Fermor’s famous walk in reverse. How many can say they have set their sights set in Sturovo? Besides the locals, very few.

I have always wanted to walk backwards against the wind. Why I did not do so when presented with the opportunity is a mystery to me. Courage and curiosity failed me when I stood on the Hungarian side of the Danube staring at the reconstructed Maria Valeria Bridge in 2012. My eye was drawn across its spans to Sturovo, but the lack of an impressive skyline kept me at a distance. The entry for Sturovo in my guidebook made it sound the opposite of appealing. Predictably, it focused on the obvious. “Its major saving grace is the unbeatable view of the great domed basilica of Esztergom.”? The visual I had of the town did nothing to make me believe Sturovo deserved more than the two paragraphs it received. From a distance the town looked sedate. There was no hint of activity. Sturovo was deceptively still, just like the Danube on this day. A thin fog hung over the river and town. The kind of weather that could lull the entire world to sleep. I was dozing with my eyes open. Sturovo was in my sights, but not in my heart. Like my guidebook and Fermor, I was smitten with the Basilica’s spectacular presence. Sturovo would have to wait, possibly forever.

Exactly ten years later, I passed through Sturovo on a dreary day. Once again, the Basilica rose before my eyes, and I was magnetically pulled into Esztergom. The only thing I remember is that Sturovo was a surprising hive of activity, its famous thermal spa was doing a roaring trade on that rain splattered early August day. I should have been done with Sturovo after that less than memorable ride through the main road in town. That was before I renewed my interest in the Treaty of Trianon’s legacy. Just as Sturovo cannot escape Esztergom’s shadow, neither can the town escape Trianon which placed it in Czechoslovakia.? ?

Free Flow – The Missing Link

Fast forward to the 21st century, and the effects of Trianon on Sturovo have been somewhat mitigated by the disassembling of border control between Slovakia and Hungary in 2008 when both European Union members joined the Schengen Zone. This was a giant step forward in bilateral relations between the two nations. Sturovo shows just how far the two countries have come in bridging the divide between them politically and economically.

First, the reconstructed Maria Valeria Bridge opened in 2001. This vital transport link had been missing for fifty-seven years. Now the reconstructed bridge helps stimulate cross-border trade and travel. Both sides will benefit from the replacement of that missing link. Secondly, the abolition of border control allows free movement between Esztergom and Sturovo for the first time since the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Reconnecting the two cities has been a long and arduous process. Travelers can now go against the historical flow by traveling from Esztergom to Sturovo. That is an opportunity I intend to take.