The Danube gained significant importance in the lives of the surrounding settlements from the end of the 17th century: the people of Pócsmegyer then earned their living by towing ships, and ship mills, as well as fishing, also supported daily sustenance. To cultivate the vineyards of Leányfalu, they rowed across daily in their small boats, or crossed on ferries called “kisedény” and “nagyedény”.

The first passenger ship from Pest arrived in Leányfalu on August 1, 1861, and continued to Bogdány. The regular services from then on were operated by the First Imperial and Royal Privileged Danube Steamship Company. The steamboats were also called “kofahajó” because they were used not only by excursionists but also by villagers who transported their produce to city markets. The post office transported letters and newspapers on the ships, and the Company also employed doctors on board to treat any potential illnesses.

Thanks to the regular boat service, this region began to attract wealthier city dwellers, who bought up the press houses of the farmers in Megyer, transformed them into charming summer residences, and lived there from spring to autumn. From here, they commuted to Budapest by steamboat, and the boat journey was also a vibrant social scene. The arrival of ships in Leányfalu was always a joyous event, and many vivid descriptions of these occasions have been preserved for posterity by writers living here. A “stéges” worked at the harbor, assisting the sailors with mooring, and also signaled the approach of the Pest ship to the “locals” by ringing a small bell.

“At six in the morning, the ship takes you to Pest, and before six, the entire community is at the station to see off those whose daily duties call them to the city, or to welcome those they expect to arrive. Here, a general good morning is wished; this is the usual meeting point. How the ship hurries!” (Árpád Feszty, Vasárnapi Újság, No. 42, 1879)

The other face of the Danube:

In May-June 1965, the greatest Danube flood of the century wreaked havoc. (…) A large part of the residents had to be evacuated from Pócsmegyer. The water also entered the Határcsárda. The road leading towards Szentendre was also covered by one meter of water, and no vehicle could travel on it, only boats. At the bottom of my garden, the water was so high that my children could boat in and out over the fence. (…) The severity of the situation was exacerbated by how long the flood lasted. For example, at my place, water remained within the lower fence for 7 weeks. It left behind such a thick layer of mud that the entire garden had to be dug up the following spring, and not only most of the perennials, bushes, and evergreens perished, but also some of the larger trees and pines.(…)

Dr. István Győrffy: Data on the Local, Family, and Contemporary History of the Southern Part of Leányfalu

The former wooden waiting room of the boat station was washed away by an ice flood in 1948; the new building has been welcoming passengers since 1949. Major Danube floods: 1838., 1926., 1941., 1954., 1956., 1965., 2002., 2006., 2010., 2013.

Although the mountains surrounding Leányfalu are often referred to as Pilis, this area is actually part of the Visegrád Mountains, which belong to the volcanic Northern Hungarian Mountains. The Danube carved its way into this area after the formation of the mountains, creating the picturesque Danube Bend. The ‘younger’ Pilis, composed of limestone, forms a geological unit with the Transdanubian Mountains, separated from the Visegrád massif by the valleys of the Dera Stream, Két-bükkfa Saddle, and Szentlélek Stream. 

The Visegrád Mountains have a richer surface hydrology because the andesite bedrock is less permeable to water. Above Leányfalu rise Nyerges Hill, Berseg, and Vöröskő Hill, beneath which, among the foothills, surface runoff from precipitation has carved deep valleys. These former gullies have, in many places, transformed into narrow, steep streets. 

The area is also rich in springs, due to groundwater naturally emerging to the surface. In recent decades, numerous spring enclosures have been built.

Above the settlement, a hiking trail leads to four enclosed springs: the Kucsera Ferenc (Hidegvizek) Spring, the Vörös-meteor Spring, the Rekettyés Spring, and the Csaba Well. Within the settlement, the Szél Ede Spring can be found on Hunyadi János Street. Their water can only be consumed at one’s own risk! 

The forests above the settlement are also rich in small lakes; the Csíkos and Rekettyés Lakes were once used for fishing, and in winter, they served as popular ice-skating spots. Furthermore, ice blocks that lasted until late summer were extracted from local pits here. Today, the lakes are covered by mosaics of bog-willow fens, tall sedge meadows, tall herb communities, and marsh meadows, with smaller open water surfaces. Their protected plant is the fringed water lily. 

Following the signs of the nature trail, the Gyulai Memorial can be reached with a 10-minute walk from here. Following the red hiking trail, a one-hour hike will take you to the summit of Vöröskő, offering a magnificent panorama of the Danube Bend.

“Here, along Leányfalu’s stony, bumpy, steep paths, Pál Gyulai climbed every morning, leaning on his hooked stick, to the Messzelátó, where he delighted, looking down from above, at the silver-shimmering Danube and the wreath of distant blue mountains.” (Elemér Császár: In Leányfalu)

   It was surely due to the magnificent panorama that once unfolded from here that Pál Gyulai’s father-in-law, Ignácz Szendrey, chose this spot to build the “Messzelátó”. In 1878, Szendrey had a wooden, columned cottage with a porch built in his own forest, which, with its unparalleled surroundings, later became an inspiring retreat for the literary figure. The wooden building eventually deteriorated, but Gyulai’s memory lived on for the literature-loving community of the settlement, and in 1921, in his honor, members of the Leányfalusi Törzs erected a memorial column on the site of the structure. On the marble plaque of the simple, hand-built stone column, an excerpt from Pál Gyulai’s poem titled ‘Leányfalván’, written in 1881, can be read. 

From 1921 onwards, every year on September 6th, the day of Júlia Szendrey’s death, members and representatives of the Kisfaludy Society and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences organized a wreath-laying ceremony, featuring commemorative speeches and recitations. After the wreath-laying, the commemoration continued in the village, at the former Róth Restaurant, with performances by renowned artists of the era. After 1945, the traditional celebrations ceased, but the resting place became part of the literary historical memorial sites, and Gyulai’s admirers soon revisited the hilltop. Every September, Leányfalu’s cultural institutions organize a heritage tour, combined with wreath-laying and readings, following Pál Gyulai’s walking path to pay tribute to the renowned literary figure.

The memorial column was renovated in 2007 by the Leányfaluért Public Foundation.

The first houses of Leányfalu were built close to the Danube riverbank, and the emerging settlement was embraced by the gentle slopes of the Visegrád Mountains. Nagy- and Kismalom-, Kerek-, Pince-, and Puszta-hegy, with their forested ridges, merge into the higher mountains. Between them, deep valleys stretch long, carved out by streams swollen from springs. Their water flow used to be more abundant than it is today, which is why watermills were once built along them. The most significant of these is the Dora (Szénégető) Stream, which originates near Álló-rét, next to Vöröskő.
Here stood, in the late 1800s, Prince Ratibor Viktor’s tile-roofed hunting lodge (Viktor-kunyhó), which once hosted writer and director Kálmán Csathó and writer and zoologist Kálmán Kittenberger. Upon reaching the village, the stream followed its natural course on 18th-century maps, reaching the Danube along the line of today’s Gyulai Pál Street. However, depictions from the second half of the 19th century already show it flowing along its current, southward-diverted path.

On the south-facing slopes of the volcanic mountains, even the Celts cultivated grapes, followed by the Romans and then the Hungarians. From the Middle Ages, farmers from Pócsmegyer tended the hillsides and produced high-quality wine. Grape cultivation flourished until the 1880s, when the phylloxera (grape root aphid) introduced from North America destroyed these vineyards, which were cultivated using ancient methods (planting cut vine shoots). The ruined farmers parceled out their lands and sold them, along with their press houses, to city dwellers seeking recreation, which soon transformed into charming summer residences. Many began planting stone fruit orchards (Mandulás Street, Mogyorós Street), making the rocky soil suitable for tree planting by filling cavities blasted with dynamite with fertile soil. The wooded hillsides were also used for grazing, and along the former boundaries, shrublands developed, interspersed with wooded, steppe-like meadows characteristic of the Central Danube region.

From the 1860s, the first inhabitants of the emerging Leányfalu-puszta could only attend mass by crossing the Danube to Pócsmegyer, in the chapel of the Esterházy manor. However, the building burned down in August 1890. It was then that the people of Leányfalu decided to build their own church in Leányfalu. The plans were drawn up by Antal Hofhauser, a renowned architect of several significant churches in the capital. The Neo-Gothic church, built in just under a year through public donations and consecrated in 1892, boasts several outstanding artworks.

The altarpiece, a painting depicting Saint Anne teaching the Virgin Mary to read, is the work of painter Gyula Udvardy. Its nine stained-glass windows were created in the workshop of Miksa Róth, the most significant stained-glass artist of his time.

Painter Masa Feszty created the images of Saint John the Baptist and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The memorial plaque of priest-poet Sándor Katona Puszta is the work of sculptor Róbert Csíkszentmihályi. The first parish priest of the settlement, Sándor Katona, a poet who published under the name Sándor Puszta, served in Leányfalu from 1937 until his death in 1983. The monument to Polish refugees was erected by its donors out of gratitude, because at the beginning of World War II, the people of Leányfalu welcomed hundreds of Polish refugees into their homes. The mosaic above the entrance is the work of painter Lajos Deák-Ébner.

The outdoor altar was erected for the centenary of the 1848-49 Revolution and War of Independence, and the Madonna statue within it is the work of sculptor Sándor Boldogfai Farkas.

The creator of the statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, modestly nestled behind the church, is unknown.

The reliefs of the Stations of the Cross along the promenade, as well as the memorial plaque of Pope John Paul II visible on the right side of the entrance, were created by local sculptor Ervin Páljános.

The rectory was built in 1940 and underwent significant expansion in 1985. In the square in front of the church, outdoor masses and cultural events await worshippers on Sundays during the summer.

One of Leányfalu’s oldest streets stretches at the foot of Kerek-hegy. Its Duna-facing side remained undeveloped until the late 1920s, stretching all the way to the river as pasture and vineyard land, which was only bisected by the then Visegrádi út (main road 11). On the hillside, holiday homes were already being built from the 1860s onwards. 

Marton-Rauscher-villa (Szent Imre herceg u. 25-27.)

The former holiday home of Marton Alajos, master leather craftsman, was built in eclectic style in the 1880s. The villa was rebuilt around 1910, and later came into the possession of Dr. Rauscher Aurél, ministerial counsellor. After nationalization, it also functioned as a school.

Móricz Zsigmond (1879-1942)

„Leányfalu! The name had a magical effect on him. In his family, there were six brothers, and only the seventh child was a girl. He lived his entire life under a male star… Now a village sparkled, full of girls? Leányfalu suddenly became the fairy garden he had to reach.” (Móricz Virág: Apám regénye)

“Zsigám, come to Leányfalu, it’s a beautiful place, pure Switzerland” – with these words, actor Kálmán Rózsahegyi, who already owned a summer house there, lured Móricz Zsigmond to this Danube-side settlement in 1911. He accompanied the writer throughout the entire village, but Móricz couldn’t find a single house or plot of land to his liking. Finally, he saw a beautiful, enormous walnut tree and exclaimed: „Whose tree is this? I’d buy this! Is it for sale?!

Not by itself, but with the garden, yes” – was the answer, and within three days, he had already paid for the plot. Within a year, by the summer of 1912, the small house, the core of the future villa, was completed.

In 1917, ‘Fáklya’ achieved immense success, and from its proceeds, he further expanded the building. Designers included Bálint Fehérkúti, Ede Toroczkai Wigand, and Dezső Zrumeczky, all members of the Kós Károly architect group. During the difficult war years, one of Móricz’s friends, the famous painter Károly Kernstok, acquired bricks for the construction.

For Móricz and his family, the garden was not only a place for holidays and social life but also where they grew vegetables and fruits in carefully planned plots.

In 1937, Móricz permanently moved to Leányfalu and mostly commuted between Leányfalu and the capital by Danube boat. A significant portion of his works was born here. During the approximately three decades he spent here, both as a writer and an editor, he hosted the cream of contemporary Hungarian literature. Among those who visited were Milán Füst, János Kodolányi, Dezső Kosztolányi, Lajos Nagy, László Németh, Lőrinc Szabó, and Péter Veres.

At the end of August 1942 – after receiving news of his grandchild’s birth – he unexpectedly suffered a stroke at his home in Leányfalu. He was transported from there to a hospital, where he passed away on September 5th.

Today, the house is still owned by the family, and the Petőfi Literary Museum preserves the artifacts. The permanent exhibition at the Leányfalu Local and Literary History Exhibition Site, which beautifully illustrates the writer’s years spent in Leányfalu, was renovated in 2019.

The church of the Leányfalu Reformed Parish was built between 1994 and 2000 on the former Móricz Garden grounds, thanks to public donations and significant volunteer work by the people of Leányfalu. It was designed by architect György Hamerli and constructed by László Popelka, a stonemason and presbyter from Pócsmegyer. With its excellent acoustics, the church regularly hosts concerts in addition to religious services.

 “This sanctuary was consecrated on the 1000th anniversary of the establishment of our Christian statehood, in the year of our Lord 2000. It was built with the prayers of the faithful, the six-year efforts of the congregation, and the selfless sacrifices of many. For all this, glory belongs to God alone.” (Inscription in the church.)

Reformed Home for the Elderly (Szent Imre herceg u.1.) This two-story building with a wooden veranda, like other houses on the street, already stood in the 1840s. From 1937, it served as a holiday retreat for the Philadelphia Deaconess Association, founded by Richárd Biberauer, and after their dissolution, it has operated as a home for the elderly under the maintenance of the Reformed Church in Hungary. From 1969 until her death, Mária Szentmihályiné Szabó (1888–1982), a Transylvanian writer and journalist, was a resident of the home.

Bishop László Ravasz’s House (Hegyalja u.1.) A short distance from here is the house of László Ravasz (1882–1975), a Reformed pastor. This theologian, philosopher, aesthetician, writer, and public figure served as Bishop of the Danubian Reformed Church District from 1921 to 1948. The Rákosi regime forced him to resign, and from 1953, he lived in complete seclusion in Leányfalu, surrounded by his large family. His son-in-law, István Bibó, a minister of state, philosopher, and legal scholar, was a frequent guest at the house.

His memory is preserved by a carved wooden memorial post (kopjafa) in the street named after him, and the wall of the house inhabited by his descendants is adorned with a relief sculpture of him. Since 2007, the local library has borne his name. In 2022, the László Ravasz Memorial House was established through the renovation of a villa in the village center that had stood in ruins for three decades, and its garden is home to a full-figure bronze statue of the bishop, a work by Kossuth Prize-winning sculptor László Kutas.

The Vadkacsa Association was founded in 1992 with the aim of “teaching children all the secrets and science of conscious water travel, cherishing nature.”

The association organizes water, hiking, and cycling tours, participates in environmental and social movements, and engages in community work with volunteers. A significant milestone in the association’s history was reached in 2022: with grant support from the Hungarian Canoe Federation and substantial assistance from supporters, the Leányfalu Vadkacsa Nomadic Water Center expanded with new community spaces, as part of the “Complex Development of Water Tourism in the Central Danube” project. The renovated water tour stop now welcomes guests as the Wichmann Tamás Water Education Center, serving water tourism in the Danube Bend. The investment aims to introduce schools, civil organizations, communities, and families to various forms of paddling, and also offers a wonderful opportunity to explore the natural and cultural treasures of the region. The founder of the association, the heart and driving force behind these developments, Pereházy Pál Adorján, “Captain Pepe” – whose work was posthumously recognized by the municipality with an honorary citizen title in 2023 – can unfortunately now only watch the fulfillment of his life’s work from the eternal waterways.

The Floating Mill

Even in the early 1930s, the floating mill of János Deák, the miller from Pócsmegyer, graced this very spot on the Little Danube branch. This ancient type of mill operated in many parts of our country where the current was strong enough to drive its paddle wheel. The mill’s main components were the house boat, which housed the mill, the valley boat, and the paddle wheel rotating between them. On Danube floating mills, the house boats typically measured 16 m in length and 5 m in width, while the valley boats were 12 m long and 2 m wide. The floating mill operated day and night. The miller would transport the grain brought for grinding from the shore to the mill by boat, and then return the freshly milled flour in the same manner.

Bathing Culture

While Leányfalu already boasted a vibrant resort life, beach-going was not yet fashionable, and the Danube was considered a rather dangerous place for bathing. Over time, however, more and more people were drawn to its refreshing waters. According to Act XXIII of 1885, “…the Danube, as a body of water under official regulation, may be freely used by all for bathing, provided police regulations are observed…”. At the initiative of the Szépészeti és Társadalmi Egyesület (Beauty and Social Association), the first “swimming pool” soon appeared below the boat station, consisting of three rafts connected in a U-shape. According to strict regulations, ladies and gentlemen could bathe during separate hours, and it was even considered improper for men to walk along the Danube bank during “ladies’ hours”. Two gendarmes, distinctive with their rooster feathers, patrolled the village all day long, ensuring, among other things, that no one approached the bathing area in swimwear or, heaven forbid, in incomplete attire.

Bathers often “rode the waves” created by the large volume of water stirred up by passing boats. A popular activity was “swimming downstream,” where people would walk up the bank and then float down along the shore from a distance. An exciting event was the “cross-river swim,” where the more skilled swimmers organized into small groups to swim across to the opposite, Póc-side bank and back. 

Later, on the river section above the ferry, a boathouse capable of storing 70-80 boats, along with cabins, a buffet, and toilets, were built. For children, Béla Fancsek, the owner of the boathouse, crafted small, playful boats, affectionately known as “soul-losers.” In 1938, after a fire, the boathouse was rebuilt from brick, complemented by a pier, rafts, cabins, and a children’s playground at the “Törzs” beach. The riverside structures were unfortunately destroyed by a flood in 1940 and by ice drift in early 1945. 

Today, this location remains a beloved resting spot for visitors to the Danube.

The Leányfalu Faluház (Village House) came to life with the 2010 reconstruction of the Petőfi Sándor Cultural Center, originally built in the 1960s. This significant investment was realized with European Union funding, based on the visionary plans of Kossuth and Ybl Prize-winning architect György Vadász. With its impressive 100-seat theater hall and a dedicated room showcasing the captivating works of painter Tibor Kádár, the building proudly serves as the vibrant cultural and community hub of the settlement, and a welcoming home for local civil organizations.

The charming building complex nestled beside the Faluház stands as one of Leányfalu’s most historic villas. This elegant Neo-Baroque summer home, once owned by Árpád Klein, a wholesale leather merchant from Pest, later served as a trade union office and official residence after nationalization. 

Following the change of regime, the villa unfortunately became ownerless, and in 2006, the deteriorating building was acquired by the Municipality of Leányfalu Nagyközség. A year later, in 2007, the municipality lovingly renovated the villa’s annex, complete with its distinctive water tower, which now proudly houses the library named after László Ravasz. In 2017, the municipality undertook a crucial rebuilding of the building’s slab structure and roof, a vital effort that saved the villa from collapse. 

Over the years, numerous creative ideas emerged for revitalizing the decaying building and its neglected garden, but unfortunately, none could be brought to fruition due to a lack of necessary financial resources. However, in 2019, a compelling vision took shape: to transform the building into an exhibition space dedicated to showcasing nationally known and internationally recognized ecclesiastical figures deeply connected to the settlement. In 2021, the Government of Hungary generously provided the essential funding for the realization of the planned László Ravasz Memorial House.

The architectural design competition for the comprehensive reconstruction of the Klein Villa and its garden was proudly won by HAEMUS Építész Műhely Kft., under the leadership of Péter Lukács. Their architectural concept beautifully blends contemporary and modern architectural elements into a unified and harmonious whole. As the architect eloquently stated: “I wanted to show the determined spirit that characterized Bishop László Ravasz’s half-century of activity, who, even in the most difficult times, was able to preserve and pass on his faith to the Hungarian people. He gave hope, brought light, and radiated strength to people. I felt that this could best be represented by making this unity as stark as possible, resisting time. The sprayed, rough surface and the many colors symbolize the torments. It wears, cracks, ages, but it stands and is present in fleeting time.”

Within the building, visitors can explore an engaging interactive exhibition highlighting the profound work of Reformed Bishop László Ravasz, Catholic priest and poet Sándor Katona Puszta, Catholic priest and scout leader György Kölley, and the Reformed Filadelfia deaconesses. The Ravasz Memorial Space itself is a testament to the talent of Ybl Prize-winning architect and exhibition designer Ákos Eleőd.

The building also proudly features a versatile 80-person event hall, perfectly suited for hosting conferences, cultural programs, and cherished family events, making it a highly sought-after wedding venue.

The dignified statue of László Ravasz, gracing the front of the building, is a masterful creation by Kossuth Prize-winning sculptor László Kutas.

The memorial house, together with the Faluház and library, and its picturesque Danube-side park, collectively form Leányfalu’s vibrant community, cultural, and tourism service hub.

Pórfi-Helvey Summer House (Szent Imre herceg u.19.)

A rectangular press house already stood here in the 1860s, which was later expanded. Its first known owner was Ferenc Pórfi, a master hatmaker, famously known for “tailoring” the crown for Franz Joseph during the Austro-Hungarian Compromise. By 1921, the building was owned by Laura Helvey