Historic Towns

Many or Hungary’s historic towns, including Eger, Gyor, Szekesfehervar and Veszprem, were rebuilt in the baroque style during the 18t^h century. Sopron and Koszeg are among the few Hungarian towns with a strong medieval flavour. The greatest monuments of the Turkish period are in Pecs.

Around Budapest

The Danube Bend is the resort area north of Budapest as the river Danube turns south. Szentendre, a small town situated on the bank of the Danube with winding streets, church towers, and colourful houses is the most visited tourist centre of the region. Places of interest include the many churches established by the Serbian community in the 17th century. Numerous museums and exhibitions as well as the largest open-air ethnographical museum attract numbers of visitors throughout the year. Visegrád with the royal palace completed in 1330 was declared the capital in the 14th century. The great Renaissance ruler`s King Matthias Palace was considered one of the most splendid royal residences of the 15th century. King St Stephen was born in Esztergom and in the 11th century it was the first royal seat and ecclesiastical centre of the country. Today the Primate of the Hungarian Catholic Church, the Archbishop of Esztergom, has his seat here. Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Queen Eizabeth frequently stayed in the Grassalkovich Mansion built in Hungarian Baroque style in the 18th century in Gödöllõ. True to the spirit or Count Grassalkovich, who was a patron of arts, the newly reconstructed castle and its courtyard host various cultural events and concerts all year round.

Northern Transdanubia

Located in the northern part of the former Roman province of Pannonia, the widely-known tourist region of Northern Transdanubia covers the area north of Lake Balaton, and from the western border of the country to the Danube. LakeVelence is 45 km from the capital at the foot of the Velence Hills. It makes an ideal holiday spot from early spring to late autumn. Székesfehérvár, the ancient Hungarian town earlier called Alba Regia, was founded in 972. The main church of the country was here where for five centuries 37 kings and 39 queens were crowned. Fifteen rulers are buried in the city, at one time the Holy Crown and the state archives were kept here, and national assemblies also gathered here. The Pannonhalma Abbey has stood on its ground on St Márton Hill for 1000 years. UNESCO places it on the list of World Heritage Sites as being of universal value. The Basilica Gothic vaulting, the Monastery has the only remaining complete medieval cloisters, the red marble "Porta Speciosa" is a marvelous example of Renaissance carving, while the 360,000-volume Benedictine Library, archives and scientific and artistic collections are of inestimable value. Sopron, the Roman Scrabantia was an important station on the Ivy Road cutting through Europe in a north-south direction. Sopron being one of the richest towns in historical monuments, was presented with the Europa Nostra prize in 1975.

The Great Plain

The sand-hills of Bugac in the middle of the Great Plain stretching from the Danube to the eastern border of the country together with the alkaline soils of Hortobágy to the north-east give the flat region of the "Hungarian Puszta". Typical farm life in Bugac has survived, s have the ancient domesticated animals in Hortobágy and bird species which are unique to this region. The skillful and intelligent sheep dog breeds such as komondor, kuvasz, puli and pumi are much sought-after even abroad. During the horse shows the tourist has the opportunity to learn about the traditions of the earlier pastoral way of life, animal husbandry in the Puszta, and taste delicious Hungarian cuisine.

Lake Balaton

Lake Balaton, the Hungarian sea is 77 km long and with a surface area of 600 sq m it is the largest lake in Central Europe. the shoreline runs for 195 km in total, at its widest it is 14 km, and at its deepest 12.4 metres. The shallow water of the southern shore is ideal for children, while the northern shore suddenly deepens and also has long beaches. During the summer the water temperature is between 20-26^oC. Balatonfüred, Tihany, Badacsony and Siófok are popular resorts. Keszthely is the largest and oldest settlement at Lake Balaton. the third largest mansion in the country is the fully restored neo-rococo style complex, the 101-room Festetics Castle- now called Helikon Castle Museum - with its fine wrought-iron gate and Baroque tower. One of the greatest assets of the castle is the library, which has almost 100,000 volumes and is the only surviving private library of a Hungarian aristocratic family. The second largest warm water lake is Héviz with renowned curative effects is located 6 km from the northern shore of Lake Balaton. Daily 60 million litres of radioactive, sulphurous water at a temperature of 37^oC gushes to the surface making open-air bathing a pleasant experience even in winter time. The curative mud at the bottom of the lake is special: it is excellent for the treatment of locomotor disorders, rheumatism, inflammations and arthritic diseases.

Southern Transdanubia

The tourism region known as Southern Transdanubia is the area bordered by the Danube and the southern border river of the Drava, south of Lake Balaton. It comprises a varied landscape of vast untouched forests, wide plains and valleys tucked away behind gentle slopes. The region has a pleasant climate and clean air, and is rich in natural attractions as well as historical monuments. The medicinal bath of Zalakaros is one of the largest and most popular in the country providing a full range of medical treatment with open-air and indoor pools. The water which reaches the surface at 96oC is highly efficacious in the treatment of locomotor, rheumatic, gynecological and nervous disorders. Harkany is an internationally famed town with medicinal water from a sulphurous spring and which contains dissolved sulphide ions in the form of gas. Mysterious Roman burial vaults, Turkish mosques, slender minaret, fine Zsolnay ceramics, grandiose Csontvary paintings, decorative Vasarely patterns, almond trees blossoming in early spring-this is all Pécs, the 2000-year-old city with Mediterranean climate and mood lying at the southern foot of the Mecsek hills. The basilica on Dom Square is one of the most valuable medieval structures in Hungary: the crypt with five naves is from the 11th century with statues and frescos by noted Hungarian masters. Pécs has the most significant surviving Turkish buildings from the 150 years of Ottoman domination. the Pasha Gazi Kassim mosque is today a Catholic church, the mosque of Pasha Yakovali Hassan is a virtually intact Muslim architectural delight. The Minaret stands next door, 83 steps up the spiral staircase lead to the 23-metre-high balcony. The Tomb of Idris Baba and the Baths of Pasha Memi also date back to the Turkish rule. Siklós, szigetvár and Pécsvárad are famous for their castles, Villány and Szekszárd are well-known wine growing regions. The 50,000 hectare game reserve of Gemenc forest is a Landscape Protection Reserve.

Northern Hungary

The highest mountain range in Hungary cuts diagonally through the north of the country from the Danube to the Tisza. The 700-900 metre ranges of the Cserhát, Mátra, Bükk and Zemplén mountainshide unique natural and cultural-historical treasures. UNESCO considers thestalactites and stalagmites of the Bradla cave and the village of Hollókõ worthy of protection as World heritage sites. The Ipolytarnóc fossil remainsand the biosphere reserve of the Bükk plateau also feature the naturalattractions of the region. Folk art is similarly unique to the region: Palócembroideries and Matyó folk costumes bear no resemblance to anything elsewherein the country. An abundance of castles, historical towns, medicinal spas andquiet resorts await visitors who can take part in discovery tours, botanical andgeological walks, bird and animal watching, hunting and fishing, on horseback,by narrow-gauge forest railway or on foot. The living museum village Hollókõ,the first village to be listed as a World Heritage site consists of 65 buildingsand a remarkable church in the centre. The kindergarten, the post office, theweaver`s cottage, the baths and restaurants are all reminiscent of the lastcentury. The village museum gives an idea of the traditional way of life withthree generations living together. Mezõkövesd is the capital of "Matyóland".The "Matyó" ethnic group is famous for two things: their Catholicbelilef retained in the face of Calvinism and their unique colourful costumes.The water of Zsóri baths is recommended for rheumatic problems, arthritis andgynecological disorders. Parád is one of the oldest health resorts inthe country. Its famous bottled water is recommended for respiratory and gastricproblems. Eger is one of the most attractive Baroque towns in thecountry. The Basilica of Eger is the second largest church in Hungary. It wasbuilt in neo-classical style in the last century and has the largest organ inthe country. The Archiepiscopal Palace has been the residence of the bishops ofEger for 250 years. The late baroque Lyceum was built at the end of the 18thcentury as a university, today it functions as a teacher training college. TheDiocesan Library is situated in the Lyceum. The Spekula Observatory is in thetower where a camera obscura projects a picture of the town onto a whitetabletop set up in a dark room. The pentagonal castle on the hill above the townwas the last stronghold to stop the Turkish invasion of 1552, when captain IstvánDobó withstood the siege of Ali pasha and his army that outnumbered thedefenders twenty times. Today teh reconstructed castle houses the István DobóMuseum. Eger is also famous for its fiery red wine, called the Eger Bull`sBlood. The most popular excursion site in the Bükk National park is theSzalajka valley. Szilvásvárad and its surroundings offer the open airForestry Museum, the Liippizaner Horse breeding exhibition and the PallaviciniMansion. Tokaj is the centre of the Tokaj-Hegylja historical wine regionwhich provides the world-famous "Tokay aszú", titled "King ofWines, Wine of Kings". The Tokaj Aszú is made of grapes with aconcentrated sugar content ripened till late autumn on the sunny southernslopes. It was even used as a medicine in the Middle Ages. Sárospatak, Nyírbátor and Máriapócs are also important tourist destinations in the region.