A town for strolling in, woods for walking in,
sports, arts and gastronomic delights – all of this is at
hand in Koszeg, a Hungarian town with an atmosphere of its own.
Koszeg has a unique sub-alpine climate. Jurisics Castle,
once the home of great landlord of the area, stands in the north-westerly
corner of the historic town centre surrounded by walls and a moat,
which once separated the castle from other parts of the town. There
is a fortified entrance gate, also surrounded by a moat, in front
of the castle. One ornamental part of Jurisics Square is the Town
Well, built to replace the former chain well.
The Holy Trinity Columns is another of Koszeg’s sights, raised
in 1713 to celebrate the town’s successful escape from the
plague. It is one of the oldest Holy Trinity columns in Hungary.
The Town Hall is considered to be a curiosity because it is perhaps
the only public building in Hungary that preserved the original
function that it received at the time of construction. At the end
of Holy Trinity Street, Heroes’ Gate marks the exit from
the centre of town. The tower of the gate was built in eclectic
style in 1932 (to the design of Flóris Opaterny), to commemorate
the 400th anniversary of the town’s attack by the Turks.
A whole range of statues, reliefs, buildings, cellars and historic
sights are devoted to the grape and wine. At the permanent exhibition
in Jurisics Castle presenting the town’s history, visitors
can see a book dedicated to the Arrival of Grape, started in 1740.
It shows that on the day of Saint George, vine growers examine
the long shots and make drawings about them, and these drawings
help in later years to forecast the harvest. There is a dedicated
wine tour for Koszeg and the surrounding areas, with eight stops
and an exhibition on vine growing and wine-making in the protected
cellars of Cák. Events connected to wine include the Koszeg
Grape Harvest in September and Koszeg Wine Ball, usually held in
November.
Nature lovers and those interested in eco-tourism can take
long walks along the paths of Írottko Nature Park, which connects 16
villages in the Orség Nature Reserve and includes many beautiful
springs and lookout towers. There are organised events on weekends:
hikes, cycle trips and wine tasting tours. Spring hikes usually
start at 9 am. and take around 5 or 6 hours, covering a total distance
of 10-15 kilometres. There are several resting places on the way
and the participants are led by a guide. Whole-day cycle tours
are significantly longer at 30-40 kilometres, but when routes are
selected, the ideal speed and difficulty level for participants
are taken into consideration, with a view to allowing families
to join in too. Participants can also cross over to the Austrian
part of the nature reserve, explore the wider area around Koszeg
or cycle outside the boundaries of the reserve.
