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Historic Towns
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The main square of Eger
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The mosque at Pecs
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Gyor
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Koszeg
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Many or Hungary’s historic towns, including
Eger, Gyor, Szekesfehervar and Veszprem, were rebuilt in the baroque style during the 18th century.
Sopron and Koszeg are among the few Hungarian towns with a strong medieval
flavour. The
greatest monuments of the Turkish period are in Pecs.
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Around Budapest
 Szentendre
The Danube Bend is the resort
area north of Budapest as the river Danube turns south. Szentendre, a
small town situated on the bank of the Danube with winding streets, church
towers, and colourful houses is the most visited tourist centre of the region.
Places of interest include the many churches established by the Serbian
community in the 17th century. Numerous museums and exhibitions as well as the
largest open-air ethnographical museum attract numbers of visitors throughout
the year. Visegrád with the royal palace completed in 1330 was
declared the capital in the 14th century. The great Renaissance ruler's King
Matthias Palace was considered one of the most splendid royal residences of
the 15th century. King St Stephen was born in Esztergom and in the 11th
century it was the first royal seat and ecclesiastical centre of the country.
Today the Primate of the Hungarian Catholic Church, the Archbishop of
Esztergom, has his seat here. Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Queen Eizabeth
frequently stayed in the Grassalkovich Mansion built in Hungarian Baroque
style in the 18th century in Gödöllő. True to the spirit or Count
Grassalkovich, who was a patron of arts, the newly reconstructed castle and
its courtyard host various cultural events and concerts all year round.
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Northern Transdanubia
Located in the northern part of the
former Roman province of Pannonia, the widely-known tourist region of Northern
Transdanubia covers the area north of Lake Balaton, and from the
western border of the country to the Danube. Lake Velence is 45
km from the capital at the foot of the Velence Hills. It makes an ideal
holiday spot from early spring to late autumn. Székesfehérvár, the
ancient Hungarian town earlier called Alba Regia, was founded in 972. The main
church of the country was here where for five centuries 37 kings and 39 queens
were crowned. Fifteen rulers are buried in the city, at one time the Holy
Crown and the state archives were kept here, and national assemblies also
gathered here. The Pannonhalma Abbey has stood on its ground on St Márton
Hill for 1000 years. UNESCO places it on the list of World Heritage Sites as
being of universal value. The Basilica Gothic vaulting, the Monastery has the
only remaining complete medieval cloisters, the red marble "Porta
Speciosa" is a marvelous example of Renaissance carving, while the
360,000-volume Benedictine Library, archives and scientific and artistic
collections are of inestimable value. Sopron, the Roman Scrabantia was
an important station on the Ivy Road cutting through Europe in a north-south
direction. Sopron being one of the richest towns in historical monuments, was
presented with the Europa Nostra prize in 1975.
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The Great Plain
The sand-hills of Bugac in the middle of
the Great Plain stretching from the Danube to the eastern border of the country
together with the alkaline soils of Hortobágy to the north-east give
the flat region of the "Hungarian Puszta". Typical farm life in
Bugac has survived, s have the ancient domesticated animals in Hortobágy and
bird species which are unique to this region. The skillful and intelligent
sheep dog breeds such as komondor, kuvasz, puli and pumi are much sought-after
even abroad. During the horse shows the tourist has the opportunity to learn
about the traditions of the earlier pastoral way of life, animal husbandry in
the Puszta, and taste delicious Hungarian cuisine.
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Lake Balaton
Lake Balaton, the Hungarian sea is 77 km
long and with a surface area of 600 sq m it is the largest lake in Central
Europe. the shoreline runs for 195 km in total, at its widest it is 14 km, and
at its deepest 12.4 metres. The shallow water of the southern shore is ideal
for children, while the northern shore suddenly deepens and also has long
beaches. During the summer the water temperature is between 20-26oC.
Balatonfüred, Tihany, Badacsony and Siófok are
popular resorts. Keszthely is the largest and oldest settlement at Lake
Balaton. the third largest mansion in the country is the fully restored
neo-rococo style complex, the 101-room Festetics Castle- now called Helikon
Castle Museum - with its fine wrought-iron gate and Baroque tower. One of the
greatest assets of the castle is the library, which has almost 100,000 volumes
and is the only surviving private library of a Hungarian aristocratic family.
The second largest warm water lake is Héviz with renowned curative effects is
located 6 km from the northern shore of Lake Balaton. Daily 60 million litres
of radioactive, sulphurous water at a temperature of 37oC gushes to
the surface making open-air bathing a pleasant experience even in winter time.
The curative mud at the bottom of the lake is special: it is excellent for the
treatment of locomotor disorders, rheumatism, inflammations and arthritic
diseases.
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Southern Transdanubia
The tourism region known as Southern
Transdanubia is the area bordered by the Danube and the southern border river
of the Drava, south of Lake Balaton. It comprises a varied landscape of vast
untouched forests, wide plains and valleys tucked away behind gentle slopes.
The region has a pleasant climate and clean air, and is rich in natural
attractions as well as historical monuments. The medicinal bath of Zalakaros
is one of the largest and most popular in the country providing a full range
of medical treatment with open-air and indoor pools. The water which reaches
the surface at 96oC is highly efficacious in the treatment of locomotor,
rheumatic, gynecological and nervous disorders. Harkany is an internationally
famed town with medicinal water from a sulphurous spring and which contains
dissolved sulphide ions in the form of gas. Mysterious Roman burial vaults,
Turkish mosques, slender minaret, fine Zsolnay ceramics, grandiose Csontvary
paintings, decorative Vasarely patterns, almond trees blossoming in early
spring-this is all Pécs, the 2000-year-old city with Mediterranean
climate and mood lying at the southern foot of the Mecsek hills. The basilica
on Dom Square is one of the most valuable medieval structures in Hungary: the
crypt with five naves is from the 11th century with statues and frescos by
noted Hungarian masters. Pécs has the most significant surviving Turkish
buildings from the 150 years of Ottoman domination. the Pasha Gazi Kassim
mosque is today a Catholic church, the mosque of Pasha Yakovali Hassan is a
virtually intact Muslim architectural delight. The Minaret stands next door,
83 steps up the spiral staircase lead to the 23-metre-high balcony. The Tomb
of Idris Baba and the Baths of Pasha Memi also date back to the Turkish rule. Siklós,
szigetvár and Pécsvárad are famous for their castles, Villány
and Szekszárd are well-known wine growing regions. The 50,000 hectare
game reserve of Gemenc forest is a Landscape Protection Reserve.
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Northern Hungary
The highest mountain range in Hungary cuts
diagonally through the north of the country from the Danube to the Tisza. The
700-900 metre ranges of the Cserhát, Mátra, Bükk and Zemplén mountains
hide unique natural and cultural-historical treasures. UNESCO considers the
stalactites and stalagmites of the Bradla cave and the village of Hollókő
worthy of protection as World heritage sites. The Ipolytarnóc fossil remains
and the biosphere reserve of the Bükk plateau also feature the natural
attractions of the region. Folk art is similarly unique to the region: Palóc
embroideries and Matyó folk costumes bear no resemblance to anything elsewhere
in the country. An abundance of castles, historical towns, medicinal spas and
quiet resorts await visitors who can take part in discovery tours, botanical and
geological walks, bird and animal watching, hunting and fishing, on horseback,
by narrow-gauge forest railway or on foot. The living museum village Hollókő,
the first village to be listed as a World Heritage site consists of 65 buildings
and a remarkable church in the centre. The kindergarten, the post office, the
weaver's cottage, the baths and restaurants are all reminiscent of the last
century. The village museum gives an idea of the traditional way of life with
three generations living together. Mezőkövesd is the capital of "Matyóland".
The "Matyó" ethnic group is famous for two things: their Catholic
belilef retained in the face of Calvinism and their unique colourful costumes.
The water of Zsóri baths is recommended for rheumatic problems, arthritis and
gynecological disorders. Parád is one of the oldest health resorts in
the country. Its famous bottled water is recommended for respiratory and gastric
problems. Eger is one of the most attractive Baroque towns in the country. The Basilica of Eger is the second largest church in Hungary. It was
built in neo-classical style in the last century and has the largest organ in
the country. The Archiepiscopal Palace has been the residence of the bishops of
Eger for 250 years. The late baroque Lyceum was built at the end of the 18th
century as a university, today it functions as a teacher training college. The
Diocesan Library is situated in the Lyceum. The Spekula Observatory is in the
tower where a camera obscura projects a picture of the town onto a white
tabletop set up in a dark room. The pentagonal castle on the hill above the town
was the last stronghold to stop the Turkish invasion of 1552, when captain István
Dobó withstood the siege of Ali pasha and his army that outnumbered the
defenders twenty times. Today teh reconstructed castle houses the István Dobó
Museum. Eger is also famous for its fiery red wine, called the Eger Bull's Blood. The most popular excursion site in the Bükk National park is the
Szalajka valley. Szilvásvárad and its surroundings offer the open air
Forestry Museum, the Lippizaner Horse breeding exhibition and the Pallavicini
Mansion. Tokaj is the centre of the Tokaj-Hegylja historical wine region
which provides the world-famous "Tokay aszú", titled "King of
Wines, Wine of Kings". The Tokaj Aszú is made of grapes with a
concentrated sugar content ripened till late autumn on the sunny southern slopes. It was even used as a medicine in the Middle
Ages. Sárospatak, Nyírbátor
and Máriapócs are also important tourist destinations in the region.
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