Szombathely Hungary. Open the left menu sombathely. Cafes and restaurants

The course of the car trip through Hungary took me to the west of the country, where I was able to see the sights of Szombathely, including the Savaria Museum and the city's cathedral, as well as Izeum, the sanctuary of the goddess Isis; to find out more read the story about the tour of Szombathely

The national features of the roads of Hungary are such that there is less traffic on the secondary highways than on the main ones. Most drivers prefer to buy a Hungarian vignette and ride for fun. For us, due to the geography of the planned voyages around the country, this ticket was not very useful, and it could only be used to get to Eger. And since you can’t buy a pass for one day, I just didn’t see the need to contact him. And for the time being, everything went well, until we left Gyor, heading to spend the night in the direction of Szombathely. Then it turned out that we were not the only ones who were so economical: a dense stream of truckers was going through the towns ...

How the Hungarians endure this roaring herd rushing through small towns is incomprehensible to the mind. If I were them, I would drive all the trucks onto toll roads, because the traffic in the western part of the country is absolutely ugly. Moreover, traffic density is created almost exclusively by Poles, who clearly save on fares. I don’t know, maybe the carriers don’t allocate money for vignettes, maybe the drivers put the allocated funds in their pockets, but instead of crossing Hungary from the Balkans along the M7, they make do with country roads. By God, in an hour and a half of overtaking and maneuvering around trucks, I was more exhausted than on an excursion from Budapest to Eger, which required five hours of driving ...

We got to the place of a custom lodging for the night in the tiny town of Buk shortly before midnight. This time, instead of a hotel, I decided to stay in one of the guesthouses, which are a dime a dozen in that part of the country. Indeed, what is there, that in Keszthely and Heviz some incredible amount of housing is rented out. As soon as I raised the question, offers for renting villas and apartments in Hungary fell like a cornucopia. It only remained to choose the best in terms of price-quality ratio, which I did by ordering an apartment with all amenities from Bettina Vendeghaz for 22 euros.

The thought of whether the choice was right came to my mind immediately after arrival: the navigator took us to the right house, but there were no proper signs on this building, even the lights were not on inside. I had to go drumming on the door, and listen with a sinking heart to see if anyone responded or not ...

It is clear that we would not have stayed without an overnight stay, since almost every house in the city is “vendeghaz”, as the guesthouse is called in Hungarian, and yet we wanted to live like a human being, without wasting time running around the streets at night. And I was sincerely delighted when the owner of the villa appeared at my knock. He was somewhat surprised that we were so late, but arranged the accommodation in the best possible way. Having learned where the stove, microwave and cutlery were located, we slightly admired the collection of golf prizes occupying half the wall of the kitchen and went to bed ...

It should be noted that until that moment the weather in Hungary spoiled us not like a child. The sun shone all the way without stopping, rare clouds ran only occasionally, a pleasant breeze constantly blew. The change that happened the next morning turned out to be all the more terrible: a nasty rain was drizzling outside the window, and not a single gap was visible in the cloudy sky ...

In this situation, we, of course, did not want to leave the warm shelter, but there was nowhere to go: the next overnight stay was waiting for us in Heviz. According to the plan, we were supposed to inspect Szombathely and poke around for a while in Zalaegerszeg, and I honestly tried to fulfill my plan. Saying goodbye to the hospitable Hungarian, we moved along the planned route.

First impressions of Szombathely were very gloomy: the outskirts, along which the intercity highway was laid, looked depressing. It was clear that the center was certainly not so dull, but I involuntarily had doubts whether it was worth visiting Szombathely at all, especially with the accompaniment of restless rain.

A lifesaver in every sense was for us a large shopping complex "Family Center", where we stopped by "a little unwind", to quote my half verbatim. Shopping in Szombathely was decent, we picked up some clothes and shoes in the left wing where the C&A section is located. At the end of the event, it turned out that not only we managed to unwind: small dirty tricks stopped falling from the sky, although the clouds had not gone away. In a word, it was necessary to hurry in order to have time to see the sights of Szombathely "dry".

Realizing that in the center of European cities, no matter how you take it, you won’t be able to park for free, I had my eye on the Penny supermarket, which had a parking lot, located not too far from the cathedral and the main square. The navigator led us to the right place, but as soon as I parked, I thought that it was worth looking for options closer to the center, so that later I would not have to run to the car in the rain. The right place was soon found on Szabadsagharcos street lined with some enterprises. That is, at first my attention was attracted by the abundance of parked cars on the square on the other side of the river, but there were no places. So, having made a quick circle, we stood in solidarity with the local hard workers who do not want to pay for parking. From the place where we got up, it was exactly 350 meters in a straight line to the largest attraction of Sobmathey.

It's time to say that the city, which the Romans founded in 43 AD, is rightfully considered the oldest settlement in Hungary. In ancient times, it was called Savaria and flourished, being on the most important trade route connecting Central Europe with Italy. Like other cities under the rule of Rome, Savaria had a developed infrastructure - a priori, citizens relied on a forum, an amphitheater, baths and the list goes on.

The peaceful life of the townspeople was almost crossed out by a series of barbarian invasions, supplemented, apparently for the sake of variety, by the catastrophic earthquake of 456. Not the best fate fell to those who lived in the early Middle Ages: only from the 10th century, after the annexation of Savaria to the growing Hungarian state, the restoration of the urban economy began. For this, they had to pay with the rejection of the past, for the new authorities gave the settlement the name Sobmathei, which in a simplified translation means something like "where fairs are held on Saturdays."

Once again, the history of Savaria was almost interrupted in 1242 by the atrocities of the Mongol army. The city recovered quickly from the raid, and in the future no one was lucky enough to capture it. The Turks twice approached the walls of Szombathely, but could not overcome them. But what the fortifications could not stop was the plague that wiped out a huge number of inhabitants in the 18th century. The population decreased so much that immigrants from neighboring Austria had to be invited to occupy the empty buildings. Since then, a significant part of the townspeople speaks German.

In addition to the composition of the population, which changed in the first half of the century, Szombathely changed in the second half. The newcomers found it necessary to demolish many medieval buildings in order to build a cathedral, an episcopal palace and other large objects in the Baroque style on the vacant territory. Now the sights of Szombathely are divided into two categories: ancient artifacts that have been moved to the Savaria Museum, and Baroque pearls scattered around the city.

We began our acquaintance with the local ensemble with a tour of the cathedral, which ranks third in size in all of Hungary. At the same time, those buildings that stand in Eger and Esztergom are known to everyone, and tourists rarely visit the Szombathely hulk.

The construction of the cathedral with an area of ​​almost 3,000 square meters began in 1791, when the process of urban renewal gained momentum. The project was led by the prominent architect Melhor Hafele, under whom in less than three years the workers erected the walls, covered them with a roof and took up the towers, each more than 60 meters high. However, the unexpected death of the architect slowed down the vigorous progress of construction. The fate of Hafele was shared by Franz Anton Maulberch, the largest Austrian painter of the Baroque era: an untimely death overtook him immediately after receiving an order to paint the cathedral. It is good that in this case the artist's students took the reins of government. Anton Spreng and Josef Winterhalder so skillfully imitated the creative manner of the mentor that some guidebooks on Szombathely still call Maulberch the author of the frescoes.

The townspeople celebrated the official end of construction in 1814. The building, which has the shape of a Latin cross, turned out to be extremely harmonious, each of its details is in its own place, as if intended from the ages. This applies to both external design and interior decoration. The beauty of the interiors is eloquently evidenced by the fact that Emperor Franz Joseph I, who visited Szombathely during a trip around the country, was delighted with the design of the temple, and he had something to compare with ...

Alas, today it is impossible to take the place of the ruler of Austria-Hungary and feel the same admiration that seized him: during the Second World War, the explosion of a bomb that fell on the building destroyed the most valuable frescoes of the ceiling, the organ and many sculptures. The restoration of the pearl of the Baroque style has been going on for several years, but the end-edge of this process is not yet visible. I would like to hope that the huge sights of Szombathely are still destined to regain their former appearance.

To the left of the cathedral is the episcopal palace, but believe me, it definitely loses to its neighbor. Opposite is another administrative building in a neoclassical form, and with it the same trouble. If you want the next portion of vivid impressions, you need to move on to Fo ter Square, whose ensemble deserves the most flattering words. We did just that, capturing the last monument to a Hungarian poet named Daniel Bergeny, whose figure stares thoughtfully at the Cathedral of Szombathely.

After a couple of minutes, we saw the main square of the city, which has an intricate shape - a sharp triangle, based on a rectangular base. The place is really very beautiful, surrounded by numerous baroque houses. The first floor of almost every building is occupied by either a shop or a cafe, that is, the most expanse for tourists. A fountain is installed in the center of the space, flower beds are laid out around, trees are in tubs, benches are placed - rest as much as you like!

If it were not for the constant threat of rain, we would certainly have spent more time on Fo ter, only the clouds above our heads were getting thicker and thicker. I had to take my legs in my hands and move to inspect the inherited sights of Szombathely.

First of all, we stumbled upon the Church of St. Elizabeth, located almost next to the square. The Franciscan temple was built in the 1730s on the ruins of an earlier building, which, in turn, was erected on top of the foundations of the ancient era. That is, the building, although a little unsightly, but stands on a prayerful place. And a block further south, we were already waiting for such an outstanding attraction as Tortenelmi Temapark. The Historical Theme Park is filled with ancient military vehicles, workshops and fortifications, the inspection of which allows you to understand how the fighting proceeded in antiquity and the early Middle Ages. Having studied the guide to Szombathely, I read that those who wish can even try their hand at shooting from an almost real catapult, not to mention gawking at the process of making weapons. In general, the walls and towers, stylized in antiquity, beckoned me with an irresistible force, but the rain again took on its own forced us to seek salvation under the roof of Izeum, another famous landmark of Szombathely, located three hundred meters to the east. Still, a museum in bad weather is clearly preferable to a park ...

The value of Izeum is that its premises shelter the remains of the sanctuary of Isis, one of the Egyptian goddesses, whose cult was brought on the banks of the Danube by Roman legionnaires. There are only one or two ancient complexes of such preservation on the territory of Europe, so the archaeologists who excavated the ruins between 1955 and 1961 must have gone crazy with such a find ...

The sanctuary, covering an area of ​​about 3,000 square meters, was built around the 2nd century AD. Scientists managed to partially restore the former appearance of the religious complex, and I must say that the sanctuary makes itself respected...

The Izeum Museum also has a solid collection of ancient artefacts, including a number of relics used in worship, all of which have been discovered during archaeological excavations. Also in the museum there is an exposition telling about how the Roman province of Pannonia lived and breathed, which included a huge piece of the territory of present-day Hungary.

Having completed the study of the temple of Isis and its surroundings, we empirically established that the rain did not think to stop. Meanwhile, it was necessary to see the sights of Szombathely, and first of all pay attention to the hefty synagogue rising across the street. We, jumping through puddles, passed it, but it was a matter of honor to return. After all, say, the synagogues of Pilsen and Prague are known to the whole world, but the Szombathely synagogue, which is not much inferior to them in size and design, seems to be kept in the shadows.

The building has a certain charisma, it looks like a product of both eastern and western architecture at the same time. The Moorish motifs that inspired Ludwig Schön are visible to the naked eye, and neo-Gothic windows are immediately noticeable, reminiscent of medieval Christian churches. In general, the synagogue of Szombathely, built in the 1880s, is very good.

If we turned left at the Franciscan church, and not right, the Savaria Museum would be two steps away from us, and this, I will tell you, is a place that you must visit: the figure of 500 thousand exhibits related to the ancient era, says for herself. Visitors are offered to get acquainted with the historical, archaeological, ethnographic and other sections, so that "Savaria" gives an exhaustive idea of ​​the past of Hungary. Of course, it was impossible to pass by such a landmark, and yet we passed it, because none of us found the desire to saw back through half the city in the ever-increasing rain ...

For the same reason, we also crossed out the Szombathely arboretum, which contains a rich collection of Hungarian flora. We only had enough energy to drag ourselves to the car and set off from the most inhospitable city of the entire trip ...

That is, we thought so then, because Zalaegerszeg and Köszthely treated us no better than a neighbor ...

Szombathely is a city located in the western part of Hungary and is the administrative center of Vas county. It is located 220 kilometers from Budapest and 10 kilometers east of the Austrian border. Climate: temperate, dry. The average temperature in summer is +22 degrees, in winter the thermometer drops to -3 degrees.

Transport

To move around the city, you can use taxis, buses.

Attractions

In Szombathely, it is worth seeing the ruins of Roman Savaria, the remains of the temple of Isis, the bishop's palace, the cathedral of the XVIII century, the city hall, the Canon's House, the church of St. Martin, the church of St. Elizabeth.

Entertainment

Szombathely often hosts historical festivals. Museums, bars, restaurants, art galleries, theaters, clubs, shops are open here.

Hotels

Local hotels are classified as 3-5 *. Clubs, restaurants, beauty salons, fitness centers are open on their territory. You can also rent apartments.

Restaurants

In Szombathely, be sure to try cabbage rolls with sour cream, goose liver, goulash, and wine.

The shops

It is worth buying products made of clay, wood, porcelain, clothes with embroidery and lace, Hungarian paprika, souvenirs.

Located in the very west of Hungary, the city of Szombathely rarely receives the attention of tourists. A significant part of the foreigners visiting this border town are auto travelers who go to neighboring Austria (only 10 km away) and stop here for a couple of hours to rest and buy inexpensive food. Few people know that Szombathely bears the title of the oldest city in Hungary and, in addition to the magnificent baroque mansions of the glorious times of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, monuments of the Roman era have been preserved in it. And almost 80 thousand people hint that this is not a place forgotten by God, but quite a “living” European city worthy of attention.

How to get to Szombathely

Search for flights to Budapest (nearest airport to Szombathely)

Transport

Until 1974, trams ran along Szombathely, and today the city's public transport is represented only by buses, mostly the nostalgic Ikarus. True, tourists may not need them, since the historical center is quite compact. By the way, this is a paid parking area, so it’s better to move on foot or by bike - fortunately, a city bike rental system has recently appeared in Szombathely. It is better to call a taxi by phone (you can contact the hotel and restaurant staff) or through applications - it's cheaper than catching a car on the street.

Szombathely Hotels

Hotels in the city are offered at very affordable prices. So, the cost of a double room in a two-three-star hotel is from 16,000 to 21,200 HUF (without breakfast). In the only 4 * hotel in the city, a night will cost 26345 HUF (with breakfast). You can rent an apartment for a day for 10700 HUF. For a bed in a hostel they will ask for 5000 HUF. Prices on the page are for October 2018.

Cafes and restaurants

Catering Szombathely - for every taste, and food prices are pleasantly surprised. Establishments with traditional cuisine prevail, where goulash (1300 HUF), wild mushroom soup (800 HUF), fried catfish with dill (2000 HUF) are prepared. Restaurants also specialize mainly in Hungarian cuisine, only in a modern interpretation. For example, pikeperch fillet is served on a “pillow” of mashed potatoes and zucchini (2800 HUF). Locals' favorite fast food is burgers and cakes paired with takeaway coffee (2200 HUF with a drink). There are also international players: McDonald's and Burger King.

Attractions Szombathely

The vast majority of Szombathely attractions are located in the historical center. You can visit them all in 1-2 days and without using public transport.

The historical theme park is one of the "freshest" tourist attractions (Arena u., 1). It is located in the Franciscan Garden ("Ferenzes Kert") and is an exact copy of the ancient Roman fortifications with a fort, barracks and 6 towers. The park regularly hosts reconstruction festivals, concerts and theatrical performances.

The Church of St. Elizabeth was founded in 1360 by an Italian Franciscan monk (Arena utca, 1). In the 17th century, the Gothic church was rebuilt in the Baroque style, but its altar retained medieval features, formally making the church the oldest in Szombathely.

On one side of the altar there is a unique picture depicting the city at a time when it was still surrounded by fortress walls (17th century).

Izeum - a temple in honor of the Egyptian goddess Isis of the early 2nd century - one of the main symbols of Szombatheya (Rakoczi Ferenc u., 6-8). It was discovered relatively recently, in the middle of the 20th century, near the site of the Amber Route from the Baltic to the Mediterranean that passed through the city. The territory adjacent to it is literally dotted with the ruins of ancient Roman buildings. Now, on the site of the sanctuary of Isis, there is a museum, which presents finds dating back 2000 years. Archaeological research continues.

Szombathely Cathedral - the third largest in Hungary - was erected at the end of the 18th century on the site of a destroyed fortress temple and Roman ruins (Szechenyi Istvan u., 8). During the Second World War, the church was seriously damaged - only small fragments of beautiful frescoes and murals survived, the restoration of which continues to this day. It was in this church that the famous physicist Lorand Eötvös proved the existence of the effect of changing the weight of bodies on objects moving relative to the earth, which was later named after him.

Szombathely Cathedral is the third largest in Hungary.

During the Roman Empire, Szombathely was called Savaria. The same name was given to the museum responsible for local history in the city (Kisfaludy Sandor u., 9). The exposition on the ground floor illustrates the natural and geological history of the region and tells about the way of life of ancient people - the inhabitants of this pre-Alpine region. In particular, Neolithic and Roman artifacts, fragments of the foundation of the temple in honor of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva are presented.

Weather

The climate of Szombathely is temperate continental. Summers are warm but not hot. Winter is cold and snowy. The city has a fairly large number of sunny days per year for the region - 250.

• Where to stay: you can diversify your vacation with an interesting excursion program and enjoy the delights of national cuisine at the resort

Szombathely is located in the West Transdanubian region, about 220 kilometers west of Budapest and 10 kilometers east of the border with Austria. The Budapest-Szekesfehervar-Szombathely-Graz railway passes through the city. Travel time by train to Budapest is about 4 hours. Roads lead from the city south towards the autobahn E66 Szekesfehérvár - Graz and north towards Sopron and Vienna. Two small rivers flow through the city - Perint and Gyöngyös.

Etymology

The Hungarian name of the city comes from the words Hung. Szombat - Saturday and Hungarian. hely is a place and goes back to the famous fairs that were held in the city every Saturday. German name. Steinamanger literally translates as "stones in the field" and possibly refers to the ruins of the Roman city of Savaria, and possibly alludes to the earthquake of 458 that completely destroyed the city. Latin name lat. Savaria comes from Sybaris, the Roman name for the Gyongyos river.

Szombathely is the oldest city in Hungary. It was founded by the Romans in 45 BC. e. under the name Savaria and was the capital of the province of Pannonia. An imperial residence, baths and an amphitheater were built in the city. The future emperor Septimius Severus headed Pannonia and was proclaimed emperor in Savaria.

The heyday of the city was the period of the reign of Constantine the Great, who himself visited Savaria several times. New buildings, theaters and churches were built in the city. According to one version, Saint Martin of Tours was born here (according to another version, this happened in Pannonhalma). During the reign of Valentinian III, the Huns conquered Pannonia. Savaria was occupied in 445. In 458, Savaria was destroyed to the ground by a powerful earthquake.

In the V-VIII centuries, the city, despite everything, remained inhabited, Slavic tribes and Avars lived here. After the defeat of the latter by Charlemagne, it came under the rule of the Franks, and at the end of the 9th century, under the rule of the Moravians. In the X century, the former Pannonia was conquered by the Hungarians. In 1009 Stephen I the Holy included Szombathely in the newly organized diocese of Győr. In 1242, the city was destroyed by the Mongols, but it quickly rebuilt and in 1407 received the status of a free royal city. In 1578, Szombathely became the capital of Vash county.

During the Ottoman invasion, the city was besieged by the Turks twice. For the first time in 1664, the Turks were forced to retreat after the defeat that the Austrians inflicted on them near Szentgotthard. In 1683, after the defeat in the battle of Vienna, the Turks plundered a large number of cities during the retreat, but this time Szombathely saved the fortress walls.

The beginning of the 18th century was a period of disaster for the city. During the uprising of Ferenc Rakoczy, Szombathely was involved in the warring parties several times, in 1710 more than 2 thousand inhabitants died from the plague, and in 1716 a fire destroyed most of the buildings of the city. The disasters led to a strong decline in the population, which caused an influx of new colonists, mainly Germans, into Szombathely. Soon the Germans began to make up the majority of the city's population.

In 1772 a gymnasium was built, five years later Szombathely became an episcopal residence, after which it entered a period of rapid growth. A cathedral, an episcopal palace, and many new buildings were built here. In 1809, the city was occupied by Napoleon and held by him for 110 days. In the Revolution of 1849, Szombathely supported the rebels, but there were no hostilities in the vicinity of the city. In 1865, the railway came to the city, in 1885 several neighboring villages were included in the growing city.

After the First World War, Hungary lost most of its territory, and Szombathely became a frontier town. During World War II, like most Hungarian cities, Szombathely was heavily bombed. The city was liberated on March 29, 1945 by troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front. In the post-war period, the city was industrialized, a number of textile, machine-building and food industries were built in it.

One of the districts of the city - "YoshkarOla" - was named after the main city of the Mari people related to the Hungarians - the city of Yoshkar-Ola. In turn, in the Mari capital, one of the districts is called Szombathely.
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Attractions and events
Ruins of Roman Savaria. Remains of the temple of Isis (beginning of the 3rd century) and the early Christian basilica (4th century).
Cathedral of the city. Built at the end of the 18th century in the Baroque style.
Bishop's Palace. The Rococo palace was built in the 18th century after Szombathely became an episcopal residence.
City Hall.
Canon's house.
Church of St. Martin. According to legend, it was placed on the birthplace of St. Martin of Tours.
Church of St. Elizabeth.
Synagogue.
Savaria Museum. Numerous archaeological artifacts from the Roman era are on display.
Historical festival "Savaria".
City water tower.

The city is based football club Haladas, bronze medalist of the Hungarian Championship 2008/2009.

culture

Since 1993, one of the pioneers of the Hungarian electronic scene, the Anima sound system project, has been working in the city.

Useful information for tourists about Szombathely in Hungary - geographical location, tourist infrastructure, map, architectural features and attractions.

Szombathely is the oldest Hungarian city with many names in different languages. The Hungarian name of this western Transdanubian city is made up of two words: Szombat - Saturday and hely - the venue for the famous Saturday fairs. Built by the Romans 45 years before the advent of our era, Szombathely survived a devastating earthquake, the dominion of the Avars, the encroachments of the Franks, who were later ousted by the Moravians.

Only in the X century, the Hungarians conquered the city, including it in the diocese of Gyor. Destroyed by the Mongols in 1242, Szombathely was quickly rebuilt, subsequently awarded the status of a free royal city. Twice withstood Turkish attacks, the city was later involved in the uprising of Ferenc Rakoczi, lost part of the townspeople during the plague, and survived a strong fire.

These tragic events significantly reduced the Hungarian population of Szombathely, replenished by an influx of German colonists who soon became the ethnic majority. The subsequent history is typical of Hungarian cities that escaped the revolutionary events of 1849: the railway that arrived intensified the economic development of the city, which soon swallowed up several suburban villages; further devastating world wars followed, culminating in socialist industrialization.

Unfortunately, the extremely turbulent history of Szombathely did not allow the material evidence of urban life to be preserved more or less comprehensively to this day. Natural disasters, devastating attacks and changing rulers have created an unfavorable atmosphere that hinders historical inheritance. Nevertheless, Szombathely has preserved fragmentary relics of past eras, which are magnificent examples of ancient architecture.

The earliest are the ruins of Roman Savaria, represented by the remains of the temple of Isis and the early Christian basilica built in the 4th century. The temple is dedicated to the greatest goddess of Ancient Egypt, who personified femininity and motherhood. Protecting sinners, artisans, slaves and other oppressed, the goddess did not neglect the prayers of girls, rich people and aristocrats. Even rulers relied on her intercession.

The Savaria Museum located here displays archaeological artifacts left by the Roman era. In addition, the Bishop's Palace, erected in Szombathely after it was given the status of an episcopal residence, and the city's cathedral, dating from the same century, are of aesthetic interest. Tourists are advised to visit the city hall, the Church of St. Martin, the House of the Canon.

The Savaria historical festival taking place in Szombathely is extremely colorful. Its program includes a musical procession, fiery games, theatrical performances. Scenes of gladiatorial battles are also played out, folk dances are demonstrated, those who wish are involved in wine feasts.