These articles were published in the Spectacular Slovakia travel guide, published annually by The Slovak Spectator since 1996. The latest editions can be obtained from our online shop.


Komárno: By neither trick nor force

By Howard Swains

    The vast central fortress occupies the entire arrow-shaped point into the Danube.
 The vast central fortress occupies the entire arrow-shaped point into the Danube.
 Photo: Courtesy of the Komárno city (OVV a SP)

Generally speaking, tourist attractions can be divided into two camps. There are those that warrant a sometimes lengthy journey in their own right, and those only visited if someone already happens to be in the area. The former are significantly rarer, but the fascinating central fortress in Komárno, once the largest and most powerful construction in the whole of the Austro-Hungarian empire, has the potential to join the ranks. Although it might appeal only to a specialist group, anyone with even a passing interest for military history should find a way to visit.

The fortress is a stark and magnificent example of military stolidity; a structure of prodigious scale, previously besieged by the Tartars, Turks, Napoleonic troops, countless floods and two earthquakes, but rebuilt, strengthened and enlarged each time. At the end of the 19th century, 200,000 troops were stationed in the fortress. Later, in the mid 20th century, 8,000 Soviet soldiers were garrisoned here for 23 years, all but unknown to the residents of Komárno town, who estimated the number of their secreted neighbours based on the quantity of bread delivered each day.

Now the fortress is abandoned after its most recent residents, the Slovak army, left in 2003, and visitors can walk in and around what feels like a sprawling ghost city. Even the hugely knowledgeable guides admit that some areas remain unexplored. Tunnels with entrances within the fortress may lead all the way under Komárno; no one has yet found out.

The fortress is situated on the border between Slovakia and Hungary, on a pointed jut of land where the Váh-Danube spears inland from the Danube. Records suggest that some fortification occupied this crucial tactical location from the 10th century, and that the fortress grew steadily throughout the middle ages. The original fortress, shaped like an arrowhead, pre-dates Komárno itself, and was considered more valuable than the city. When a series of linked bastions were built on the other side of the Komárno, their purpose was to protect the fortress rather than the town.

As commanders came and went, they incorporated advancements in building structures into the complex, consolidating its defences and remaining true to the fortress's motto – Nec Arte Nec Marte (Neither by trick nor force) – which is inscribed on the foot of a "Stone Virgin" statue.

    
 
 Howard Swains

Although much of the structure remains from the earliest years, including some impenetrable walls and an ornate entrance gate, the most indelible mark was left by the Soviet occupants, who vanished in a hurry after the Velvet Revolution and left their former barracks, officers' mess, marching ground, workshops, kitchens, etc., in a dilapidated state. Long corridors inside one barracks block continue as far as the eye can see, and the old dormitories and bathrooms are terrific to explore. Cheap paint is flaking off the walls, but some authentic communist murals remain, depicting tanks blasting through the enemy.

The entire fortification system also includes buildings and bastions across the city, as well as similar structures across the Danube in Hungary. There are ambitious plans to restore and somehow link the sites to enable visitors to observe all aspects of this amazing complex. An application is pending to have the fortress included on the UNESCO World Heritage List (the decision is due in April 2008) but the sheer vastness of the buildings means full renovations will be costly. The buildings of negligible historical importance will be razed, but it is hoped that private investors may use some structures for offices or restaurants and the like.

Some reconstruction is already complete – the former ammunition store is a small exhibition, while canon rooms near to the entrance house the new welcome centre. But perversely, as reconstruction and renovation work continues, some of the appeal of the fortress might be lost. It is most intriguing in its current abandoned and decaying form, where it feels like a traipsing across an apocalyptic movie set and that entering one of the hundreds of empty rooms might find the last, emaciated soldier cowering in the corner.

The town of Komárno offers a small slice of Hungary within the boundaries of Slovakia – as well as a tiny sliver of England, Ireland, Austria, Spain and numerous other European countries, even Transylvania and the Vatican.

To explain: the old city proper grew up on both banks of the Danube, meaning it was split into two countries when the river became the border between Slovakia and Hungary. The town refuses to allow such boundaries to define it, however, and it remains in step with its Hungarian twin, Komárom, across stream. Signs and advertisements are in Hungarian, as is much conversation around its attractive, small town square and scattering of churches. A bridge connects the two halves of the city and Komárno is the capital of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia.

The other countries are represented in Komárno in a peculiar pedestrianised area called Euro Place, a shopping centre and office complex opened in December 2000, which purports to contain buildings in the architectural styles of every European country. In truth, it's rather like a food court in a Las Vegas hotel, or a themed quarter of Disneyland. The homogenised building materials and incongruous retail establishments undermine the best intentions, and often it's impossible to tell which country is being represented without consulting a small brass plaque above the door.

England houses a Hungarian crockery shop; Scotland has a casino, for example. Only Ireland conforms to a predictable stereotype, and is the place to stop for some alcoholic refreshment – perhaps while peering out over Turkey.

Events in Komárno

April: Lehárov festival (Lehár Festival) International music festival of vocal-instrumental projects, concerts.

April - May: Komárňanské dni (Komárno Days)
A one week celebration with various cultural events in the city and its famous international marathon from Komárno to Komárom

July: Komárňanský letný festival (Komárno Summer Festival)
Summer downtown festival, concerts in the streets of the town and number of ensemble performances.

July: Cyrilometodické dni (St Cyril and Methodius Days) Missionaries St. Cyril and Methodius memorial days

October: Harmonia Sacra Danubiana Festival of church choirs

October: Matičné dni (Matica Days)
A traditional festival of Slovak and Hungarian literatute and poetry accompanying a competition of Hungarian amateur theatres

November: Ondrejský jarmok (St Andrew’s Fair)
Traditional market, various cultural events on the city square

For additional contact details, please see the travel directory section and directory.spectator.sk.

These articles and related information were published in Spectacular Slovakia 2008, which you can obtain from our online shop.

Make your comment to the article...