Artificial spring on the Szentendrei Island

IN HUNGARIAN

Despite the fact that the collector wells on Szentendrei Island supply a significant part of Budapest's drinking water needs, there is no natural lake or watercourse on its surface. This is why the spring at the Upper Torda groyne opposite Vác is a curiosity. 

Emerging gravel bank above the groyne at the Torda Island

There are no streams or natural lakes on Szentendrei Island, except of course for the backwaters of the smaller islands nearby. And there is no natural spring. This 'dryness' has geological reasons, the island is mostly made up of river gravel and sand, blown out of the riverbed. In such an environment, rainwater immediately drains away, down to the groundwater table, which is heavily influenced by the Danube. At low tide, the groundwater mirror follows the Danube's water level, allowing precipitation to flow below the surface into the river. When the groundwater level rises, the Danube also swells the groundwater.

It is important to note that this is the natural state. Three lakes have been created on Szentendre Island as a result of human activity. All of them are gravel or sandpits. There is one east of Kisoroszi, one near Pócsmegyer and one at the former highest point of Szentendrei Island, Surány. It is not only the lakes that are man-made but also the only spring I know of.

Minimalist film footage of the Danube and this spring, for example, is occasionally taken during field trips and can be followed on the Danube Islands YouTube channel.

This spring is located at the base of the 1682 river kilometer table, about 100 meters above the groyne, opposite the upsilted southern tip of the island of Buki in Kisvác. There is a dirt road from the Tótfalu side of the Vác river to this point. On the way, you can also see the Révész Island and the island of Torda, unless a large flock of sheep prevents you from passing. Its location means that it is certain to be flooded by the highest tides. Its waters run in a straight line between a few coastal willows to the river, with no major bed.

View on the Torda gravel bank at Vác

The existence of this spring is a curiosity on the "dry" island of Szentendre. Its development is linked to the collector wells of the waterworks from Kisorossi to the 1682 river kilometre marker. It emerges just below the southernmost well, separated from it by a planted poplar forest. It is probably an overflow from the pipe network, so it is possible that there are several similar ones in areas of Szentendre Island that are closed off to visitors by armed guards.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Eight gravel banks

IN HUNGARIAN

It wasn't cheap, the two almost aerial photographs taken from the Visegrad castle costed 1700 HUF (~5 €). But totally worth it to climb up there to take a look on the upper tip of the Szentendrei Island and the new islands of Kismaros and Nagymaros. 

I would like to start with the least obtrusive thing: there is a recent archaeologic excavation on the Sibrik hill, Visegrád. If somebody is not familiar with this place there was a late Roman fortress on this hill and later it became the center of the Pilis county in Hungary. 

But let's go further:

Date, water level: 10.04.2015 Nagymaros 15 h -27cm

From the left there is the treeless river bank of Nagymaros, a long island and further right the Marosi Island. In the foreground there is the Szentendrei island and the vast gravel bank on its northern tip. And those small white dots aren't motorboats... 

...but gravel banks, eight in number. There are curious people on them. If a curious person has the height of 17,7-1,8 meters the furthermost gravel bank extends 60 meters into the Danube counting from the end of the Szentendrei Island. 

This end of the Szentendrei island is continuosly groving against the stream. More and more gravel bank emerges from the river. Without any human impact these gravel banks will join the body of the island. 

The ten largest Hungarian island on the Danube in 1878

MAGYARUL

I happened to came across the catholic priest and Hungarian Academy member Tivadar Ortvay's (Theodor Orthmayer) decription on the islands of the Danube. This article was published in the 15 th volume of the "Mathematikai és Természettudományi Közlemények" (Bulletin for Mathematics and Natural Sciences) in 1878. The relation of the shape, direction, area and the height of the banks of the Hungarian Danubian islands was written in the style of the mid 19th century geographical view, with a lot of  statistic descriptions. This article became obsolete almost in the moment it was published! It had been written before the large regulation works started on the Danube naming almost all (!) of the Danubian islands. This time islands still moved, changed their shape, direction, area and the height of their banks. Despite all, this work gives us a priceless snapshot on the state of the Danubian islands in 1878.

 
In this post we only discuss the most interesting part: the aspects of the islands area.

Rare pictures of the great Danube flood in year 2002

MAGYARUL  

In connection with the recent Danubian flood articles often mention the record-breaking 2002. August flood. Indeed that was also a great flood, but later, in 2006 it was followed by an even greater flood in the Danube-bend, Hungary. But how high was the water in 2002? Standing on the riverside it is hard to imagine the size of the flooded area. When the Danube fills its riverbed, a human eye can tell which is the bank and which is the river. When flooding – except for towns and cities – riverside lost its meaning, the sharp boundaries between water and solid ground fades away on meadows and riverine forests. In these cases flying over the river makes easier to understand the extent of the flooded area.

Lines of trees outline the old island cores on The Szentendrei Island

Danubian archipelago on fire - archive pictures of the bombing of Hungary, 1944

Busy death is seeking this era... Fortepan.hu, a famous collection of old photographs has just published several pictures, taken from american bombers over Hungary, late summer and autumn in 1944. Dichotomy hides in these pictures. On one hand the Danube is rolling along in bright sunshine. We almost see the bathers on the sandy banks, as they cover their eyes from the sun, watching the approaching bombers in the sky. On the other hand, young american soldiers look down on the countryside, patterns of cities, roads, fields and meadows, like an outstreched map, on which red crosses are indicating the facilities, industries, bridges, railroad junctions to be destroyed. They let loose their deadly load as easy as pushing a button. And when completed their mission, they fly back to Italy, happy to survive the fires of the anti-aircraft batteries. And on one plane, a frightened photographer documents how much they managed to complete from the day's work.

I only selected these pictures, that have something to do with the Danube. Our trip begins in the Hungarian west, and we will go along the Danube, first eastbound, then we turn south in the Danube Bend.