Things to do in Pannonhalma
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St Martin's Basilica
The entrance to St Martin's Basilica, built early in the 12th century, is through the Porta Speciosa. This arched doorway in red limestone was recarved in the mid-19th century by the Stornos, a controversial family of restorers who imposed 19th-century Romantic notions of Romanesque and Gothic architecture on ancient buildings; it is beautiful despite the butchery.
The fresco above the doorway by Ferenc Storno depicts the church's patron, St Martin of Tours, giving half his cloak to a crouching beggar. Look down to the right below the columns and you'll see what is probably the oldest graffiti in Hungary: 'Benedict Padary was here in 1578', in Latin. As you walk along the…
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Pannonhalma Abbey
Pannonhalma Abbey was thoroughly spruced up for its 1000th birthday in 1996. After buying your ticket at the reception building opposite the car park and watching a 15-minute film about life in the monastic community, follow the overhead walkway to the central courtyard, where the tour begins.
In the centre you'll see a statue of the first abbot, Asztrik, who brought the crown of King Stephen to Hungary from Rome, and a relief of King Stephen himself presenting his son Imre to the tutor Bishop Gellért. To the north are dramatic views of the Kisalföld, while looming behind you are the abbey's modern wings and a neoclassical clock tower built in the early 19th century. Beca…
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Abbey Library
The most beautiful part of the abbey is the neoclassical Abbey Library built in 1836 by János Packh, who was involved in designing the Esztergom Basilica. It contains some 300,000 volumes - many of them priceless historical records - making it the largest private library in Hungary. But the rarest and most important document is in the abbey archives. It is the Deed of Foundation of Tihany Abbey and dates from 1055.
It is written in Latin, but also contains about 50 Hungarian place names, making it the earliest surviving example of written Hungarian. The library's interior may look like marble, but it is actually wood made to look like the more expensive stone. An ingenio…
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Borbirodalom
A good place to start is this wine cellar and restaurant, diagonally across from the Kolostor restaurant in the town centre. It has an extensive selection available for tasting.
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Art Gallery
The Art Gallery, off the library contains works by Dutch, Italian and Austrian masters from the 16th to 18th centuries. The oldest work, however, goes back to 1350.
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Szent Márton
Below the abbey and at the back of the car park, this place has a snack bar, pub and gift shop, as well as a decent - if not ground-breaking - restaurant.
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Kolostor
In a historic building in the centre of town, this is the best place in Pannonhalma for a meal.
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