Miskolc Attractions
After Budapest, Miskolc is the major industrial center and second largest town in Hungary. It lies in the eastern foothills of the Bükk Mountains, a region with charming countryside and ample tourist facilities, making it one of Hungary's favorite holiday areas. The provincial town center of Miskolc at the foot of Mount Avas is surrounded by rather mundane suburbs and industrial estates which sprang up in the post-war years. Miskolc's main attractions are Diósgyor Castle in the district of the same name, and the holiday resorts of Miskolctapolca in the south and Lillafüred - the "Gateway to the Bükk Mountains" - in the east of the town.
History
In the caves of the Bükk Mountains outside Miskolc skeletons of Ice Age man were found, some of the oldest of such remains to be found anywhere in Europe. Scythians also settled here some 2000-3000 years ago. A Magyar tribe known as the Bors (hence the regional name of Borsod) occupied the Miskolc region in the 9th C. Protected by Diósygor Castle the settlement developed during the Middle Ages into a small town, which was plundered by the Turks in 1544 and then burned to the ground. After capturing Eger Castle in 1596 the Turks occupied the town for almost one hundred years, until 1687. Like many another north Hungarian town, Miskolc supported the fight for liberation from the Habsburgs (Ferenc Rákóczi had his headquarters in Miskolc for part of the time)and paid for this in 1706 when Austrian troops burned it down once more, from which it took years to recover.
From the late 18th C the rich iron deposits in the Bükk Mountains were processed in the countryside around Miskolc, and by the end of the 19th C there were already some industrial firms operating here. When the surrounding suburbs, Diósgyor in particular, were incorporated into the town Miskolc became an industrial conurbation of some 130 concerns.
Economy
Once just a trading town, Miskolc has developed since the 19th C, and in the post-war years, into a major center of heavy industry with giant steelworks, iron foundries and machine tool factories. A number of large electrical firms and paper factories have also set up here. The Technical University of Heavy Industry, which provides training for skilled and management staff, has been sited in Miskolc since 1949.
History
In the caves of the Bükk Mountains outside Miskolc skeletons of Ice Age man were found, some of the oldest of such remains to be found anywhere in Europe. Scythians also settled here some 2000-3000 years ago. A Magyar tribe known as the Bors (hence the regional name of Borsod) occupied the Miskolc region in the 9th C. Protected by Diósygor Castle the settlement developed during the Middle Ages into a small town, which was plundered by the Turks in 1544 and then burned to the ground. After capturing Eger Castle in 1596 the Turks occupied the town for almost one hundred years, until 1687. Like many another north Hungarian town, Miskolc supported the fight for liberation from the Habsburgs (Ferenc Rákóczi had his headquarters in Miskolc for part of the time)and paid for this in 1706 when Austrian troops burned it down once more, from which it took years to recover.
From the late 18th C the rich iron deposits in the Bükk Mountains were processed in the countryside around Miskolc, and by the end of the 19th C there were already some industrial firms operating here. When the surrounding suburbs, Diósgyor in particular, were incorporated into the town Miskolc became an industrial conurbation of some 130 concerns.
Economy
Once just a trading town, Miskolc has developed since the 19th C, and in the post-war years, into a major center of heavy industry with giant steelworks, iron foundries and machine tool factories. A number of large electrical firms and paper factories have also set up here. The Technical University of Heavy Industry, which provides training for skilled and management staff, has been sited in Miskolc since 1949.
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Diósgyor Castle
The Diósgyor Castle was built in the 14th C and based on the design of southern Italian castles. It became the residence of queens for a time but was all but destroyed in the late 17th C.
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Miskolc Reformed Church
The Reformed Church was founded in the 13th C and is today Miskolc's oldest building.
Greek Orthodox Church
Near the Minorite Church, on the corner of Deák tér, stands this beautiful church (Görögkeleti templom), built in the 18th C plait style in 1785-88. It possesses a valuable 16m (52ft) high iconostasis with a copy of the Black Madonna of Kashan in the center, a gift from the Russian Czarina Catherine II.
Minorite Church
By way of Széchenyi utca, past the National Theatre and then through Déryné utca, the visitor will come to the Baroque church on Hosök tér (Heroes' Square). It is the work of the Italian architect Giovanni Battista Carlone (1682-1747), whose studio was in Eger. The church was built between 1729 and 1734; two towers flank the gable end with a figure of the Virgin Mary in the center and statues of saints on either side. Frescos showing scenes from Mary's life adorn the interior.
Mount Avas
There are large numbers of old cellars going down 10-20m (33-66ft) (in one case as deep as 100m (330ft) into Mount Avas, the local mountain, which stands 243m (800ft) high. A fine panoramic view can be enjoyed from the viewing tower on the mountain peak.
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