HUNGARY 383

VISITORS’ CHECKLIST

Vár utca, Eger. Tel (036) 312

744. £ @ 11, 12 from Eger
     Station. # Mar–Oct: 9am–5pm;
     Nov–Feb: 10am–4pm.
     Underground Corridors
     (Kazamaták) # 9am–5pm
     daily. 8 Castle Grounds

     8am–8pm daily. &

     
     

     includes all exhibitions, extra for
     camera & guided tours. 7
     partly. = _ Castle and Theatre
     Festival (Aug). http://www.egrivar.hu

     
     

BULL’S BLOOD WINE

Bull’s Blood of Eger is Hungary’s

most celebrated wine. Comparable to

the Bordeaux wines of France, Bull’s

Blood is robust and fruity,

made of a mix of Cabernet

Sauvignon, Merlot and

Cabernet Franc grapes.

During the Siege of Eger,

copious amounts of the

wine were drunk by

the defending soldiers,

and word was put about

that their bravery was

based on the blood

of bulls that had been

added to the wine.

The stories were almost

certainly false, but they

impressed the super-

stitious Ottomans, and

played a minor role in

their defeat and retreat.

. Underground Corridors
Castle Hill is a warren of
under ground chambers and paths,
dug by the Ottomans in order
to attack the castle from below.
Some 200 m (656 ft) are open to
the public.

To m b o f

Gárdonyi

Hungary’s

Bull’s Blood

wine

. Ruins of Romanesque Cathedral
Among the ruins of a 10th-century baptistry in the inner
court yard stands the grave of Eger’s first bishop, Buldus.

Ippolito Gate

and Bornemissza

Bastion

This striking castle

gate is named after

an Italian cardi-

nal, Ippolito d’Este,

who became

the Archbishop

of Esztergom.

Cannon

Hill

Main

entrance

Three

Crosses Hill