Maria Valéria Bridge

Danube bridge connecting Hungary to Slovakia, rebuilt in 2001

The Maria Valéria Bridge connects Esztergom to the Slovak town of Štúrovo on the far bank of the Danube, a crossing of about 500 metres over one of the river's most scenic stretches. The current bridge was completed in 2001; it replaced the original, which was destroyed in the Second World War. Walking across it gives views back toward the basilica on its hill and downstream toward the Danube Bend.

The crossing is open to pedestrians and cyclists as well as vehicles, making it easy to combine an Esztergom visit with a look at Štúrovo. Slovakia's border formalities are minimal for EU passport holders; a day trip to explore the Slovak bank is straightforward. The Ottoman fort of Parkan, which stood opposite the castle, is commemorated on the Slovak side.

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A story
The original Maria Valéria Bridge was destroyed in 1944 — blown up by the retreating German army — and the reconstruction was only completed in 2001, after 57 years of a broken river crossing that symbolised the Cold War division between Hungary and Czechoslovakia (then Slovakia). The bridge's reopening was considered an important moment in post-communist Central European reconciliation.