Lying on the southern slope of the Mátra Mountain, 80km (50mi.) northeast of Budapest, the industrial town of Gyöngyös is the center of the historic but little known region of Mátraalja. The popular resorts of Mátraháza and Mátrafüred also form part of Gyöngyös; the town's name means "Rich in Pearls", possibly because a lot of mistletoe used to grow around here.
The late 14th C church was destroyed during the Turkish occupation and rebuilt in 1701-27 in Baroque style, to designs by Giovanni Carlone. The doorway and interior are very beautiful; note the statues by the Austrian Josef Hebenstreit on the side altars. On the keystone of the choir-vault can be seen the coat-of-arms of the Báthori family, who endowed the church.
This museum found a home in Orczy Palace, which was rebuilt in the Classical style in the mid-1800s. The local history collection is enriched by classic exhibits telling the story of viticulture past and present; on the upper floor is a display documenting the geology, fauna and flora of the Mátra. Near the Palace lies the beautiful Dimitrov Park.
The 14th C St Bartholomew's Church (Szent Bertalan templom), one of the largest Gothic churches in Hungary, was rebuilt first in the Renaissance style and later, following a fire in the early 18th C, in the Baroque by Giovanni Battista Carlone, whose major work was done in Eger. The towers are early 19th C. A large number of 15th C sacral masterpieces are kept in the Treasury. Near the church, on Fo tér, stands a modern sculpture by Pál Ko (born 1941) of King Charles Robert of Anjou, who reigned in the early 14th century.
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