Koszeg, Hungary

The birth of the only free royal city of historical Vas county dates back to the third quarter of the 13th century. Its foundation is due to the Volfer branch of the Heder clan that settled in Hungary in 1157 Koszeg became the main scene for the events of the 1532 campaign in the third wave of the 16th centurys Turkish menace. Between 5-30 August, 1532, the Commander-in-Chief Ibrahim led nineteen sharp attacks against Koszeg, the defence of which was organised by Miklos Jurisich, the mutual captain of the town and the castle, which had been mortgaged to him in 1529. After the last abortive attack a revolt among the janissaries made the Turkish supreme command withdraw. The last contingent of the disengaging Turkish troops left the outskirts as tradition has it is at 11 oclock on 30th August, 1532. In memory of this event, the church bells have been tolled at 11 oclock since 1777

Sights, citywalk in Koszeg

Old house lookout tower

Foundation of Koszeg started on the Old-house peak with a castle built here. old-house peak with its elevation of 609 m, has been a popular excursion destination, particularly after the Old-house lookout tower was rebuilt. In the place of the present tower there was already a tower in 1896, but it was demolished by a tornado in 1916. The excursion promises a delightful experience, as the view from the tower is excellent. looking eastwards we can see Szombathely or on a clear day the summits of Somlo and Sag hills can be even seen. Westwards the foothills of the Apls, such as Rosaly and Landzseri mountains and behind them the snow-covered Schneeberg can bee seen.

Sevenspring

One of the highlights in the Koszeg mountain is the Sevenspring at 424 m high above the sea level. The road towards Sevenspring reaches the mountain ridge at the Pinter-peak where it descends into the valley. Here the crystal-clear 10.9 degree celsius spring takes its source. It has been called Sevenspring since the 18th century, however officially it was named after the seven Hungarian leaders only in 1896, in Hungarys Millenium year. The seven pipes are signed by their names Almos, Elod, Ond, Kond, Tas Huba, Tohotom, respectively. The water flows into a pool and then it continues its way in the Gyongyos stream. This spring provided the Old Castle with water, that is why it was called Ovarkut (Old Castle Well) for a long time. The rest of the area was reconstructed in 1944 and it has been a popular place for tourists to relax.

Cavalary church

Having visited the places of interest in the town we recommend to take some trips around Koszeg to complete your impression about the town. During our walk in the town we could see the Kalvaria (Calvary) Church standing on the Calvary Hill, from almost every point of the town. The church built at an elevation of 393 m, can only be reached on foot. At the beginning of the serpentine road towards the church a bombproof underground shelter can be seen in which the Holy Crown was kept by the Szalasi Government during the air raids, between December 1944 and March 1945. Along the road leading to the church there is a row of stations. Georg Schweitzer, a stone-carver of Sopron, built the first ones in 1763. They were demolished in 1890 and 14 new ones and a chapel were built according to the plans of Ludwifg Schone, an architect of Vienna. On the top of Calvary Hill in 1686, the Jesuits erected the first cross, made of wood, in the place of which, later a chapel was built in 1715. On the proposal of the Jesuits the town started to build the church in 1729 from the money survivors donated after the sever plague epidemic in 1712. According to the traditions, in expiation, the Koszeg citizens carried the some 40,000 bricks used for the building by hand to the site. The church, completed by 1734, with its baroque decorations and construction is a unique, impressive building. Especially remarkable is the harmony of the church and the landscape. At the frontage of the church there are two round and a rectangular towers. the façade is decorated with beautiful baroque statues. in the middle we can see the crucified Jesus, on the right and left, the two thieves. At the foot of the crucifix there are the figures of Mary Magdalene, the Holy Virgin and John the Baptist. The single nave of the church was extended on both sides with a chapel. The simple altar of the burial chapel of Jak was brought here after the fire had completely damaged the old one in 1947. A hermitage was also built next to the church. Here lived count Heinrich Weiss, the first painter of the church. He, protecting the vineyards, tolled the bells of the church when rain clouds were approaching the town. In return, the town provided him food.

Jurisch Square

The 5-acre inner Town was protected by the town-wall since the 15th century inside which there were 73 houses. in the current Inner Town there are still 73 houses, although during the centuries due to the fire the town was repeatedly burned down. As far as we know, Koszeg was ravaged by fire 14 times during the 17th and 18th centuries. This explains the fact that only 102 historically protected buildings are registered and only 10 out of them were built earlier than in the 18th century, although the city and the castle were established in the 13th century. The reason for the frequent fires was that the houses of the inner town, as anywhere in Europe, were built of wood and mud wall. The roof may have been covered with reeds or wooden single so almost the entire town could burn down in a few hours. The visitors probably realize that there is a significant difference between the level of the two sides of the square and the houses seem to be very low. This is because after the devastation of the last few centuries Jurisich Square is covered with debris layer of 160-200 cm. As a consequence, the rooms, at a time on the ground level, of the Town Hall are now in the cellar and 14 stairs lead down there. This square was the spot of the former markets where carts loaded with goods came and went both weekdays and holidays. Also, this was the place of the towns political and social life. Residents were called here to meetings, the borough magistrate delivered sentences here. People who broke the law were closed into stocks here and here stood the pillory, the humiliation device of the Middle Ages. On the place torture you find now the Blessed Virgin Mary statue erected in 1739. Lorenz Eisenkobel, a stone-carver from Sopron, made it. The costs were covered by the punishment imposed on Lutheran civics who decried Mary. Eisenkobel also made the town well behind the Mary statue. In 1766 a stone house was built over the well, the walled up arches of which were opened during the reconstruction of the well. if you want to get to know the square you just have to take a seat on the benches around the Mary statue and your glance is able to take in this small closed square.


Jurisich Castle

Having walked in Rajnis street, lets visit Jurisich or Esterhazy castle on the north-west part of the city. The Esterhazy family owned tha castle for 236 years and it became the property of the National Treasury only in 1931. It has been called Jurisich Castle since 1932.The former fortress so-called Lower Castle got its current appearance after the great fire in 1777. Present visitors can also distinguish the two architectural units, the outer castle and the inner one. The remains of the extremely thick walls prove that the outer castle must have served an outer defensive function. We cab reach the entrance of the outer castle on the brick-set bridge built over the moat. In front of the pillars of the door there are two stones with initials ND and dates 1666 and 1670 respectively, which were the border stones of the Nadasdy estate. The holes above the gate prove the former existence of a drawbridge. The north and south wings of the buildings near the outer castle were built in the 17th and the 18th century, respectively. The guard and the staff of the castle was housed here. In the yard the statue of Miklos Jurisich can be seen (made by Sandor Mikus in 1963)

Museums, Koszeg

MUSEUM OPENING TIMES
Jurisich castle
adult ticket: 130HUF
children ticket : 80HUF
10am - 5pm (closed on monday)

Marzipan museum
10am-8pm every day

City Museum
located at the jurisich castle
adult : 460HUF children : 230HUF
10am-5pm (closed on monday)

Hospital, Pharmacy in Koszeg

hospital
17th Munkacsy str. Tel.:+94/360178
Dentist
19th Munkacsy str. Tel.:+94/360333
Pharmacy
Kuttel Pharmacies 12th Kossuth Lajos str. Tel.:+94/360066
Police
8th Romel Floris str Tel.:112