Koszeg Attractions
Koszeg (Güns) is a pretty little town lying about 20km (121/2mi.) north of Szombathely on the Austrian border, on the southern slopes of the Güns Mountains (KOszegi hegység).
Although most of the buildings are 18th C there are also some Renaissance houses and a romantic castle - a popular destination for excursions.
History
After the founding of the state of Hungary the kings strengthened the town as an important link in the chain of fortresses known as the Ãrség, built to defend the country against threats from the west. A stone castle was built in the middle of the 12th C (first documented in the second half of the 13th C); in 1532 Miklós Jurisics and a small number of men held out here for 25 days against Sultan Suleiman II's army of 55,000 strong. The Turks finally withdrew before winter set in and a strong Austrian army arrived. During the 18th C, the town was of little strategic or economic importance. However, it has a proud and strong cultural tradition, and there was a grammar school here back in the 16th C.
Although most of the buildings are 18th C there are also some Renaissance houses and a romantic castle - a popular destination for excursions.
History
After the founding of the state of Hungary the kings strengthened the town as an important link in the chain of fortresses known as the Ãrség, built to defend the country against threats from the west. A stone castle was built in the middle of the 12th C (first documented in the second half of the 13th C); in 1532 Miklós Jurisics and a small number of men held out here for 25 days against Sultan Suleiman II's army of 55,000 strong. The Turks finally withdrew before winter set in and a strong Austrian army arrived. During the 18th C, the town was of little strategic or economic importance. However, it has a proud and strong cultural tradition, and there was a grammar school here back in the 16th C.
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Church of St James
(Jurisics tér)
The early 15th C Church of St James is a Late Gothic style building with Baroque elements. It is one of the most important buildings in the town.
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Jurisics tér
On Jurisics Square stand the Town Hall, the Church of St James, and a number of medieval townhouses.
Chernel utca
Chernel Street, which leads west from St James' Church and then turns south, is named after the historian Kálmán Chernel (1822-91) who worked in Koszeg. Almost all the houses are late medieval, converted to Baroque. The most outstanding is the U-shaped Chernel House (No. 10). Above the door with its wickerwork arch, Rococo vase-shaped pillars support a convoluted architrave. The year 1766 is engraved in the keystone of the arch. Eugäne de Beauharnais, Napoleon's stepson and viceroy, lived here in 1809.
Church of the Sacred Heart
To the south of the Old Town, on the main square (Fo tér; parking lot) stands the Neo-Gothic Church of the Sacred Heart (Jézu Szive templom), built in 1892-94, with a tower 57m (187ft) high. The stained glass windows portray SS Stephen, Ladislaus, Imre, Elisabeth and Margit; note also the 15th C Gothic monstrance and a chasuble of turquoise satin bedecked with pearls.
Heroes' Gate
Heroes' Gate (Hosi kapu) is the entrance to the historic center of the town. The gate was built in 1932 on the site of the 14th C Lower Gate Tower, to mark the 400th anniversary of the Turkish siege. A relief reminds us of the brave defenders and of those who fell in the First World War.
