Kőszeg is a town in Vas county, Hungary. The city mixes three cultures: Hungarian , German and Croatian .
The town is famous for its historical character.
Attractions
Fortunately, the city’s monuments survived the wars. After the change of regime, the city’s tourism really revived, today it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vas County . The Kőszeg foothills in the narrower sense is part of the Írottkő Nature Park . According to the list of monuments , there are 326 buildings and structures in the city under national individual protection. In addition, the city center and the surrounding zone, as a monument, protect the preservation of their heritage. The main sights are located in the old town, which is surrounded by the line of the Castle Circle, which is also the outer line of the old city wall. Several former fortifications have survived only in the name of the streets marking their location: Tüskevár utca, Sánc utca, Sáncárok utca.
Church of the Heart of Jesus
The parish church of the city, today is the defining building of the Main Square. It was built between 1892 and 1894 in the neo-Gothic style, based on the plans of the Viennese architect Ludwig Schöne . The site used to be the Korona Hostel in the main square .
Jurisics Square
It was the former center and fairgrounds of the city, today it is an administrative center. Once upon a time there was the parish church of the town, its cloister, its most important shops, and even the cemetery in the beginning, but today the fountain of the town is still here. The square houses the Archives, the Golden Unicorn Pharmacy Museum, the parish, the town hall, the Church of St. Imre and the Church of St. James . The houses on its western side stood as early as the 14th century . It gained its present shape in the eastern row of houses with ornate buildings rebuilt in the 17th century by rebuilding one-storey houses. During the restorations, the so-called “Dalmatian gates”, ie the entrance and offerer of the former outlets. Today’s image of the square is dominated by the Gates of Heroes .
City Hall
The oldest building in the country, still operating as a town hall, is one of the jewels of Jurisics Square. It was originally built as a city office and stood as early as the 14th century , as evidenced by the arched former ground floor council hall and the excavated portholes. The construction of straight-walled high attic walls was prompted by a series of fires, one of the most devastating of which, in the 1720s , prompted the city. In 1712 , with the renovation of the building, the coats of arms of Hungary , the city and the Jurisics family were placed on the facade .
St. Imre Church
The church, which closes Jurisics Square from the north, was built between 1615 and 1618 by Hungarian Lutherans . It was taken over by the Catholics in 1673 and then became the parish church of the town until the new parish church – the Church of the Heart of Jesus – was completed.
Church of St. James
It is one of the oldest buildings in the city, already mentioned in 1246 . 1403 – 1407 between jr. It was expanded by palatine Miklós Garai . Religious conflicts did not spare the building, several furnishings and paintings were destroyed in the 17th century . It was received by the Jesuits in 1693 and supplemented in Baroque style. During the 1937 restoration, 15th-century frescoes were unearthed. The church preserves the graves of Miklós Jurisics‘ children, Anna and Ádám.
Jurisics Castle
The building, once surrounded by moats, consists of two parts: the inner and outer castles. The castle may have originated in the 13th century with the construction of a landlord’s castle. Throughout history, it has ensured the protection of Kőszeg and its surroundings, the maintenance of changing power relations and the protection of trade routes. He played his most significant role in the battle against the Turks in 1532, when he arrested the armies marching against Vienna as an impregnable fortress . Until 1931 it was in the hands of the Eszterházys , then it became state property. Renovated in 1963 and given its current museum and cultural function, it has been home to the Summer Castle Theater since 1982 . The castle theater had a performer, among other thingsGyörgy Bánffy , Piroska Molnár The Actor of the Nation , Frigyes Hollósi , Attila Epres , Sándor Oszter , Judit Pogány , Dénes Ujlaki . Miklós Szigeti , László Romhányi , Béla Mérő , Tamás Jordán from 1988 , and in recent years István Znamenák and József Kelemen have also directed here .
Old house
In addition to the roof of Koszeg rising Óház Heder sex Koszegis perhaps even the 12th century, a large, rectangular stone tower was erected. The entrance to the tower was not on the ground floor but on the first floor, which could be approached by stairs. The Kőszeg city castle built after the Tartar invasion – nowadays Jurisics Castle – became Alsóvár, while the Old House was the Upper Castle.The ruined building of the SynagogueReformed church designed by architect György Csete
Synagogue
Below Várkör 38 is the building, which is still empty, in a dilapidated condition, but under renovation. According to the records, it was handed over in 1856 thanks to the patron of Fülöp Schey ( 1798 – 1881 ), to whom the city owes many significant urban institutions. Renovation started in 2020 and work is expected to be completed by the second half of 2021.
Lutheran Church
The Lutheran church stands in the courtyard of the house at Gyöngyös utca 29 , which can be approached from Várkör 46. It was built in late Baroque style in 1783 , following the promulgation of the grace decree . The church is a rectangular building with a rectangular floor plan and a simple gable roof. Its lobbies were built around 1840 . [80] Its separate tower was not built until 1930 , as part of a future new but never completed church. It received a clockwork along with its renovation in 2009 .
Reformed Church
The work of architect György Csete was published in 1996 . an organic- style church consecrated on August 19, near the intersection of Táncsics Street and Kiss János Street.
Chernel Garden, Arboretum
The Kőszeg Landscape Protection Area was established in 1980 , the center of which is the Chernel Garden Arboretum and the István Bechtold Nature Conservation Visitor Center . The István Chernel Bird Protection Sample Colony and Memorial Museum welcomes those interested in nature at the end of Hunyadi Street.
Museums
The city has many collections waiting for those interested in history. The Golden Unicorn Pharmacy Museum can be seen in the house at 11 Jurisics Square . The building was originally built as a pharmacy in the 18th century, adorned with Jesuit furniture and an ornate room. [82] There is another pharmaceutical exhibition in the city, at Rákóczi út 3. This building once housed the Black Nutrition Pharmacy of the Küttel family , today there is a shop between the ancient equipment and a medical history library on the first floor . The Kőszeg Castle is home to the Jurisics Miklós Castle Museum. Among the pieces of the exhibition, the memories related to local history should be highlighted, but there are also the Book of the Coming of the Grapes and Bálint Francz’s 1746 painting depicting the city. In the area of the outer castle is the Phoenix House, inside which operates the Szamos Marzipan Fairytale Gallery . The City Museum can be visited in the General House . Here is an exhibition showcasing the guild’s past and professions in the city, including gingerbread makers , bookbinders and belt makers. From here you can climb the loggia of the Tower of Heroes lookout and admire the panorama of the city center. The Postal Museum is located at 3 Rajnis Street, presenting the memories of the postal history of Kőszeg. Periodical exhibitions are held in the Old Tower , better known as the Zwinger. The former corner tower was built in the 14th century and then lost its function and again serves the local community. The wine-related exhibition can be visited at 54 Várkör, above the local traditional poncichter wine bar.
István Bechtold Nature Conservation Visitor Center
The Bechtold István Nature Conservation Visitor Center is one of the newest sights and attractions of Kőszeg. Buried in the ground, paved with natural stone, its round building stands on the western outskirts of the city, in the park of the Martyrs of Arad, near the Chernel Garden Arboretum. In addition to an exhibition of wildlife in the area, a park offers a labyrinth of plants, interactive games featuring wildlife, and a bird sanctuary in the neighboring Chernel Garden.
The Kőszeg Mountains
In addition to the natural beauties of the Kőszeg Mountains , it also boasts significant architectural monuments. This is where the National Blue Tour route to the Written Stone passes . From Jurisics Square you can clearly see the Calvary Church, which was built in the Baroque style in 1734 , and then the Hermitage a year later. The stations of 1763 in were built in 1890 in Ludwig Schöne transformed them according to the plans. The interior of the church burned down in 1947 . In the forest behind the church rises the Trianon cross facing Austria . On one of the mountain peaks is the Árpádian periodOld House lookout tower built on the ruins of the castle , which can also be seen from the Main Square. A lookout tower was first built here in 1896 , it collapsed in a windstorm in 1917 , and then in 1996 the new building was built, which can still be visited today. Far from the city, in the woods, stands the Styrian House complex. Built in the 18th century, the house and belfry served the urban forestry, and today there is a forest school here. Opening from Királyvölgy, Gesztenyefa Street has the trunk of the 500-year-old chestnut tree, which shows its former size. The Royal Valley Trail has lost much of its former beauty, but the new trail on the way to the Old House Lookout is attractively designed.There is a uniformly marked hiking trail called Alpannonia between Semmering and the Kőszeg Mountains , supplementing the Hungarian hiking trail signs.
At the bottom of Calvary is the town’s Boating Lake, a place for excursions for those who want to relax, next to the building of the Cycling Center. In 2010 . The Kőszeg – Lukácsháza Reservoir , handed over on 12 October, may be a new highlight of the city’s tourism. Kőszeg also boasts many springs , the most famous of which are Hétforrás and the carbonated well on the corner of Temető utca – Hermina utca.
Annual celebrations
Drawing on the city’s rich past, it offers a wide range of programs for guests and residents alike, striving to find something to suit all ages. The city’s events provide a wide range, regardless of the season, to name just the most significant:
Concordia ball
The ball of balls in Kőszeg was once the event of the Kőszeg Singing Choir, founded in 1859 , which was held every year on the last Saturday of the carnival . Today, the city’s biggest splendor is the city ball. Its traditional location is the whole of the medieval castle, where guests are entertained by two bands on two levels, and the reception is provided by costumed courtiers.
Carnival tail
An all-day celebration is held in the city on a meat-wrestling Tuesday, moving the masses. This day is fooling around, employees work in costumes in shops, restaurants – and wherever possible – thus contributing to a good mood. There is a carnival burial with a coffin in the Main Square, and there is also a foolish wedding, which is put together by the carnival priest. During the day, they choose the funniest workplace, organize a costume competition, and have fun at the street ball, which is colored by fireworks in the evening .
St. George’s Day
Grape and wine production play a prominent role in the past and present of the region. Every year on St. George’s Day, a shoot is cut from the vineyards surrounding the city and presented to the mayor as part of the “ Book of the Vine of the Future ” commemorative ceremony . The commas are then entered in the Book of the Coming of the Grapes with a ceremony accompanied by a ceremony. Since the original book is full and the shoots in the new book received from the sister city of Vaihingen an der Enz , the shoots of the vineyards of the sister town have also been recorded. There is also a craft fair and a music show.
Bird and Tree Day
It offers a meaningful program for youth to ensure love and knowledge of nature. It has been held every year since April 22, 1902 , the first being organized by István Chernel . Under the program, high school students will graduate from the forest.
Castle Theater
The Kőszeg Castle Theater was founded in 1982 . In the early years, the aim of the professional management was to present the Hungarian historical dramas of Hungarian authors. From 1988 onwards, in line with the needs of the audience, they prefer lighter, more fun comedies that can be expected to be more successful during outdoor performances. In addition to entertainment, of course, they also maintain a good professional standard of performances. Since 1996 , not only prose performances can be found in the theater program, but also opera , operetta , classical musicconcerts, street theater productions, dance performances and folklore programs also add color to the palette. Among the actors of our own productions we can find such famous actors as Nóra Parti , Miklós Benedek , Piroska Molnár , Attila Epres , Frigyes Hollósi , Judit Pogány .
Crescent and full moon siege day
The city’s youngest program offers a multi-day attraction on the anniversary of the Battle of the Turks of 1532 in August. The highlight of the events is the recall and replay of the city siege with the help of a significant number of volunteers in age-appropriate costumes. In the ditch of the Kőszeg castle , anyone can get a glimpse of the camp life, while in the Main Square the musical accompanying programs take place, in addition to the hustle and bustle of the fair. Among the sports, in addition to hiking, paintball lovers can compare their skills in the Castle Cup.
Running history
The largest mass sports event in the city is the History Run, held annually since 1983 to commemorate the 1532 heroes. The running race is held at different distances: the 1532m mass race is open to anyone, the younger age group (from kindergarten to high school) can compete in age group races, while the 10km race is open to professional riders as well as amateur athletes.
Kőszeg Vintage and International Wind Orchestra Meeting
The biggest celebration of Kőszeg is the Kőszeg Harvest and the closely related International Wind Orchestra Meeting. The main event of the three-day program series is the vintage carnival held on the last Saturday of September each year. This is when the small and big of the city, schools, NGOs, delegations of twin towns, brass bands and the entrepreneurial spirit march in costumes. The parade is built around the program for the next two days, which starts on Friday night with a wind serenade and ends on Sunday with a light music program and fireworks. Bands arriving in the city will be greeted with a musical parade on Saturday morning. At noon, wind music is played in all major restaurants. After the parade, you can watch and listen to folk music and folk dance, modern dance and wind music in several parts of the city. The center of the events is in the fair in Jurisics Square and in the event tent set up in Károly Róbert Square. On Sunday, the three-day festival ends with concerts by guest bands and popular Hungarian stars.
Flavors of Nature Park, Orsolya Day Fair
The Jurisics Castle is home to the Kőszeg Hills Írottkő Park in the area and the flavors of autumn crops of deploying two-day event. Visitors can taste mulled wine, dishes made of chestnuts , gingerbread and truffle cake, local wines, various honeys, while the ensembles and art groups of the Kőszeg micro-region perform in the inner castle courtyard.