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Sopron
 Sopron
is situated near the western border of Hungary at the
feet of the Alps, 60 km from Vienna and 220 km from
Budapest. It is one of the most ancient jewels of the
country. The town, uniting the present and connecting
the country and its western neighbours, opens its gates
to domestic and foreign visitors as well, as symbolised
by this coat of arms.
In this cosy town, you can find almost everything that
can attract visitors:
• small streets in the town centre providing a
historical atmosphere,
• gothic, baroque and renaissance architectural rarities,
• historical monuments and culture.
Besides the splendid architectural works and cambering
small streets of bygone days, the squares breathing the
Middle Ages, the emerging town walls, the finely wrought
balconies, the vaulted gateways, the sediles with
tracery, you can also find the ambience of the rustic
quarters interspersed with vine cellars.
Sopron City justly was the golden medal winner of the
European Care of Monuments Award in 1975, because it is
the first richest town in Hungary after Budapest in the
field of monuments. Sopron is famous for its hospitality,
as well as for its loyalty, symbolised by the Gate of
Loyalty. The gate, located on the southern side of the
Fire Tower was made in commemoration of the referendum
held in 1921 when the inhabitants of Sopron could vote
whether they wanted to belong to Austria or Hungary.
They voted for Hungary and so did the town receive
the title of The Town of Loyalty. The Town Hall was
built for the Millenary of 1896 (the 1000th anniversary
of the Hungarian Conquest.) Facing it can be found the
Storno House, one of the most famous buildings of the
town, where King Matthias had also lodged and which now
houses a museum. The Goat Church served as a place for
coronations and Parliament sessions in the 17th century.
The statue of he Holy Trinity is an outstanding work of
Hungarian Baroque sculpture. The Church of St. Ursula,
built in neogothic style, is among the most successfully
accomplished architectural monuments of the last century.
The Castle District was formed along the one-time moat,
its inner row of houses follows the castle wall, one of
its jewels is the statue of the Holy Virgin. Because of
the sight of the houses and the experience offered by
the museums, Sopron is also called the„Town of Museums”
or the „Museum Town”. The 23 permanent exhibitions of
the oldest Hungarian provincial museum, founded in 1867
attract masses of visitors. The town’s well-known public
and private collections prove the fact that the values
of the past are fostered. On the other hand, the
historical town centre of Sopron displays a vivid and
bustling life. The musical past obliges, so the
Sopron Festive Weeks are organised in this
spirit. Nevertheless, the main attraction is the town -
accordingly the joy of the festival manifests itself in
outward appearance as well. Included in the programmes
of the Festive Weeks, the Summer Musical Series of the
Cave Theatre in Fertõrákos is of such a peculiarity that
makes it unique. The light effects and the projected
settings are applied besides the stage having fantastic
acoustics and the fascinating natural environment,
providing an exceptional experience. Furtherly, the
Old Music Days and the open air
Sommertheatre complete the series of events.
The Spring Days, the series of
professional exhibitions, the Sopron Wine Feast,
the Pan-European commemorations, The
Days of Vintage and numerous other events are further
complements of Sopron’s offer for tourists. Sopron’s
natural environment is refreshing, healing alpine air,
its hiking trails on the wooded mountain sides, its
lookout towers, its springs make the town one of the
most beautiful, pleasant holiday resorts. The Lõvér
Hills, located to the south of the town is Soprons most
beautiful and most elegant holiday quarter. Silent
forests, pinewoods, oak forests, chestnut groves, lily
of the valley in May, cyclamen is August, hiking trails,
lookout towers this is the magic of the Lõvér world. The
quality wines of the Sopron Wine Region are also
attractive, so the town is becoming more and more famous
among those wine-lovers that wish to quench their thirst
with noble wines.
GASTRONOMIC GUIDE
Sopron
is a wonderful town, one of the most ne important
bulwarks of Hungarian Gastronomy, the empire of flavors.
It makes liberal provision for the guests, offers a lot
of specialties – especially the worldwide famous wine
and the local food rise above the others. The
grape-growing and wine culture of the Sopron Region is
already 2000 years old. Sopron is the part of the
Hungarian historic wine regions; it is justly called the
„ Sopron, the capital of the Blue Frankish wine”. Being
a free royal town it had the right of retailing of wine
as a privilege. Accordingly, the wine had an important
part in the life of the town through centuries. It was
the part of the economic basis but it could also
influence the political decisions into the right
direction in case of necessity. The most widespread kind
of grape of the wine region located under the Alps is
the KÉKFRANKOS.
The deep red wine has a bouquet of its own and is rich
in acids. Both the grape-growers and the wine growers do
their best to win back the earlier rank, which had been
given nationally and internationally. The local foods
offered by the restaurants also recall the past – the
bean foods are the most characteristic among them. The
old grape-growers – the „bohnenzüchters” – cultivated
bean among the grape plants. The excellent wines and the
sramli music were the guarantee for the good atmosphere
in the „Buschenschanks” (wine-grower’s shops) near the
tables covered by colorful cloth. Nowadays the masters
of gastronomy in Sopron enter to international
competitions with pleasure. A lot of dignified awards
prove the professional knowledge and the successful
participation in competitions of the „Chef Club of
titions Sopron”. It is worth tasting their appetizing
and eye-filling creations.
ART AND SCIENCE THE CONFERENCE CITY
The
unique architecture, the richness in monuments and the
bustling musical and cultural life of the City represent
a significant force of attraction both in Hungary and
abroad. The present artists increase further the values
of fine arts, music, literature, and theatrical art so
the fest-, cultural- and exhibition programs of the City
have been prepared in accordance. Determining
personalities of Sopron are Franz Liszt
and Joseph Haydn. The musical life of
the town began to floorish in the XVIII. century. Haydn
held his first concert in 1775 in Sopron. Queen
Maria Terezia took part on this concert, too.
The composer Ferenc Liszt considering Europe his
homeland was 9 years old when he gave his first concert
in Sopron. Him was also given the freedom of Sopron and
a silver baton from the town. His art and his works are
the link between the nationalities.
The scene of the science and the culture in the City is
the eclectic building of Ferenc Liszt Conference and
Culture Center. The establishment of this building also
shows the unity of art and science. The ballrooms, the
theatre, the concert rooms, the sections, and the
exhibition pavilions of the five-floor building are used
as the scene of many dignified events. Owing to this,
the Center is the leading conference center and the
significant cultural center of the City and even the
Region. The higher educational institute of Sopron has
meaningful traditions as well. The University of Western
Hungary (its Center is in Sopron) offering a high level
of education ensures the scientific background to the
cultural and intellectual life of the City. The
theatrical life of the City had started in a
horse-driven mill in 1769. The theatre was moved to the
actual building in 1840. The famous troupe of the
theatre is still working there.
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