Kőszeg
Kőszeg | |
---|---|
UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Postal code | 9730 |
Area code | (+36) 94 |
Website | www |
Kőszeg (Hungarian: [ˈkøːsɛɡ]; German: Güns [ɡʏns] ; Slovak: Kysak; Slovene: Kiseg; Croatian: Kiseg) is a town in Vas County, Hungary. The town is famous for its historical character.
History
The origins of the only
Sometime before 1274 Henry I and his son Ivan moved the court of the Kőszegi, a breakaway branch of the family, from Güssing to Kőszeg (Güns). For decades, the town was the seat of the lords of Kőszeg (Güns).
Only in 1327 did
In 1392 the royal town became a
In 1677 the secondary school, Jurisics Miklós Gimnázium (JMG), was founded. It is the oldest operating International School in Hungary. The International Baccalaureate (IB) program, which most English-speaking students at the school follow, was created at the Grande Boissière campus. It is a bilingual school, with instruction in Hungarian, French, German, Italian, and English. The International School is a testing center for the U.S. college boards (SAT, ACT,etc.), as well as the British IGCSE exam.
In 2006, the Herald Tribune listed it as one of the top ten international schools in the world.[2]
According to the Good Schools Guide International, "Students receive a truly international education and as a result, leave as rounded and worldly young people.
Little War in Hungary
In the third wave of the great wars against the Turks in the sixteenth century, Kőszeg became the major flashpoint of the campaign of 1532. Between August 5–30, Grand Vizier Ibrahim led 19 major assaults against the town. Under the leadership of the town and fort of
After the Turkish wars, in 1695 the garrison and surrounding areas of Kőszeg fell into the hands of the
The town lost its strategic importance after the Rákóczi-Liberation Wars of 1703–1711. Along with Szombathely, Kőszeg was the most important fortress for the kuruc military leadership from 1705–1708, to liberate and hold onto the areas west of the Rába.
The free royal town enjoyed the longest period of peace in its history during the eighteenth century. For the first time in the history of the town, there was an attempt, in 1712, to replace the population loss in the town by trying to attract colonists, and by founding Schwabendorf (Kőszegfalva).
Kőszeg had already lost its leading role in the garrison county of Vas by the mid nineteenth century. Only a few workshops survived the production crisis within the
World War II and the Holocaust
During World War II, the Jews of Kőszeg were among the last to be deported to
When the Red Army approached Kőszeg in March, 1945, the Hungarian commander, Béla Király, surrendered the city to spare it further destruction.[7]
Communist Period
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After Communism
Since 1992 Kőszeg is again living under a normal administrative system and a market economy. The financially feeble town is looking at options for renewal through an injection of capital from outside investors and is seeking support from government agencies and the European Union.
Kőszeg has managed to retain its natural charm and the beauty of its architecture. Only the bastion gates have been damaged significantly. The structure of the town remains unaltered.
Today Kőszeg is one of the most attractive towns in Hungary and is a tourist destination. Kőszeg was awarded the Hild Prize (Hungarian architecture prize) in 1978 for preserving its architectural heritage.
Every year, it hosts the Castle Days at the castle there, commemorating and reenacting the siege by Ottoman Turks on the way to Vienna, in which the defenders were able to hold out.
Demographics
In 1880 Kőszeg had 7,301 inhabitants with ethnic German majority (in 1495, 1715, and 1784 a German majority existed also).
After the
Sights of interest
- Jurisics Castle and Castle Museum
- Town centre with its medieval atmosphere
- Sacred Heart Church
- Steierhäuser
- Pharmacy Museum
- Hills around Kőszeg
- the Geschriebenstein (Írottkő)
- Seven fountains (Hétforrás)
- Watchtower (Óház)
Sport
Although the ski jumping facility is a small one, it is the only still in use in the country.[10]
Twin towns – sister cities
Kőszeg is a founding member of the Douzelage, a unique town twinning association of towns across the European Union, including United Kingdom. This active town twinning began in 1991 and there are regular events, such as a produce market from each of the other countries and festivals. Other members of Douzelage are:[11]
- Agros, Cyprus
- Altea, Spain
- Asikkala, Finland
- Bad Kötzting, Germany
- Bellagio, Italy
- Bundoran, Ireland
- Chojna, Poland
- Granville, France
- Holstebro, Denmark
- Houffalize, Belgium
- Judenburg, Austria
- Marsaskala, Malta
- Meerssen, Netherlands
- Niederanven, Luxembourg
- Oxelösund, Sweden
- Preveza, Greece
- Rokiškis, Lithuania
- Rovinj, Croatia
- Sesimbra, Portugal
- Sherborne, United Kingdom
- Sigulda, Latvia
- Siret, Romania
- Škofja Loka, Slovenia
- Sušice, Czech Republic
- Tryavna, Bulgaria
- Türi, Estonia
- Zvolen, Slovakia
- Horgos, Serbia
Kőszeg is also twinned with:[12]
- Mödling, Austria
- Senec, Slovakia
- Senj, Croatia
- Vaihingen an der Enz, Germany
Notable people
- András Arató(*1945), electrical engineer and model
- László Dvorák (*1964), wrestler
- József Fabchich (1753–1809), writer and translator
- István Fászl (1838-1900), naturalist, priest and teacher
- Imre Festetics (1710–1790), geneticist
- András Hadik (1711–1790), nobleman, military leader
- Johann Baptiste Horvath (1732–1799), physicist
- Zoltán Kereki (*1953), footballer
- Henriett Koósz (*1980), Austrian wheelchair tennis player
- Philipp Schey von Koromla (1798–1881), merchant and philanthropist
- Friedrich Schey von Koromla (1815–1881), Austrian businessman
- Ágota Kristóf (1935–2011), writer
- Gyula Lóránt (1923–1981), football player and manager
- Nikolaus von Üxküll-Gyllenband (1877–1964), German businessman
Gallery
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Main Square
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Sacred Heart Church in the Main Square
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Jurisics Square
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Saint Emeric church in the Jurisics Square
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Town hall
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Tower of Heroes
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Maria column
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Baroque building
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Downtown detail
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Public maquette of the town in the Middle Ages
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Lutheran church
References
- ^ Kőszeg, KSH
- ^ "MAGYARORSZÁG HELYSÉGNÉVTÁRA, 2012". Ksh.hu. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
- ^ Borovszky, Samu. "Kőszeg ostroma 1532-ben". arcanum.hu. Arcanzum Adatbázis Kft.
- ^ Turnbull (2003), p. 51.
- ^ Setton (1984), p. 365.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-28146-6.
- ^ Partos, Gabriel (11 July 2009). "Bela Kiraly: Soldier who led Hungarian resistance against the Soviet Union during the 1956 uprising". The Independent. London: Independent Educational Publishing. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
Days before that end came for Hungary, in March 1945, Kiraly was put in charge of defending the town of Koeszeg on the Austrian border. To avoid its destruction, he surrendered to the Red Army.
- ISBN 978-963-9545-19-9 (Changing ethnic composition in Hungary, Geographical Institution of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences)
- ^ Deportation of Germans from Hungary, List of the settlements/ Kőszeg
- ^ Kőszeg
- ^ "Member towns". douzelage.eu. Douzelage. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
- ^ "Kőszeg". koszeg.hu (in Hungarian). Kőszeg. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
External links
- Official website in Hungarian, English, German, Italian and French
- Aerial photography: Kőszeg
- History, pictures, and google map of Jurisics Castle