Situated on the Western edge of Vas county, bordering Austria, at the foot of the Kőszeg mountains, on the bank of the Gyöngyös Creek is the Jurisics Castle, a landmark of the town of Kőszeg. A special feature is its two parts; the outer fortress and the trapezium-shaped inner fortress, which adjoin like islands.
These parts were originally surrounded by moats. Although we do not know the exact date of construction of this complex, written records from the late 1300s already mention two castles. Since the town and the castle were closely integrated from a strategic point of view from the 13^th century through the 18^th century, the defences, gates and towers are virtually part of the town wall. It is these parts of the castle, bastion, wail and gate that make the atmosphere of Kőszeg irresistibly attractive to visitors. In the 15^th century the Garais, owners of the castle at the time, built the hall of knights on the top floor of the Western wing of the inner fortress and the cellar on the ground floor. A chapel was built in the Northern building and residential rooms in the Eastern and Southern wings in the 14^th and 15^th centuries.
The baileys with towers and arrow slits and the entrenchment surrounding the castle were erected in the late 15^th century. When Sultan Suleyman and his troops of 60,000 set out to take Vienna in 1531, Kőszeg's captain Miklos Jurisics and his handful of soldiers withstood the siege of the Turkish army for 25 days. When fighting became pointless, the warring parties made an agreement: Jurisics had to fly the Turkish flag and the Turkish troops withdrew, abandoning further plans.