Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

HUNGARY 365

Kőszeg r

219 km (136 miles) W of Budapest.

• 12,000. £ from Szombathely.
  @ from Sopron. n Tourinform,
  Jurisics tér 7, (094) 563 120.

Nestled in lowland hills just
minutes from the Austrian
border, Kőszeg is a small, quiet
town. Spared during World
War II, it is regarded as one of
the prettiest towns in the
region. The town preserves
the memory of Captain Miklós
Jurisics, who led the
Hungarians against the
Turks. Its main
square, castle and
museum are named
after him. Jurisics
Castle is on the site
where Miklós
Jurisics and 450
soldiers held
Turkish forces at
bay for 25 days in
August 1532; the bells
of the town toll
every day at 11am
in his honour. A fire
destroyed parts of the castle
in 1777; however, the interior
arcades were built after the
blaze. The Castle Museum has
displays on the town’s history,
includ ing various depictions
of the siege. In the heart of
Kőszeg’s Old Town stands the
elegant Miklós Jurisics tér,
sur rounded by churches and
museums. The impressive
entrance to the square, the
Heroes’ Gate, was erected to

Heroes’ Gate in Miklós Jurisics Square, Kőszeg

Crest above the gate

to Jurisics Castle

the town in 1534. Patriarch

Tamás Nádasdy brought in

Italian architects to create a

genuine Renais sance master-

piece. This, with various

additions includ ing a palatial

interior, has remained intact to

the present day. Much of the

castle is devoted to the cap-

tivating Ferenc Nádasdy

Museum, which has exhi bi-

tions on the history of the

family and the town, regional

folk art and period furniture.

Highlights include two series

of frescoes: 17th-century works

showing the Hungarians in

battle with the Turks, and

scenes from the Old Testa ment

painted by artist István

Dorffmaister in 1769.

In 1961, the search for oil

led to the discovery of hot

springs in Sárvár. Since then

the devel opment of spas has

added to the town’s appeal as

a tourist des tination. The

famous Sárvár Spa and

Wellness Centre has grown to

become one of the largest and

most modern bath com plexes

in Hungary. It com prises

indoor and outdoor pools,

leisure and splash pools, a

sauna and a treatment centre

offering various therapies.

E Ferenc Nádasdy Museum

Várkerület 1. Tel (095) 320 158.

# 9am–5pm Tue–Sun. &

8 Hungarian only.

 Sárvár Spa and Wellness

Centre

Vadkert utca 1. Tel (095) 523 600.

# 8am–10pm daily. & 7

Sárvár t

212 km (132 miles) W of Budapest.

* 16,000. £ from Szombathely.

@ from Szombathely. n Tourinform,

Várkerület 33, (095) 520 178.

Located on the banks of the

Rába river, this town was

origin ally the site of Roman

and Celt fortifi-

cations. Sárvár,

(mud castle),

derives its name

from the castle of

mud that was built

here by the Magyars

in the 10th century.

The Sárvár Castle

that now attracts

visitors is, how-

ever, a distant rela-

tion to its muddy

ancestor, having

been built in the

16th century. Its

illustrious patrons

were the Nádasdy

family, who bought

Superb frescoes depicting battle

scenes, Sárvár Castle

commemorate the 400th

anniversary of the Turkish

siege. The Jurisics Museum

has a fine collection of mem-

orabilia belonging to the

artisans and tradesmen who

inhabited the town. Set in a

Baroque house on Jurisics

tér, the Golden Unicorn

Pharmaceutical Museum, con-

tains a superb late 18th-century

wooden apothecary counter

with old medicine bottles.

Nearby, the Gothic Church of

St James, completed in 1407,

but recon structed in the 18th

cen tury, has served

Jesuit, Protestant and

Roman Catholic con-

gregations. Inside, the

faded fres coes by an

unknown artist por-

traying the Magi

date from 1403. An

orig inal statue of

the Madonna from

the Gothic period is

also noteworthy. Built

between 1892 and

1894 to designs by

Austrian architect

Otto Kott, the fantas tical Neo-

Gothic Jesus’s Heart Church,

on Fő tér, is famous for its

stained-glass altar win dows

depict ing Sts Stephen, Imre

and Elizabeth.