Koszeg - Szombathely - Vasi Skanzen

Route: Sopron - Koszeg - Szombathely - Vasi Skanzen - Sopron
Duration: 8 h
Our first stop we will make at the Kőszeg which was always a border settlement. The region gained military importance in the 12th-13th century as standing up against the german attacks. Some stone castles and other fortifications were built int he Kőszeg-mountains, one of them was the so-called Upper Kőszeg Castle, today called the Old Castle, or Old House. What we know surely that in times of the Tatarian Campaigns (1241-42) it already stood, because the Hungarian King, Béla IV had to conquere it back from the Austrian prince. In 1328 Kőszeg received a royal free town title, and the rights received from the Kőszegi family was complemented with self-government and market-holding rights later with the foreign trade rights of good Kőszeg wines. In 1532 under Captain Nikolaus Jurisics the Ottoman troops aiming to Wien attacked Kőszeg fiercly between 5th and 30th August. But they lost this battle and the last troops left Kőszeg at 11 o’clock, so from 1777 all bells ring in Kőszeg also at 11 o’clock! In 1648 Kőszeg under the Hungarian Crown received free royal city rank, and until 1848 Kőszeg had the right to send legate to the Parliament. During our visit you will see Jurisics Castle, Church of the Sacred Heart, Town square, Herb garden,  Heroes’ Gate,  Town hallhouse,  Sgraffito house, Church of St Jacob, Church of St Emmerich , Church of Calvary and more. Our next stop will be at Szombathely ,founded by the Roman emperor Claudius in 43 A.D., Szombathely certainly has history. The legacy of Roman ruins, the remnant of the famous Amber Road, and a sparkling cultural life adorn Szombathely with the proud title “The Queen of West.” The name in the title is not coincidental, Szombathely is truly one of the most exciting ornaments of the region. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, which hilly area is full of sights and surprises. It is not a mistake, Szombathely was once a Roman colony, which spas, paths were worn by many Roman emperors, and it was called Savaria. The city was so popular with the Romans that it became a religious center of  Upper-Pannonia, so many amphitheaters, palaces, and spas were built in this area. After the Romans fiasco, the city was finally occupied only by Attila the King of Huns. One of the most characteristic parts of every city is probably the main square: it is the center of everything, it is where life begins. This is especially true for Szombathely’s main square. Walking around the square, we can observe the Baroque and Eclectic houses and see many remarkable works, such as the Holy-Trinity statue erected in memory of the plague victims or the city’s fountain with Faunok statue group. The city has a lot of attractions, including the Szegedy-house which is the oldest building in town, located in the main square at number 13. Anyone who loves antiques shouldn’t miss the Holy Spirit pharmacy at number 8. But not only such institutions are worth a visit in Szombathely but also the Cathedral, which is located between the Episcopal Palace and the Diocesan College, a beautiful Baroque building, which would be a mistake to miss. In terms of size, it has no reason to be ashamed of, it is the third-largest cathedral in the country, accommodating nearly 5000 people. Our last stop will be at Vasi Skanzen. Construction of the Vasi Museum Village began in 1968 and opened its doors to visitors in 1973. There are currently 39 buildings in the Museum Village, gathered from about 27 villages.  There you will see the buildings of the open-air Ethnographic Museum,  gets a picture of the village life and architectural culture of the county two centuries earlier. You will can look into a small corner of the past through gates from different regions, from poor peasant gates to small or wealthy peasant gates. Also you can visit the houses of villages of other nations, see German, Croatian and Slovenian residential houses and farm buildings. After we will return to Sopron.
Price: Per person